History 410
Spring 2010

Reconstruction

Hahn, “Continuing the War: White and Black Violence during Reconstruction”

What does Hahn say about the activity of freedmen after civil war, especially in 1867?

Why did the Reconstruction Act encourage the Union League to expand its activity? What specific kind of activity did it focus on?

How did the nature of the population (demographics) in certain areas of the south affect the Union Leagues activities?

What might be surprising to you or other about black political activity?

What specific roles did the Union League play during elections or on election days?

Why did the KKK emerge at this time?

Why was there so much violence in 1870s south?

How does Hahn explain the results of the 1876-77 presidential election?

Blight, “Ending the War: The Push for National Reconciliation”

What two profound ideas does Blight see as the cause of the difficulty Americans had with the end of the Civil War and emancipation of the slaves?  Why so difficult?

Why was the task of Reconstruction so difficult?

How did many white northerners who visited south see southern expectation or desires right after the war?

How did President Johnson contribute to southern resistance?

How did memory of the war affect or influence Radical Republicans to impose more strict Reconstruction on the south?

What does Blight explore memory of the war through Decoration Day or Memorial Day?

How did early black and abolitionists’ commemoration of Decoration Day differ from northerners and southern whites?

How did Memorial and Decoration Days change by late 1870s with the official end of Reconstruction?

What explains the differences in these two accounts of Reconstruction?