U.S. History – SOL Study Guide

Geographic Regions have different characteristics. Here are the Regions of North America.

Let's compare the Geographic Regions of North America:

Region Location Physical Characteristics

Coastal Plain Located along the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico

Broad lowland with many excellent harbors

Appalachian Highlands

Located west of the Coastal Plain; extends from eastern

Canada to western Alabama; includes the Piedmont Region

of Virginia

Old, eroded mountains-- the oldest mountain range in North America

Canadian Shield

Wraps around the Hudson Bay in a horseshoe shape

Its hills are worn by erosion and hundreds of its lakes are carved by glaciers; it holds some of the oldest rock formations in North America

Interior Lowlands

Located west of the Appalachian Mountains and

east of the Great Plains

Rolling flatlands with many rivers, broad river valleys, and grassy hills

Great PlainsLocated west of the Interior Lowlands and east of the

Rocky Mountains

Flat land that gradually increases in elevation as you go west; it contains

grasslandsRocky

MountainsLocated west of the Great

plains and east of the Basin Rugged mountains stretching from Alaska almost to Mexico with high

and Rangeelevations; also contains the

Continental Divide, which determines the flow of rivers

Basin and Range

Located west of the Rocky Mountains and east of the

Sierra Nevada Mountains and the Cascade Mountains

Contains some tall mountains but also Death Valley, which is the lowest point

in North America

Coastal RangeRugged mountains along the Pacific Coast that stretch from

California to CanadaContains fertile valleys

Characteristics of the United States:

Major Bodies of Water: Trade, Transportation, Settlement:

Oceans: Atlantic Ocean and Pacific Ocean

Rivers: Mississippi River, Missouri River, Ohio River, Columbia River, Colorado River, Rio Grande

Gulf: The Gulf of Mexico

Lakes: The Great Lakes-- Lake Superior, Lake Michigan, Lake Huron, Lake Eerie, Lake Ontario

The location of the United States (with the Atlantic and Pacific coasts) has given

access to the rest of the world

The Atlantic Ocean served as the highway for explorers, early settlers, and

later immigrants

The Ohio River was the gateway to the west

Cities began to develop in the Midwest along the Great Lakes

The Mississippi and Missouri Rivers were the transportation routes for farm and

industrial products. They were also links to the rest of the world.

The Columbia River was explored by Lewis and Clark

The Colorado River was explored by the Spanish

The Rio Grande forms the border with Mexico

The Pacific Ocean was an early exploration route

The Gulf of Mexico allowed the French and Spanish to explore Mexico and other

parts of America

The First Americans:

*The American Indians were the first people to live in North America. *These First Americans lived in different areas. *They fished, hunted, and harvested crops for food. *Clothing was made from animal skins and plants. *Shelter was made from resources found in their environment, such as sod, stones, animal skins, and wood.

Tribe Area Where They Lived

Characteristics of the Area Shelter

Food and Natural

Resources

Transportation

Inuit

Alaska and Northern Canada (Arctic

Region)

Arctic area where the

temperature is below freezing

most of the year

-snow or stone

houses in winter

(igloos)-tents

made of animal skins in summer

-seals-fish

-whales-caribou

-foot-kayak

-dog sled

Kwakiutl

Pacific Northwest

Coast (Northwest

Coast Region)

rainy, mild climate

longhouses made of

wood

-fish-deer

-berries-roots-wood

-canoes-foot

Sioux

The Great Plains, which is the

interior of the United States -Great Plains

Region

dry grassland

tepees made of animal skins

-buffalo-corn

-beans

-horseback-foot

-canoes

Pueblo

Southwest United States in present-day New Mexico and Arizona (Southwest

Region)

desert areas and areas that

border cliffs and mountains

adobes made of

dried mud or clay

-corn-beans-squash

-clay

-foot-horseback

Iroquois

Northeast North America in the Eastern

Woodland (Eastern

Woodlands

many forestslonghouses made of

wood

-corn-beans-deer-wood

-foot-canoes

Many different European countries competed to claim land in North America and to extend their power to the western world.

