Download Civil War and Reconstruction Essay Question 1) How was the

Civil War and Reconstruction
Essay Question
1) How was the impact of the Civil War different for the civilians of the North and
South? Did the results of the Civil War justify its costs? Does the answer to that
question depend partly on whether you are a Northerner or a Southerner, black or
white?
2) What were the effects of the use of black soldiers on the Union military effort
and public opinion? How did the northern military tactics change the face of the
South? Should the Civil War be seen primarily as a war to save the Union or a war
to free the slaves? Why?
3) How did Southern and Northern racial attitudes shape Reconstruction, and what
effect did it have on race relations and the conditions of blacks? Was
Reconstruction a noble experiment that failed, a vengeful Northern punishment of
the South, a weak effort that did not go far enough, or the best that could have been
expected under the circumstances?
4) Could presidential Reconstruction have succeeded if politically skilled
Abraham Lincoln instead of politically inept Andrew Johnson had been president?