1. Identify those processes of presidential Reconstruction policy that were objected to by Congress. Why did congressional leaders object?

2. What role did each of the following play in the congressional assumption of control over Reconstruction policy: Black Codes, Southern election of former Confederates, President Johnson’s personality and actions?

3. Why was President Johnson impeached? Why didn’t the Senate convict him of "high crimes and misdemeanors"? What do you think his conviction in the Senate might have meant for our system of government?

4. What was the freed slaves’ response to Reconstruction? How did freedom affect the economic, social, and political life of the former slaves?

6. With hindsight it is sometimes claimed that Reconstruction was a failure. Why?

7. Assess the achievements and shortcomings of "radical" regimes in the South. What did they do that is worth admiring and worth condemning? What else might they have done to better achieve their goals?

8. Compare and contrast Lincoln’s, Johnson’s, and Congress’s plans for Reconstruction. Cite both what was included and what was omitted. Which program do you think was the best? Why?

9. There are several examples in American history of rapid reconciliation with the defeated foe. Why didn’t the South receive this sympathetic treatment in Reconstruction? Who or what do you fault for the "harshness" of Southern Reconstruction? Why?

10. Had you been present, would you have been a supporter of President Johnson’s plan for Reconstruction, a moderate Republican, or a radical Republican? Why?

11. It has been wryly observed that "the North won the Civil War, but the South won Reconstruction." Interpret this statement and assess its truth.

12. The Fourteenth Amendment is commonly referred to as one of the most important additions to the Constitution. Why?