There were several reasons why they wanted to explore the New World:

1) Economic Reasons: they wanted to find gold, natural resources, and to trade

2) Religious Reasons: they wanted to spread Christianity3) Competition: they wanted to own more land than anyone else and

believed their culture was best

But, there were problems... 1) they had poor maps and navigational tools

2) there was little food and many became sick or died from starvation or disease

3) they were afraid of what was over in the New World, since no one had been before

4) they did not have appropriate supplies

Some explorers achieved great things from exploring the New World:1) they exchanged goods and ideas

2) they were able to improve navigational tools and ships3) they claimed new territories

The Early European Explorers:

European Country (Sponsor) Regions Explored

Relationship with the

American Indians

Spain Francisco Coronado claimed

southwest United States

Conquered American

Indians and made them

slaves; brought Christianity to

the New World, but also brought over European

Diseases

France

Samuel de Champlain established

Quebec; Robert La

Salle claimed the Mississippi

River Valley

Established trading posts and spread Christian religion

England

John Cabot explored eastern Canada

Established settlements and

claimed land; learned farming techniques and traded with the First Americans

Sometimes there was cooperation between the Explorers and the Native Americans:

1) Technologies-- they shared knowledge about transporting weapons and farm tools

2) They traded with one another3) Native Americans taught the Explorers a great deal about crops

But at other times, there was conflict:1) Who owned the land?

2) They competed for trade3) There were many differences between European and Native American

cultures4) Disease was brought over by the Explorers

5) They spoke different languages, so communication was very difficult

Another area of exploration was in West Africa...

Ghana, Mali, and SonghaiThese ancient empires became powerful by controlling trade in West Africa. Each empire dominated West Africa at certain times from 300 to 1600 A.D.

The Portuguese people carried goods from Europe to West African empires. They traded metals, cloth, and other manufactured goods for GOLD.

GHANA was the first great African empire of the western Sudan. Ghana became known for its rich culture, wealth, organization, and power.

Ghana became very rich because of the "salt-gold trade" between West and North Africa. This trade was very important, and Ghana came to control not only gold and salt, but also the trade routes that went through their land. Since gold and salt were both so valuable, the mines were kept secret! Most of the trading was done in a way called "silent barter." This meant that traders swapped gold, salt, and other

objects without ever meeting in person!The king of Ghana collected taxes from all of the traders that traveled through Ghana. He also kept the

gold nuggets for himself during trade (traders used the gold dust). Ghana became very rich and powerful and thrived until the mid 1200's. It started losing power when Muslim raiders began attacking the empire, since they wanted control of the salt-gold trade. The Muslims also wanted the people of Ghana to convert to their religion of Islam. Ghana fought the Muslims for more than 30 years, but the empire began to break apart into smaller provinces. A new and more powerful empire rose in Ghana's place. It was called MALI!

The empire of MALI was founded in the mid 1200's and lasted through the late 1400's. A man named Sundiata earned the title "Lion King of Mali." In his lifetime, he turned Mali into a rich empire because of

the salt/gold trade. Another king of Mali was named Mansa Musa. Under his rule, the capital city of Timbuktu became a center of learning for scholars throughout Africa. Mansa Musa went on a pilgrimage, or a long trip, to a place called Mecca. This trip is one of the most famous and well documented ones in history. Mali continued to grow in size, but it became difficult to control. After Mansa Musa's death, his

son, Maghan, took control of the Mali empire. Warriors later attacked Timbuktu and buildings were destroyed. Mali continued to be an empire for another 200 years, but its Golden Age was over. A new

empire replaced Mali as the most powerful trading empire in West Africa. It was called SONGHAI!

SONGHAI became powerful as a man named Ali-Ber ruled the empire. He helped expand the empire by conquering Timbuktu and then spreading in all directions to capture the remaining parts of the former Mali

empire. Each conquered area was divided into 5 large provinces, which each had its own governor, courts, and army to make sure people paid taxes. Songhai became the most well-organized empire in

ancient West Africa. Songhai grew rich like Ghana and Mali by controlling trade routes across the Sahara Desert. But the Songhai empire did not last long. Moroccan soldiers attacked the empire with guns while

the people of Songhai fought with swords. The great Songhai empire was brought to an end by this fighting, drought, and disease.

The Songhai empire was then divided into small states and trade routes were still used, even though the empire was no longer in power. Warfare continued in this region for many years and the area became very weak because of the fighting. No other nation in West Africa was able to achieve the greatness of

the empires of Ghana, Mali, or Songhai!

