HIUS 222 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS, UPDATED AND VERIFIED,
ALREADY GRADED A+
"The Gilded Age"
Coined by Twains 1873 Novel. Term implies graft, materialism, and corruption. Period from 1865-1901
Issues of the Gilded Age
1. Retreat from Reconstruction.
What was Reconstruction?
An attempt by Congress to remake the post war South in the North's image socially, politically, and
economically.
What did Reconstruction hinge upon and what time period did it last from?
It hinged upon the restoration of the Southern states to the Union, and the status of the freedmen.
Lasted from 1865-1877.
What were the main successes of Reconstruction?
1. The 14th Amendment
2. Voter Registration
3. The 15th Amendment
4. The enforcement of the 14th and 15th Amendment by the Grant administration.
14th Amendment
Passed in 1866. Declared that all persons born or naturalized in the US were citizens of the US and the
state of their residence.
15th Amendment
Passed in 1869. Forbade the federal government to deny the right to vote to any citizen on account of
race, color, or previous condition of servitude.
Grant's Enforcement
1. Established the DOJ in 1870 to enforce the 15th Amendment.
2. Increased the Attorney General's responsibilities.
3. Signed 5 enforcement acts between 1870-1872 against race based voter discrimination.
What success of Reconstruction was later ruled unconstitutional?
The Civil Rights Act of 1875 which outlawed racial discrimination in public transportation.
Reasons for the Northern Retreat from Reconstruction?
1. There was a Northern war weariness.
2. The emergence of a reunionist sentiment.
, 3. Grantism
4. The Compromise of 1877
What were the challenges to Reconstruction?
1. Racial Violence
2. Southern White counter revolution
3. "Lost Cause" myth
What was the Ku Klux Klan?
A secret vigilante group formed in 1866 that used violence in an attempt to restore white supremacy.
What was the "Lost Cause" Myth?
A deliberate Southern effort to construct a public memory of the antebellum South as chivalrous and
ideal.
Characteristics of "Reconciliationist" Literature.
1. Nostalgic depiction of American slavery and the Civil War.
2. Stories of universal bravery of soldiers and intersectional kindness.
3. Realities of war, including causes and consequences, remained hidden.
4. Bitterness was absent and conflict were easily resolved- usually in intersectional romance and
marriage.
What is Grantism?
The name given to the Grant administrations scandals such as Black Friday, The Whiskey Ring, and Credit
Moblier. Grantism undermined Grant's popularity and his efforts towards Reconstruction.
What is the Compromise of 1877?
Related to the 1876 election. There was no clear winner between Tilden and Hayes in the electoral
college. After much dispute both sides compromised. Republicans agreed to remove all federal troops
from the South in return for Democratic recognition of Hayes as winner of the election. In effect ending
Reconstruction.
What racial issues did the South have after Reconstruction?
1. Return of former Confederates
2. Voter fraud, intimidation, and disenfranchisement. Methods such as Literacy Tests and Poll Taxes
3. A significant decrease in black and poor white political participation.
4. Rise of segregation and Jim Crow
5. Rise of lynching in the South
Reasons for Continued Western Movement
1. Important white settlements had already been established.
2. Ambitious men and women pressed for access to new western lands.
3. Settlers were attracted by gold and silver deposits, pasture for cattle and sheep, and the Great Plains'
ALREADY GRADED A+
"The Gilded Age"
Coined by Twains 1873 Novel. Term implies graft, materialism, and corruption. Period from 1865-1901
Issues of the Gilded Age
1. Retreat from Reconstruction.
What was Reconstruction?
An attempt by Congress to remake the post war South in the North's image socially, politically, and
economically.
What did Reconstruction hinge upon and what time period did it last from?
It hinged upon the restoration of the Southern states to the Union, and the status of the freedmen.
Lasted from 1865-1877.
What were the main successes of Reconstruction?
1. The 14th Amendment
2. Voter Registration
3. The 15th Amendment
4. The enforcement of the 14th and 15th Amendment by the Grant administration.
14th Amendment
Passed in 1866. Declared that all persons born or naturalized in the US were citizens of the US and the
state of their residence.
15th Amendment
Passed in 1869. Forbade the federal government to deny the right to vote to any citizen on account of
race, color, or previous condition of servitude.
Grant's Enforcement
1. Established the DOJ in 1870 to enforce the 15th Amendment.
2. Increased the Attorney General's responsibilities.
3. Signed 5 enforcement acts between 1870-1872 against race based voter discrimination.
What success of Reconstruction was later ruled unconstitutional?
The Civil Rights Act of 1875 which outlawed racial discrimination in public transportation.
Reasons for the Northern Retreat from Reconstruction?
1. There was a Northern war weariness.
2. The emergence of a reunionist sentiment.
, 3. Grantism
4. The Compromise of 1877
What were the challenges to Reconstruction?
1. Racial Violence
2. Southern White counter revolution
3. "Lost Cause" myth
What was the Ku Klux Klan?
A secret vigilante group formed in 1866 that used violence in an attempt to restore white supremacy.
What was the "Lost Cause" Myth?
A deliberate Southern effort to construct a public memory of the antebellum South as chivalrous and
ideal.
Characteristics of "Reconciliationist" Literature.
1. Nostalgic depiction of American slavery and the Civil War.
2. Stories of universal bravery of soldiers and intersectional kindness.
3. Realities of war, including causes and consequences, remained hidden.
4. Bitterness was absent and conflict were easily resolved- usually in intersectional romance and
marriage.
What is Grantism?
The name given to the Grant administrations scandals such as Black Friday, The Whiskey Ring, and Credit
Moblier. Grantism undermined Grant's popularity and his efforts towards Reconstruction.
What is the Compromise of 1877?
Related to the 1876 election. There was no clear winner between Tilden and Hayes in the electoral
college. After much dispute both sides compromised. Republicans agreed to remove all federal troops
from the South in return for Democratic recognition of Hayes as winner of the election. In effect ending
Reconstruction.
What racial issues did the South have after Reconstruction?
1. Return of former Confederates
2. Voter fraud, intimidation, and disenfranchisement. Methods such as Literacy Tests and Poll Taxes
3. A significant decrease in black and poor white political participation.
4. Rise of segregation and Jim Crow
5. Rise of lynching in the South
Reasons for Continued Western Movement
1. Important white settlements had already been established.
2. Ambitious men and women pressed for access to new western lands.
3. Settlers were attracted by gold and silver deposits, pasture for cattle and sheep, and the Great Plains'
