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Answer these questions as you watch the video. After the video, go back and fill in any information you can add to each answer. Boldface/underlined terms are key terms to study. Be sure to have a good understanding of these terms. Use the textbook to add information if needed.

This is worth 10 points extra credit on lowest grade

1. What were some white landowners attempting to achieve through their violence against African-Americans?
2. Who are the Radical Republicans and what do they hope to achieve?
3. What is the Freedman’s Bureau? What did it do? Why was the Freedman’s Bureau unsuccessful?
4. Why do many historians consider former President Andrew Johnson to be a white supremacist? He was against slavery; why was he AGAINST equal rights for African-Americans?
5. How did many Confederates regain government power in the Southern states?
6. What are “Black Codes”? What were their immediate effects? What is their legacy?
7. What were the two competing theories of what to do about Reconstruction?

   · Johnson’s Plan:

   · Radicals in Congress:

8. What is the “selfish” reason Louisiana Republicans wanted to give African-Americans the right to vote? Why did black Union soldiers feel they deserved the right to vote?
9. Describe what happened at the Mechanics Hall in New Orleans in 1866. What part did President Johnson play in it?
10. What are the Reconstruction Acts? What do they represent to Southerners?
11. How did the Ku Klux Klan begin? Why did it start? Why didn’t local officials stop the Klan when it became violent?

Paper For Above instruction

The period immediately following the Civil War, known as Reconstruction, was a turbulent time marked by efforts to redefine social and political order in the Southern United States. White landowners, seeking to restore their economic dominance and social hierarchy, often resorted to violence against African Americans. Their goal was to suppress newly freed Black citizens' efforts to demand equal rights and to reassert white supremacy through intimidation and violence. This violence aimed to prevent African Americans from exercising their voting rights, owning land, or participating fully in civic life, thereby maintaining a racially stratified society.

The Radical Republicans were a faction within Congress advocating for significant social and political changes in the South, aiming to secure rights for freed slaves and enforce federal power to reconstruct Southern society. Their objectives included granting African Americans civil rights, suffrage, and civil protections. They sought to dismantle the Black Codes and ensure freedom and equality for formerly enslaved people, believing that racial justice was essential for genuine reconstruction. Their efforts contrasted with President Andrew Johnson's more lenient approach, which prioritized rapid reintegration of Southern states without strong protections for Black citizens.

The Freedman’s Bureau, established in 1865, was a federal agency designed to assist freed slaves and impoverished Southerners. Its functions included providing food, housing, education, and legal assistance, as well as helping freedmen secure land and employment. Despite its noble objectives, the Bureau faced substantial opposition from white southerners and lacked sufficient funding and manpower. These limitations hindered its effectiveness, and it was ultimately unsuccessful in ensuring long-term economic independence and civil rights for African Americans, many of whom continued to face systemic discrimination and violence.

Many historians view Andrew Johnson as a white supremacist due to his policies and actions during Reconstruction. Although he was technically against slavery, Johnson's beliefs in racial superiority and his opposition to equality for African Americans were evident in his vetoes of civil rights legislation and his leniency toward Southern white supremacist groups. He opposed measures aimed at protecting Black civil rights, facilitating the reintegration of former Confederate leaders into government, and allowing African Americans to vote, reflecting a commitment to maintaining racial hierarchies.

Following the Civil War, many Confederates regained political power in Southern states through a combination of pardons from Johnson, the enactment of Black Codes, and voter suppression tactics targeting African Americans. These strategies allowed white Southern elites to reassert control over state governments and re-establish social dominance. The resurgence of white political power was often accompanied by violence and intimidation to suppress Black political participation, perpetuating segregation and disenfranchisement.

Black Codes were laws enacted in Southern states after the Civil War aimed at controlling enslaved and freed African Americans. Their immediate effects included restricting Black people's movement, employment options, and civil rights. These laws sought to reestablish a labor force under white control and limited African Americans' freedom to travel, own property, or access education. The legacy of Black Codes contributed to systemic segregation and discrimination, laying the groundwork for Jim Crow laws and institutional racism.

Reconstruction involved two main approaches: Johnson’s Plan and the Radical Republicans’ plan. Johnson favored a lenient, quick reintegration of Southern states, often offering amnesty to former Confederates and allowing Southern governments to re-establish authority with minimal federal oversight. Conversely, Radical Republicans advocated for a more stringent approach that included military oversight, protections for Black civil rights, and disenfranchisement of former Confederates until reforms were in place. These conflicting visions reflected broader debates over racial justice and federalism during Reconstruction.

The “selfish” reason Louisiana Republicans wanted to extend voting rights to African Americans was to consolidate political power by increasing the size and strength of their voting base. Black Union soldiers believed they deserved the right to vote because they had fought valiantly in the Civil War, contributed to the Union victory, and sought to secure their newfound freedom and civil rights through participation in democracy. Their voting rights symbolized empowerment and acknowledgment of their sacrifices.

The incident at Mechanics Hall in New Orleans in 1866 involved violent clashes between white mobs and Black citizens protesting restrictions on Black suffrage. President Johnson’s policies and rhetoric seemed to encourage leniency toward white supremacist violence, which emboldened opponents of Reconstruction. Johnson's opposition to federal intervention and his use of vetoes against Civil Rights legislation contributed to the erosion of protections for Black citizens and escalated tensions in the city.

The Reconstruction Acts, passed by Radical Republicans in 1867, divided the Southern states into military districts governed by Union generals. These acts mandated new state constitutions guaranteeing Black male suffrage and required former Confederate leaders to relinquish power before reentry into the Union. To Southerners, these acts represented an imposition of Northern control, humiliating and punishing the South for the Civil War, thereby fostering resentment and resistance to Reconstruction efforts.

The Ku Klux Klan originated in 1866 as a social club for Confederate veterans but quickly transformed into a violent terrorist organization aiming to intimidate and restore white supremacy. The Klan's violence targeted Black citizens, white Republicans, and anyone supporting Reconstruction policies. Local officials often did not stop Klan violence either due to sympathies with white supremacists, corruption, or fear of retribution. This lack of enforcement allowed the Klan’s influence and violence to persist, undermining efforts to secure civil rights and peaceful reform in the South.

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