Colonial America

People from England wanted to come to the new world for religious and economic reasons. Let's compare some of the colonies that were established:

Colony Why It Was Established

Roanoke Island (Lost

Colony)

It was an economic venture-- the 1st permanent English

settlement in North America was Jamestown Settlement

and it was an economic venture by the Virginia

Company

Plymouth Colony

It was settled by separatists from the Church of England

who wanted to belong to other churches

Massachusetts Bay Colony

This colony was settled by the Puritans because they wanted to worship as they

pleased

PennsylvaniaThis was settled by the

Quakers, who wanted to have freedom to practice their faith

without interference

Georgia

This colony was settled by people who had been in prisons in England. The

settlers hoped to experience a new life in the colony and to

experience economic freedom in the new world.

Life in the ColoniesRegion Geography Climat Economy Social Political &

e Life Civil Life

New England

~Appalachian Mts., Boston Harbor, hilly terrain, rocky soil, jagged coastline

~moderate

summers, cold

winters

~fishing, shipbuilding

industry & naval supplies, trade &

port cities

~skilled craftsman, shopkeepers

~viewed the village and church as center of

life

~had town meetings

Mid-Atlantic

~Appalachian Mts., coastal

lowlands (harbors &

bays, wide & deep rivers),

rich farmlands

~moderate climate

~livestock and grain, trading

~many people were unskilled

& skilled workers or fisherman

~villages and cities

~people had a

variety of different lifestyles

~many different religions

~had market towns

South

~Appalachian Mts., Piedmont, Atlantic Coastal

Plain, good harbors, rivers

~humid climate

~large farms/plantations, cash crops, wood products,

small farms

~slavery

~had plantations, mansions, indentured servants, few cities and few schools

~Church of England was most popular

~had counties

People's lives were not the same in each of the colonies. In fact, they varied in several different ways. For example:

Large Landowners: * lived mostly in the South

* relied on indentured servants and/or slaves for labor

*were educated in some cases*had rich social culture

Farmers:*worked the land according

to the region*relied on family members

for labor

Artisans:*worked as craftsmen in

towns and on the plantation*lived in small villages and

cities

Women:*worked as caretakers,

houseworkers, homemakers*could not vote Indentured Servants:

Slaves:*were captured in their native Africa and sold to slave traders, then were

*had few chances for education

*consisted of men and women who didn't have

enough money for passage to the colonies and who

agreed to work without pay for the person who paid for

their passage*were free at the end of

their contract

shipped to the colonies when they were sold into

slavery*were owned as property

for life with no rights*were often born into

slavery (children of slaves were born into slavery

During this time, England tried to control the colonies in different ways:

Economic Control:*England tried to strictly control trade

*England taxed the colonies after the French and Indian War

*Colonies traded raw materials for goods

Political Control:*Colonists had to obey English laws that were

made by governors*Colonial governors were appointed by the

king or by the proprietor*Colonial legislatures made laws for each

colony and were monitored by colonial governors

WHY did England want so much control over the colonies? Their reasons were...1) England wanted to remain powerful in the world

2) England imposed taxes, such as the Stamp Act, to raise necessary money to pay the cost of the French and Indian War

WHY did England impose so many taxes? They said it was because...1) To help finance the French and Indian War

2) To help pay to keep English troops in the colonies

WHY were the colonists upset with England wanting so much control??1) they had no representation in Parliament

2) some colonists did not like colonial governors having so much power3) England wanted to have strict control over colonial legislatures

4) the colonies were against taxes5) The Proclamation of 1763 got in the way of settlers' western movement

Signing the Declaration of Independence

Colonists had many new

political ideas. They wanted

to be free from England's

power (independence) and wanted a

democratic government in the American

colonies.

Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence, a document which demanded independence from England.

Some key points stated in the Declaration of Independence were:

1) people have "certain unalienable rights" (they can't be taken away) including life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness

2) people establish their own government to protect these rights3) government gets its power from the people

4) people have a right and a duty to change a government that violates these rights

Important People of the American Revolution:

King George III: Lord Cornwallis: Thomas Jefferson:

King of England during the Revolutionary period

British General who surrendered to the

Patriots at Yorktown

Main author of the Declaration of Independence

John Adams:very active in the push for

independence

George Washington:

Commander of the Continental Army

Patrick Henry:Outspoken member of the House of Burgesses; inspired patriotism with

his "Give me liberty or give me death" speech

Thomas Paine:Journalist and author of Common

Sense

Phillis Wheatley: A former slave who

wrote poems and plays supporting

independence

Benjamin Franklin:Major member of the Continental

Congress; helped organize the Declaration of Independence

Paul Revere:A patriot who made a risky ride to warn colonists that "The British are coming".

