American History Homework Six Answers - Student Twelve

DanielleR.

1\. Was the main goal of the newly elected President Lincoln to end slavery, or save the Union? Lincoln’s main goal as President was to preserve the Union, whether that meant allowing slavery or abolishing it.

Correct.

2\. Explain the purposes of the 13th, 14th and 15th Amendments to the Constitution. They were created to bring the country under one rule and promote reconstruction. 13th Amendment: abolish slavery 14th Amendment: give all race equal rights 15th Amendment: give all races the right to vote

Correct again! These are known as the "Reconstruction Amendments."

3\. Who was your favorite military figure from the Civil War, and why? My favorite military figure (or figures in this case) were the soldiers that accidentally shot and killed their own general, Stonewall Jackson. Without them, the South probably would have defeated the North because Jackson was the force driving the Confederacy.

Superb, though I'm not sure the South could have really won even with Jackson.

4\. How would you have handled Reconstruction differently? I probably wouldn’t have made the South adhere to such strict guidelines just to ‘reenter’ the United States. It made no sense- if the North didn’t even believe that they actually seceded and that they were just being rebellious, how could they enforce rules for them to reenter. If they never left they can’t come back.

Good point.

5\. Abraham Lincoln was homeschooled. Do you see any characteristics in him that might have reflected his homeschooling, such as his independent thinking? I think that him not caring about what people thought about him could’ve been brought about by him being homeschooled.

Superb. Will use as a model answer!

6\. Please interpret the cartoon about the dream to the right. Its title is "Abraham's dream!--'Coming events cast their shadows before.'" Lincoln is fleeing to left while wearing a Scotsman's plaid cap and a cape. He declares, "This don't remind me of any joke!!" This was drawn around the time of the election of 1864 and describes his dreams about the election. Columbia (middle) is holding a black man’s severed head chasing the disguised Lincoln out of the White House. The Lincoln that is running away is wearing the outfit that Lincoln disguised himself in while riding the train from Illinois to DC. The man walking into the White House is probably McClellan, the man running against Lincoln in the election of 1864.

Excellent!

7\. Please interpret the cartoon with Columbia below. The caption is, "The Chinese Question." Columbia says, "Hands off, gentlemen. America means fair play for all men." The page referenced in the cartoon's caption discusses a recent bill proposed in the New York state legislature by Democratic state senator William Tweed, the notorious "boss" of Tammany Hall. On the wall (left) behind Columbia are plastered numerous slurs against the Chinese immigrants, who are labeled as barbarian, heathen, pagan, immoral, anti-family, and vile. Columbia (America) is trying to appease the other nations and get them off of ‘China’s back’.

A bit off target, though your reference to Tweed as the notorious boss of Tammany Hall is right. The issue was not being on "China's" back, but how Chinese immigrants were being treated. The cartoonist sympathized with the immigrants. Please see the model answers.

Very well done! Score: 69/70.--Aschlafly 23:10, 24 October 2008 (EDT)