Reconstruction Review Flashcards (Ch. 1-6)

Question-and-answer flashcards covering key concepts from the lecture notes on Reconstruction (Ch. 1–6).

What were the two major problems Reconstruction aimed to address in 1865?

Reintegrating the South into the Union and determining the status, rights, and citizenship of the newly freed Blacks.

What did Lincoln's 10% Plan require for a southern state to be readmitted?

10% of voters who had voted in 1860 needed to take a loyalty oath and then the state could form a new constitution and be readmitted.

What was the Wade-Davis Bill of 1864 and how did it differ from Lincoln's plan?

A Congressional plan that required military governors and a majority oath of allegiance; it was much stricter than Lincoln's lenient 10% plan.

Who was Andrew Johnson and what was his view on Reconstruction?

The vice president who became president after Lincoln; he believed the South never truly seceded, Reconstruction was unnecessary, and he favored broad pardons and a lenient approach.

What is Presidential Reconstruction?

Johnson's approach: pardoning many ex-Confederates, quick readmission with oaths, and restoration of state governments with limited protections for freedmen.

What is Congressional Reconstruction?

Radical Republicans' approach: stronger federal enforcement, protection of freedmen's rights, and military districts to govern the South until reforms were implemented.

What is the forfeited rights theory?

The idea that seceded states never truly left the Union and thus forfeited certain civil/political rights; Congress had authority to determine restoration.

What did the Civil Rights Act of 1866 establish?

Citizenship and basic civil rights for freedmen; aimed to guarantee equal protection under the law.

What are the main provisions of the Fourteenth Amendment?

All persons born or naturalized in the U.S. are citizens; states must provide due process and equal protection; cannot deprive rights without due process.

What did the Reconstruction Act of 1867 do?

Invalidated existing state governments; divided the South into five military districts under Union generals; required ratification of the 14th Amendment for readmission.

What irony occurred with land ownership during Reconstruction?

Land ownership became more concentrated among a few wealthy planters; many small farmers lost land due to foreclosures, while property rights largely remained with the old owners.

What were Black Codes?

Laws that restricted freedmen’s rights: limited jury service, prohibited testimony against whites, restricted intermarriage, and enforced vagrancy controls leading to forced labor.

What did Radical Reconstruction seek to achieve beyond formal liberation?

To make the war meaningful by guaranteeing real civil rights and suffrage for freedmen, establishing a more radical foundation for postwar reform.

What happened in Andrew Johnson's impeachment attempt?

The Senate vote to convict fell one vote short (35–19); Johnson was not convicted and remained in office, though politically weakened.

What are the Reconstruction Amendments?

The 13th (abolish slavery), the 14th (citizenship and equal protection), and the 15th (voting rights regardless of race or previous servitude).