Lesson 1: Reconstructing the South

1)The South in Ruins

a)After the Civil War the North had some problems, but that was nothing compared to the South

b)In some places every house, barn and bridge was destroyed; Two-Thirds of railroads unusable

c)Financial System ruined, Confederate money useless, loans never repaid

d)Freed slaves add 4 million new workers to the job market, low wages

2)Lincoln’s 10% Plan

a)Before he died, Lincoln created the “Ten Percent Plan”

b)10% of Southern voters had to swear an oath to the U.S., then they could create a new government

c)Confederates get amnesty, but states had to abolish slavery

3)The Wade-Davis Bill

a)Republicans thought Lincoln went too easy on the South, they created the Wade-Davis Bill

b)Now required a majority of white men to swear loyalty to the U.S.

c)Denied right to vote and hold office to all ex-Confederates

d)Lincoln refused to sign it, he felt it was too harsh

4)The Freedmen’s Bureau

a)Congress creates a group to help newly freed slaves

b)Gave food, clothing, and medical care to poor blacks and whites

c)They worked hard to create schools for African Americans, mostly young and old people went to them

d)Helped to create the first black colleges, some graduates become teachers themselves

Homework: Create a Venn Diagram comparing Lincoln’s 10% Plan to the Wade-Davis Bill, follow the 8-5-8 format for it.

Lesson 2: Congress in Action

1)Thirteenth Amendment

a)The 13th Amendment to the Constitution abolished slavery in the United States

b)The first action a state government had to do once formed was approve the 13th Amendment

c)Every Southern state then passed “Black Codes” to limit the rights of African Americans

d)“Black Codes” put restrictions on jobs, places to live, voting, and owning guns

2)Fourteenth Amendment

a)Before this time, the Dred Scott decision said all African Americans weren’t citizens.

b)Congress wants to make African Americans citizens to give them equal rights and fight “Black Codes.”

c)14th Amendment gave citizenship to all people born in the United States. (illegal immigration today)

d)President Johnson campaigned against the amendment, most people disagreed with him.

3)President Johnson Impeached

a)The New Radical Republicans in Congress put pressure on the southern states with new laws.

b)They give power to Northern “Carpetbaggers” who take over control of the states they go into.

c)President Johnson obeyed the new laws, but worked against them. Congress votes to impeach him.

d)Johnson found guilty, but congress fails to get 2/3 majority to fire Johnson from office.

4)The Fifteenth Amendment

a)Before this amendment, more blacks could vote in the South than in the North

b)The 15th Amendment gives all male U.S. citizens over 21 the right to vote

c)Southern states create Jim Crow laws (Separate but Equal) that last for years

Homework: Imagine that you are a member of Congress during these times. Write a speech that you would give in favor or against any of the three Amendments mentioned in class today. Your speech should be at least ½ a page.

Lesson 3: Transcontinental Railroad

1)Why we needed Railroads

a)Western USA had lots of people; Eastern USA had products to sell them.

b)It took four to six months to cross the country by either wagon or boat.

c)Many people wished to have a railroad line that could cross the continent, transcontinental

d)It would take a lot of money and effort, but whoever could build it would be rich

2)Major Obstacles in the Way

a)Many cities fought to be the starting point of the railroad; it would make their city rich.

b)The geography was big and had lots of different places; plains, mountains, and deserts.

c)Natives lived on the lands were the tracks would be built, what if fighting broke out?

3)The Race is On

a)Two companies get government aid to build the Transcontinental Railroad

b)Central Pacific builds from Sacramento, California and goes east.

c)Union Pacific builds from Omaha, Nebraska and goes west.

d)Both companies use immigrants for most of their labor; they’re cheap and hard working.

4)The Golden Spike

a)Both companies meet at Promontory, Utah to join their two railroads

b)A golden spike is hammered into the last railroad tie as hundreds cheer

c)A message is sent by telegraph to let everyone know, “Done.”

d)In the next 30 years, four more routes are built and more states are created.

Homework: If the railroad had been completed in modern day times, how would people have found out about it? Create a full page art project to show what you think that would look like. Use at least 3 colors.

Lesson 4: Home on the Range

1)Cowboys and Cattle Drives

a)With the railroad connecting the west to the east, the demand for beef was big.

b)There were giant cattle ranches all around the southwest of America.

c)Cattle ranchers knows as “Cowboys” took their cows places during “Cattle Drives”

d)Some trails were hundreds of miles long, the most famous was the Chisholm Trail

2)Life on the Trail

a)Life on a cattle drive was always full of danger; stampedes, floods, thieves

b)Cowboys wore big hats to shade their heads, and wore chaps to protect their legs from scratchy plants

c)Cowboys used lassos to catch stray cows and sang to the cows to keep them calm. (fight boredom)

d)The “Chuck Wagon” carried all the supplies and food for the trip.

3)Cowtowns and the “Wild West”

a)Cattledrives ended in Cowtowns. They were towns where the railroad went through.

b)Cowtowns usually had huge animal pens to hold cows until the train came by.

c)Cowboys got paid in town and often celebrated there too. They caused lots of trouble.

d)Communities formed when people built hotels, saloons, and stores there for the Cowboys.

4)Why it Came to an End

a)Ranchers used to let cattle run on the open range, now they needed branding and barbed wire.

b)Harsh winters on the plains sometimes froze nine out of every ten cows. Cows unused to cold.

c)New Southern railroad lines made long trips unnecessary. Ranchers bought land near them.

Homework: Write a song you would sing as a cowboy to either keep your cows calm or for you to fight boredom. You must write at least 12 lines of lyrics.