What was the condition made by Andrew Johnson upon granting his pardons for citizens of the South?
Which of the following ideas did you include?
According to the Wade-Davis Bill, who was excluded from being able to take the oath of loyalty to gain the right to vote?
What rights did the Civil Rights Act of 1866 grant all citizens? Check all of the boxes that apply.
Think about some of the ideas for Reconstruction that you have learned about.Describe one idea that you think was the most effective and one that should have been revised. Think about the changes you might make.
The Freedmen's Bureau was one of the most effective Reconstruction ideas because it provided formerly enslaved people with education, food, medical care, and help finding work. However, President Andrew Johnson's lenient Reconstruction plan should have been revised because it allowed Southern states to pass Black Codes and did not sufficiently protect African Americans' rights. Reconstruction would have been stronger if the federal government had required equal civil rights and enforced those protections more firmly.
Write a paragraph explaining what you would have done differently if you were a member of Congress or the president during the era of Reconstruction. Why do you think your ideas would have been more effective?
If I had been a member of Congress or president during Reconstruction, I would have supported stronger federal protection for formerly enslaved people and continued enforcing the Fifteenth Amendment. I would also have provided more funding for schools, job training, and land or loans so African Americans could become economically independent. The federal government should have punished groups such as the Ku Klux Klan and required Southern states to protect voting rights before allowing them full political power again. These ideas would have been more effective because laws alone could not create equality if violence, poverty, and discrimination continued. Strong enforcement and better economic and educational opportunities would have helped protect African Americans’ rights and create a more stable South.
Which of the following ideas did you include in your plan?
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