Section 3 - Congressional Reconstruction

Radical Republicans

Lawmakers who believed in granting full rights of citizenship to freedmen during Reconstruction.

Civil Rights Act of 1866

Legislation that declared freedmen as full citizens with equal civil rights as whites, overriding Johnson's veto.

Fourteenth Amendment

Amendment ratified in 1868 granting citizenship to all born or naturalized in the U.S. and ensuring equal protection under the law.

Military Reconstruction Act

Legislation passed in 1867 dividing the South into military districts to establish new governments loyal to the U.S., over Johnson's veto.

Impeachment of President Johnson

House of Representatives voted to impeach Johnson for violating laws and bringing disgrace to the presidency, narrowly escaping removal.

Sharecropping

Farming system where former slaves rented small plots, paying with a share of their crops, often leading to poverty and debt.