Some Major Events Leading to the American Revolution:

Boston Massacre:Colonists in Boston were shot after taunting

British soldiers

Boston Tea Party:Samuel Adams and Paul Revere led patriots in throwing tea into the Boston Harbor to protest

taxes on tea

First Continental Congress:Delegates from all colonies except Georgia met to discuss problems with England and to push

for independence

Battle of Lexington and Concord:This was the site of the 1st armed conflict of

the Revolutionary War

Approval of the Declaration of Independence:

Colonies declared their independence from England with this powerful document (it was

signed on July 4, 1776)

Battle of Saratoga:Americans won this battle against England,

causing the turning point in the war

Surrender at Yorktown:This was the colonial victory over England's

General Lord Cornwallis and his troops, causing Signing of the Treaty of Paris:England accepted America's independence by

him to surrender and end the Revolutionary War signing this document

The Continental Army:No one probably predicted that the colonists would defeat the English

during the Revolutionary War. General George Washington was commander and leader of the troops. The 14,000 soldiers wore no uniforms-- only their ordinary clothes. Not everyone had guns, but if they did, they were flintlock muskets, which could not shoot very far. Those without

guns used spears and axes as weapons. Some of the soldiers had fought in the French and Indian War. The only way they knew how to fight was like the Native Americans-- in

irregular lines and while hiding. The English army did not fight this way. The colonists had little training and had not even fought together as an army before, yet they went to

war against the most powerful army in the world! Later, an officer even said, It is incredible that soldiers composed of men of every age, even children of fifteen, of

whites and blacks, almost naked, unpaid, and rather poorly fed, can march so well and withstand fire so steadfastly.

HOW did the Continental Army win the Revolutionary War? Well, they had a few advantages, including:

1) The Colonists worked hard to defend their own land, principles, and beliefs2) The Colonists had support from France and Spain

3) The Colonists had strong leadership

Once the Revolutionary War was over, America established a new national government. The Articles of Confederation was a constitution written during the American Revolution to establish the new nation's powers. There were, however, some Weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation:1) They provided for a weak national government2) They gave Congress no power to tax or regulate commerce among the states3) The Articles of Confederation did not provide a national currency (money)4) They gave each state only 1 vote in Congress no matter how big the state was5) They did not provide for an Executive or Judicial Branch of Government

So now the people had a government that was too weak to work well. The confederation had 13 separate and independent states instead of one united nation. The British even called the nation the "Disunited

States."

Representatives from 5 states got together and decided that the country needed a stronger national government. This meant that the Articles of Confederation had to be changed. They worked hard to

develop a new set of rules-- the Constitution of the United States of America. The Constitution established a federal system of government that made the state and national governments share the power. This is

how the government was separated in order to divide the power equally:

Branch of Government Powers

Legislative Branch (Congress)

~makes the laws~it is a 2-house legislature consisting of the House of

Representatives and the Senate~allows all states to be represented equally (there are 2

senators for every state and the number of state's representatives is based on the state's population)

Judicial Branch (Supreme Court) ~determines if laws made by Congress are constitutional

Executive Branch (President) ~carries out the laws

These branches created Checks and Balances, meaning that each branch can check the power of the other. These checks keep any one branch from gaining too much power.

The states ratified, or accepted, the Constitution but shortly after, changes were made. These 10 amendments, or changes, are known as the Bill of Rights . They provide a written guarantee

of an person's rights, such as the freedom of speech and the freedom of religion. James Madison was the author of the Bill of Rights.

Even though the national government of the United States of America was beginning to take shape, it doesn't mean there weren't conflicts. Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson had very different views on the role of the

national government. As a result, 2 different political parties were created...

The Federalists The Democratic Republicans

a) favored a strong national governmentb) favored limits on the powers of the

statesc) favored development of industry on a

national scaled) favored a national bank

*led by Alexander Hamilton

a) favored a weak national government

b) wanted the states to have power

c) favored small businesses and farmers

d) opposed a national bank

* led by Thomas Jefferson

The First 5 U.S. Presidents and their Accomplishments:

(all were from Virginia except John Adams)

1) George Washington 2) John Adams 3) Thomas

Jefferson4) James Madison

5) James Monroe

- established the Federal Court

System- 2 different political parties were formed

(Federalists & Democratic

- a 2-party system began

during his administration

- he bought Louisiana from

France (the Louisiana Purchase)

- Lewis and Clark explored this new land west of the

- The War of 1812 caused

European nations to gain respect for the United

States

- he introduced the Monroe

Doctrine warning European

nations not to interfere in the

Western Hemisphere

Republicans)- The Bill of Rights was added to the U.S. Constitution- plans began to build the national

capital in Washington, D.C.

