US Reconstruction Era 3

Question 1

Who was the first African American to serve in the United States Senate, taking office in 1870?

Accepted Answer

Hiram Revels

Answer

Hiram Revels of Mississippi became the first African American U.S. Senator in 1870, filling the seat that had previously been held by Confederate President Jefferson Davis.

Question 2

Why was President Andrew Johnson impeached by the House of Representatives in 1868?

Accepted Answer

For violating the Tenure of Office Act by attempting to remove Secretary of War Edwin Stanton

Answer

Johnson was impeached for violating the Tenure of Office Act when he tried to remove Secretary of War Edwin Stanton without Senate approval; he was acquitted by the Senate by one vote.

Question 3

Which former Confederate state was the first to be readmitted to the Union after the Civil War, in 1866?

Accepted Answer

Tennessee

Answer

Tennessee was the first former Confederate state readmitted to the Union in July 1866, after ratifying the 14th Amendment, and was therefore exempt from the Military Reconstruction Acts of 1867.

Question 4

The Supreme Court's Plessy v. Ferguson decision in 1896 had what major effect on post-Reconstruction America?

Accepted Answer

It upheld racial segregation under the 'separate but equal' doctrine

Answer

Plessy v. Ferguson upheld the constitutionality of racial segregation under the 'separate but equal' doctrine, which remained the law of the land until Brown v. Board of Education in 1954.

Question 5

What was the main goal of the Enforcement Acts (Ku Klux Klan Acts) of 1870–1871?

Accepted Answer

To combat Klan violence and protect Black Americans' civil and voting rights in the South

Answer

The Enforcement Acts gave the federal government power to prosecute Klan members and other groups that used violence to suppress Black voting rights and undermine Reconstruction governments.

US History Test Practice Test

US History Test Practice Test

US Reconstruction Era 3