1) Analyze the advantages of both the Union and the Confederate forces during the Civil War. Why was the North able to win the war?

2.A) Explain the Reconstruction measures implemented by Radical Republicans in Congress in regards to these areas:

• Readmission of rebel states into the Union
• Freedmen's social, political, and economic situations

B) Explain the opposition that Congress faced from President Johnson.

3.A) Analyze the effects of the Civil War and Reconstruction on the lives of African Americans in the South socially, politically, and economically.

B) In what ways did their situation represent continuities from the pre-Civil War period? 

 

1) Analyze the advantages of both the Union and the Confederate forces during the Civil War. Why was the North able to win the war?

The Union had many advantages as compared to the Confederate forces. The North, which was the Union side, was had a larger population than the South, which made them have a larger army. The Union had an industrial economy; hence they had a stable economy. The facilities like roads, ships, and railroads were more developed in the South, making it easy to move troops and supplies. Also, the North was full of natural resources like coal, iron, gold. The financial centers like banks were mostly based in the North hence made it easy to borrow money to help in the war. The Union had a small naval army, yet it was advantageous because the South did not have any naval army.

At the start of the war, the confederate was able to wage a defensive war and defend their territory because the war was within their geographical terrain. Unlike the Union, which had to fight to conquer, win and invade, the South only had one task during the war, to fight to defend their territory and continue with their way of life. The confederate had well-trained soldiers because seven of the eight military colleges were situated in the South. The Union won the war because it was more industrially developed and produced its firearm. Also, the agricultural levels of the North were more developed than in the South. Moreover, the Union had a larger navy, which blocked all the way, making it hard for the South to trade with Europe ("Strengths and Weaknesses: North vs. South [ushistory.org]," 2020).

2.A) Explain the Reconstruction measures implemented by Radical Republicans in Congress in regards to these areas:

• Readmission of rebel states into the Union

The Radical Republicans in Congress were the minority in Congress, but they managed to sway moderators in the postwar years and dominated Congress in the later years. In Congress, the Radical Republicans argued that President Abraham Lincoln's plan on the readmission of rebel states into the Union was lenient and had to be harsh. To achieve that, they came up with a bill and passed it to counter the plan. The bill was called the Wade-Davis Bill. The bill would make readmission into the Union hard for the states that had seceded. The bill stated that most states had to take a vote and win up to 10% and, most importantly, a loyalty oath for a state to be readmitted. However, Lincoln later pocket vetoed it ("The Battle Over Reconstruction | Boundless US History," 2020).

• Freedmen's social, political, and economic situations

In March 1865, Congress created a new agency called the Freedman's bureau. The agency was responsible for providing food, shelter, medical aid, employment aid, education, and other blacks and poor whites' needs. The Freedmen's Bureau was also responsible for amending the relationship between the freedmen from slavery and their masters in a free labor market. With the help of freedmen, the newly free slaves started voting, forming political parties, and controlling labor all over the country ("The Battle Over Reconstruction | Boundless US History," 2020).

3.A) Analyze the effects of the Civil War and Reconstruction on African Americans' lives in the South socially, politically, and economically.

After the civil war, African Americans were now free, and they celebrated them publicly. However, many southern states formed rules called the Black Codes. The new laws allowed blacks to marry, own property, and sue in court. However, the Black codes made it illegal to serve on a jury, state armies, and testify against the whites. Properties were destroyed during the civil war. Even though the blacks were free from slavery, they lived in abject poverty in rural areas. Since they were denied education and wages under slavery, they could not own their lands; hence they practiced sharecroppers where they paid rent on land by giving a portion of their crop to their landowner. Some of the slaves grabbed land from their masters, but the federal army took over. Congress did not develop a way the slaves could be given land, and they have never been compensated for slavery. During the reconstruction period, the thirteenth amendment was passed to end slavery, and the fourteenth amendment was passed to give African Americans the right to get citizenship. The fifteenth amendment gave black men the right to vote. Republicans in Congress fought and championed for African Americans' civil and political rights even though there was resistance from white southerners ("Life after slavery for African Americans (article)," 2020).

B) In what ways did their situation represent continuities from the pre-Civil War period? 

The African Americans were free after the civil war, but their socio-economic and political life was like that before the civil war. They could not own properties like land even though there was a law allowing them to. Their family structure was not still cohesive s both men and women were forced to work and would live in different areas because of work. They still were segregated as before, especially due to the black codes in the South. They still did not enjoy their civil and political rights since the whites made them not vote by making them pay taxes. There was still discrimination in public facilities and funds for education, hence could not get formal education just like before the civil war ("Life after slavery for African Americans (article)", 2020).