(Benjamin Bannekar, an

African American astronomer and surveyor, helped design the plans)

Mississippi River

Between 1801 and 1861, the United States grew in size because of exploration and expansion to new territories.

The New Territories added to the United States after 1801:

Louisiana Purchase Florida Texas Oregon California

* Jefferson bought land from France, which doubled the size of the United States

* In the Lewis and Clark expedition, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark explored from the Mississippi River to the Pacific Ocean

* Spain gave Florida to the United States through a treaty

* Texas was added after it became an independent republic

* The Oregon Territory was divided by the United States and Great Britain

* War with Mexico resulted in California and the southwest territory becoming part of the United States

The Louisiana Purchase

Western movement became very popular for several reasons, mostly for geographic and economic ones:

1) the population in the eastern states kept growing and growing, making it crowded in some areas

2) there was plenty of cheap, fertile land out west3) it was a great economic opportunity (California Gold Rush, logging, farming, freedom for

runaway slaves)4) transportation was cheaper and faster (they had rivers and canals-- Erie Canal-- and used

steamboats)5) to gain knowledge about the overland trails (Oregon and Santa Fe)

6) people believed in "Manifest Destiny"-- the idea that expansion was for the good of the country and was the right of the country

Industry was popular in the North before the Civil War. But the equipment produced in the North had an impact on the farming society of the South.

New technologies came about, including:

Invention Characteristics and ImpactsThe Cotton Gin - it was invented by Eli Whitney

- it increased the production of cotton, so it increased the need for

slave labor to cultivate and pick the cotton

The Reaper - Jo Anderson (a slave) and Cyrus McCormick worked to invent it

- it increased the productivity of the American farmer

The Steamboat - it was improved by Robert Fulton

- it eventually provided faster river transportation that connected

Southern plantations and farms to Northern industries and Western

territoriesThe Steam Locomotive

- it provided faster land transportation

The abolitionists were people who worked to end slavery.

The Abolitionist Movement:

Most abolitionists demanded immediate freeing of the slaves

Abolitionists believed that slavery was wrong:

- it was morally wrong- it was cruelly and

inhumane- it was a violation of the principles of democracy

Abolitionist Leaders included both men and women:

- Harriet Tubman- William Lloyd Garrison

- Frederick Douglass

The Suffrage Movement:

Supporters declared that "All men and women are created

equal"

Supporters believed that women were deprived of

basic rights:- the right to vote

- educational opportunities, especially

higher education- equal opportunities in

business- rights to own property

The movement was led by strong women who began their campaign before the Civil War and continued after the war had ended. It included:

- Isabel Sojourner Truth- Susan B. Anthony

- Elizabeth Cady Stanton

There were many differences between the Northern and Southern states that eventually resulted in the Civil War.

Differences that Divided the Nation:

SLAVERY CULTURAL DIFFERENCES

ECONOMIC DIFFERENCES

CONSTITUTIONAL

DIFFERENCES

*The North believed that slavery should be

abolished for moral reasons

*The South believed that the abolition of slavery

would destroy their nation's economy

*The North was mainly an urban society where

people had jobs*The South was

mostly an agricultural society where people lived

in small villages and on farms or

plantations

*The North was a manufacturing region and its people favored tariffs

that protected factory owners and workers from

foreign competition*The South opposed tariffs that would cause prices of

manufactured goods to rise. Planters were also

concerned that England might stop buying cotton from the South if tariffs

were added.

*The North believed that the

national government's

power was greater than that of the

states*The South

believed that they had the power to

declare any national law illegal

The South feared that the North would take control of Congress, and Southerners began to proclaim states' rights as a mean of self-protection. The North believed that the nation was a

union and could not be divided. While the Civil War did not begin as a war to get rid of slavery, issues surrounding slavery deeply divided the nation.

