Name __________________________________________________ Date ______________________________
Assessment: The Reconstruction Era
Mastering the Content
Fill in the circle next to the best answer.
1. Which describes Abraham Lincoln’s approach to the South at the end of the Civil War?
A. The South should be punished for its part in the war.
B. The South should be treated with kindness and justice.
C. The South should ratify the Fourteenth Amendment.
D. The South should pay for property damage caused by the war.
2. Which of these was a lasting effect of the Freedmen’s Bureau?
A. job security
B. land distribution
C. free medical care
D. educational opportunity
3. All of these were included in President Johnson’s Reconstruction plan except
A. cancellation of war debts.
B. new state constitutions for Confederate states.
C. ratification of the Thirteenth Amendment.
D. guarantee of voting rights for freedmen.
4. What was the purpose of the black codes?
A. to control former slaves
B. to provide fair wages for freedmen
C. to reconstruct the plantation system
D. to teach language skills to freedmen
5. Why was the Thirteenth Amendment passed?
A. to abolish slavery
B. to provide citizenship to former slaves
C. to allow freedmen to run for office
D. to legislate fair treatment of all citizens
6. What did Congress hope the Enforcement Acts would prevent?
A. misuse of tax money
B. attacks on political leaders
C. attempts to keep people from voting
D. opposition to new state governments
7. What does the Fourteenth Amendment guarantee to citizens?
A. the right to vote
B. the right to medical care
C. equal protection of the law
D. separate but equal public facilities
8. During Congressional Reconstruction, which group held political power in the South?
A. wealthy, white landowners
B. former Confederate leaders
C. members of the Ku Klux Klan
D. people who had been loyal to the United States
9. In 1867, which of these made up the largest group of new Southern voters?
A. African Americans
B. white Southern Democrats
C. former Confederate soldiers
D. Northerners who moved to the South
10. What was the purpose of the Fifteenth Amendment?
A. to give all citizens the right to vote
B. to provide education for all citizens
C. to raise taxes to repair damage to the South
D. to protect the voting rights of African American men
11. Why was the Ku Klux Klan formed?
A. to integrate Southern schools
B. to end government corruption
C. to return white Democrats to power
D. to protect the voting rights of Southerners
12. Why did Southern Democrats pass Jim Crow laws?
A. to assure equal education for all
B. to encourage Southerners to move to the North
C. to separate African Americans and whites in public life
D. to prevent unqualified African Americans from voting
13. How did the Supreme Court rule in Plessy v. Ferguson?
A. Jim Crow laws are unconstitutional.
B. Public facilities should be available to all races.
C. Integration of schools is required by law.
D. Separate but equal public facilities are constitutional.
14. What was an effect of Southern poll tax laws?
A. African Americans were denied voting rights.
B. Money was raised to fund public education.
C. Public funding of small businesses increased.
D. Southern Democrats were voted out of office.
15. Southern segregation pushed African Americans to move. What pulled them to other parts of the country?
A. the promise of free land
B. the promise of free education
C. the hope of better opportunities
D. the hope of political opportunities
16. How did African Americans who remained in the South improve their lives?
A. They depended upon government welfare.
B. They worked together to build communities.
C. They received money from relatives in the North.
D. They conducted violent protests to obtain rights.
Applying Social Studies Skills
Use the map and your knowledge of history to answer the questions.
17. What do the years under the Southern states represent?
18. Why did Congress believe it was necessary to establish these military districts?
A. to provide work for soldiers
B. to quell violent slave revolts
C. to prevent another civil war
D. to form legal state governments
19. The Military Reconstruction Act was enacted in response to the actions of which president?
A. Ulysses S. Grant
B. Andrew Johnson
C. Abraham Lincoln
D. Rutherford B. Hayes
Exploring the Essential Question
To what extent did Reconstruction bring African Americans closer to full citizenship?
Follow the directions to complete the item below.
20. In a short essay, describe at least three ways the government tried to guarantee African Americans full
citizenship during Reconstruction. Then describe three ways that various groups tried to deny African
Americans full citizenship during and immediately after Reconstruction.
Make sure to convey your ideas clearly, using standard English.