APUSH: Civil War & Reconstruction

What was the significance of the Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854)?

It allowed for popular sovereignty to decide the issue of slavery in new territories, effectively repealing the Missouri Compromise and leading to violence in 'Bleeding Kansas'.

How did the Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857) ruling impact the national debate over slavery?

The Supreme Court ruled that African Americans, free or enslaved, were not citizens and had no standing to sue, and that Congress could not prohibit slavery in territories, intensifying sectional conflict.

What was the main goal of Abraham Lincoln at the beginning of the Civil War?

Lincoln's primary goal was to preserve the Union and prevent the secession of Southern states, not initially to abolish slavery.

What was the Union's 'Anaconda Plan'?

It was a strategy to blockade Southern ports, control the Mississippi River to split the Confederacy, and capture the Confederate capital of Richmond, slowly suffocating the South.

Why was the Battle of Antietam (1862) a crucial turning point in the Civil War?

It was the bloodiest single-day battle, allowing Lincoln to issue the Emancipation Proclamation, shifting the war's purpose to include ending slavery and discouraging European intervention.

What was the immediate impact of the Emancipation Proclamation (1863)?

It declared slaves in Confederate states free, encouraging enslaved people to flee to Union lines and join the Union army, while changing the moral objective of the war.

How did the Battles of Gettysburg and Vicksburg (1863) collectively mark a turning point in the Civil War?

Gettysburg ended Confederate invasions of the North, and Vicksburg gave the Union control of the Mississippi River, effectively splitting the Confederacy and severely weakening its war effort.

What was 'total war' as exemplified by Sherman's March to the Sea?

It was a military strategy to destroy the enemy's ability and will to fight by targeting not only military installations but also civilian infrastructure, resources, and morale.

What was the significance of Appomattox Court House?

It was the site where Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendered to Union General Ulysses S. Grant on April 9, 1865, effectively ending the Civil War.

What was the fundamental difference between Presidential Reconstruction and Congressional (Radical) Reconstruction?

Presidential Reconstruction under Johnson aimed for leniency and quick reintegration of Southern states, while Congressional Reconstruction sought to punish the South and guarantee rights for freedmen.

What did the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments each accomplish?

The 13th abolished slavery, the 14th granted citizenship and equal protection to all persons born or naturalized in the U.S., and the 15th granted African American men the right to vote.

What was the purpose of the Freedmen's Bureau?

Established in 1865, it provided aid, education, healthcare, and legal assistance to newly freed slaves and poor whites in the South during Reconstruction.

How did 'Black Codes' and 'Jim Crow Laws' impact African Americans after the Civil War?

Black Codes restricted African Americans' freedom and forced them into labor contracts, while Jim Crow Laws enforced racial segregation and disenfranchisement, undermining their constitutional rights.

What was sharecropping, and how did it affect freedmen?

Sharecropping was an agricultural system where landowners provided land and supplies to farmers in exchange for a share of the crop, often trapping freedmen in a cycle of debt and economic dependence.

What was the Compromise of 1877, and what was its main consequence?

It was a political agreement that resolved the disputed 1876 presidential election; in exchange for Rutherford B. Hayes becoming president, federal troops were withdrawn from the South, officially ending Reconstruction.