Reconstruction Era and Battle of Antietam

Study Notes

President Lincoln believed Southern states had seceded and required readmission on Congressional terms
Black Codes restricted freedoms for newly freed slaves, limiting liberties like voting and land ownership
The 14th Amendment ensured citizenship and rights to formerly enslaved individuals
Johnson's veto of the Civil Rights Act of 1866 led to Congressional efforts to pass the 14th Amendment
Reconstruction aimed to rebuild the South and integrate formerly enslaved individuals; factors that could have improved its success include a stronger suppression of anti-African American groups like the Ku Klux Klan and refraining from interfering with Southern property rights.

The Battle of Antietam was significant due to its influence on the war's course
Lee's invasion of the North was halted, impacting the Confederate's chances
It delayed Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation and potentially prevented European intervention

The 1863 Emancipation Proclamation freed slaves in Confederate states actively rebelling against the Union
It did not apply to border states or areas under Union control

Sherman's strategic approach involved total war, targeting civilian infrastructure to diminish Southern morale and will to fight
Focusing on destroying civilian morale through war was a key aspect of Sherman's strategic thinking

The Union's victory at Gettysburg and other key battles was particularly critical to Lincoln's reelection in 1864
Confederate leaders after the war were controversially offered various treatments,ranging from prison terms to pardons
Lincoln hoped that the ending of the Civil War would reintegrate Southern states into the Union peacefully. However, many different viewpoints existed on the necessary steps toward achieving this goal.

Groups like the Ku Klux Klan represented a threat to formerly enslaved individuals during the Reconstruction era
The 1876 election involved a compromise among competing political factions that resulted in the removal of federal troops from the South, which ultimately hindered Reconstruction and harmed the rights of African Americans.

The 1876 presidential election was disputed, and a compromise between political parties led to the withdrawal of federal troops from the South
This withdrawal effectively ended Reconstruction and contributed to a significant decline in the political and civil rights of African Americans in the South

The main goal of the Ku Klux Klan's actions during Reconstruction was to suppress African Americans and counter Reconstructionist efforts in the South. This attempted to maintain the social order and hierarchy of the region as it had existed before the Civil War.
The main goal of the Radical Republicans in Reconstruction was to ensure the rights of formerly enslaved people and dramatically alter the South' political landscape.