America’s History: Printed Page 505
America’s History: Value Edition: Printed Page 448
REVIEW QUESTIONS | Answer these questions to demonstrate your understanding of the chapter’s main ideas. |
How did U.S. presidents and Congress seek to reintegrate the Confederacy into the Union? What different approaches did they take, and what were the results?
Compare the goals of Radical Republicans, freedpeople, and ex-Confederates during Reconstruction. What conflicts ensued from their differing agendas?
Why did Reconstruction falter? To what extent was its failure the result of events in the South, the North, and Washington, D.C.?
Some of the language historians use to describe Reconstruction still reflects the point of view of ex-Confederates, who spoke of “Redemption.” What other names might we use for that process? What difference (if any) would it make if scholars called it something else?
THEMATIC UNDERSTANDING Look again at the events listed under “Politics and Power” and “Identity” on the thematic timeline. Some historians have argued that, during this era, the United States moved, politically and socially, from being a loose union of states to being a more unified and inclusive nation. To what extent do you agree? Use the events of Reconstruction as evidence in making your case.