8. Congressional Reconstruction and the Compromise of 1877

Congressional Reconstruction (1867)

Period when Radical Republicans in Congress seized control of Reconstruction from Andrew Johnson.

Military Reconstruction Acts of 1867

Laws that divided the South into five military districts under martial law.

Requirement for Southern readmission under Military Reconstruction

Southern states had to draft new constitutions that guaranteed black suffrage.

Martial law in the post-Civil War South

Military rule governing the South until civilian state constitutions were approved.

Tenure of Office Act

Law requiring Senate approval for the president to fire cabinet members.

Purpose of the Tenure of Office Act

To protect Secretary of War Edwin Stanton from being fired by Andrew Johnson.

Andrew Johnson's impeachment (1867)

Impeachment charges brought against the president for violating the Tenure of Office Act.

Outcome of Andrew Johnson's impeachment trial

Johnson remained in office, escaping removal by a single Senate vote.

14th Amendment

Constitutional amendment guaranteeing citizenship and civil rights to black Americans.

Original purpose of the Ku Klux Klan (1866)

A social fraternity helping Confederate veterans transition back to civilian life.

Nathan Bedford Forrest

Confederate general who became a principal leader of the Ku Klux Klan.

KKK's primary political goal during Reconstruction

To defeat the 14th Amendment and prevent black Americans from voting.

KKK's strategy to suppress black voting

Terrorizing black families and targeting women and children to discourage voting.

15th Amendment

Amendment prohibiting states from denying voting rights based on race or color.

The Reconstruction Amendments

The 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments to the U.S. Constitution.

Presidential candidates in the Election of 1876

Rutherford B. Hayes (Republican) and Samuel Tilden (Democrat).

Electoral crisis of 1876

Twenty disputed electoral votes left Samuel Tilden one vote short of victory.

Resolution of the 1876 electoral dispute

A partisan electoral commission awarded all twenty disputed votes to Rutherford B. Hayes.

Compromise of 1877

Deal where Democrats accepted Hayes's presidency in exchange for removing troops from the South.

Ultimate result of the Compromise of 1877

The official end of Reconstruction and return of the South to civilian rule.

The "New South" economy

Post-Reconstruction Southern economy diversified by railroads, cattle, mining, and petroleum.