Several compromises were made to try and resolve the differences between the Northern and Southern states:

The Missouri Compromise of 1820

The Compromise of 1850 Kansas-Nebraska Act

Missouri was a slave state and Maine was a free state

- California was a free state

- Southwest territories would

decide about slavery

These states could enter the union with or without

slavery--- the people decided the slavery issue ("popular sovereignty")

After Abraham Lincoln was elected the 16th President of the United States, the South seceded, or withdrew, from the Union. Confederate forces attacked Fort Sumter in

South Carolina, marking the beginning of the Civil War. Lincoln and many Northerners believed that the Unites States was one nation that could not be separated or divided. Most Southerners believed that states had freely created and joined the union, so they

could just as freely leave it.

States that Seceded from the Union: States Remaining in the Union:

~ Alabama~ Arkansas

~ Florida~ Georgia

~ Louisiana~ Mississippi

~ North Carolina~ South Carolina

~ Tennessee~ Texas

~ Virginia

Border States (Slave States): Free States:

~ Delaware~ Kentucky~ Maryland~ Missouri

~ California~ Connecticut

~ Illinois~ Indiana

~ Iowa~ Kansas~ Maine

~ Massachusetts

~ Michigan~ Minnesota

~ New Hampshire

~ New Jersey~ New York

~ Ohio~ Oregon

~ Pennsylvania~ Rhode Island

~ Vermont~ West Virginia

(Western counties of Virginia that

refused to secede from the Union)~ Wisconsin

The Roles of Civil War Leaders:

Abraham Lincoln

~ was President of the United States~ opposed the spread of slavery

~ issued the Emancipation Proclamation~ determined to preserve the Union- by force if

necessary~ believed the United States was one nation, not a

collection of independent states~ wrote the Gettysburg Address that said the Civil

War was to preserve a government "of the people, by the people, and for the people"

Robert E. Lee

~ was leader of the Army of Northern Virginia (South)

~ was offered command of the Union forces at the beginning of the war

but chose not to fight against Virginia

~ opposed seceding from the Union, but did not believe the union should

be held together by force~ urged Southerners to accept defeat at the end of the war and reunite Americans when some

wanted to keep fighting

Jefferson Davis

~ was president of the Confederate States of America

Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson

~ was a skilled Confederate general from Virginia

Ulysses S. Grant Frederick Douglass

~ was general of the Union army (North) that defeated Lee

~ was a former slave who escaped to the North and

became an abolitionist

Life on the battlefield and on the home front was extremely harsh. Many died from disease and exposure.

Effects of the Civil War:

Families and friends were often pitted against one

another

Southern troops

became increasin

gly younger

and more poorly

equipped and

clothed

Much of the

South was

devastated at

the end of the war

(Atlanta and

Richmond were burned)

Disease

was a major killer

Clara Barton, a Civil War

nurse, created

the American Red Cross

Combat

was brutal and

often man-to-

man

Women were left

to run businesses in the

North and

farms and

plantations in the

South

The collapse of

the Confederacy

made Confederate

money worthless

Effects of the Civil War on African Americans:They fought in

both Confederate and

Union Armies

The Confederacy often

used slaves as

naval crew

The Union moved

to enlist African America

n

African America

n soldiers

were paid less

African American soldiers

were discriminated against and served

Robert Smalls, a sailor and

later a Union naval

captain,

members and

soldiers

sailors early in the war

than white

soldiers

in segregated units under

the command of white officers

was highly honored for his feats of bravery

and heroism.

He became a

Congressman after the Civil

War.

 The 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments of the Constitution of the United States of America address the issues of slavery and guarantee equal protection under the law for

all citizens.Basic Provisions of the Amendments:

The 13th Amendment:

Bans slavery in the United States and any

of its territories

The 14th Amendment:Grants citizenship to all persons

born in the United States and guarantees them equal protection under the law

The 15th Amendment:Ensures all citizens the right to vote regardless of race or color or previous condition of

servitude

RECONSTRUCTIONThe Reconstruction policies were harsh and created problems in the South. Reconstruction attempted to give meaning to the freedom that the former

slaves had achieved. Reconstruction Policies and Problems:

Southern military

leaders could not hold office

Southerners resented northern

"carpetbaggers", who took

advantage of the South during

Reconstruction

African Americans could now

hold public office

African Americans

gained equal rights as a

result of the Civil Rights Act of 1866, which authorized the use of federal troops for its enforcement

Northern soldiers

supervised the South