Chapter 22 APUSH Vocab

“Radical” regimes

Southern state governments set up by Radical Republicans during Reconstruction.

Often included newly freed Black men and were supported by the federal army.

Many white Southerners disliked them because they expanded rights for African Americans.

Redeemers

White Southern Democrats who wanted to "redeem" their states from Republican control after Reconstruction. They worked to restore white supremacy and cut back on Reconstruction reforms.

Scalawags

white Southerners who supported Reconstruction and the Republican Party after the Civil War. Other Southerners viewed them as traitors to the South.

Carpetbaggers

Northerners who moved to the South after the Civil War. Often accused of trying to profit from the South’s rebuilding, though some truly wanted to help.

Klu Klux Klan

Also known as the KKK, were a secret terrorist group formed by white Southerners. They used violence and intimidation to keep African Americans and their allies from voting or gaining rights during Reconstruction.

Sharecropping

a farming system where freed slaves and poor whites rented land from landowners. They paid with a portion of their crops, often trapping them in debt and poverty.

Seward’s Folly

The nickname for Secretary of State William H. Seward’s purchase of Alaska from Russia. People mocked it as a “folly” or mistake, but it later proved valuable for its resources.

“Exodusters”

African Americans who moved from the South to Kansas after the Civil War. They sought better opportunities and freedom from Southern racism.

Black Codes

Laws passed by Southern states after the Civil War to limit the freedom of African Americans. They tried to keep Black people in conditions similar to slavery.

Oliver O. Howards

a Union general who helped freed slaves after the Civil War. He founded and led the Freedmen’s Bureau to provide food, education, and support to former slaves.

Andrew Johnson

the 17th President of the United States, taking office after Lincoln’s assassination. He clashed with Congress over Reconstruction and was the first president to be impeached.

Alexander Stephens

The vice president of the Confederate States during the Civil War. After the war, he was arrested for treason but later returned to politics in Georgia.

Charles Sumner

A Radical Republican senator from Massachusetts. He fought strongly for Black civil rights and led efforts to punish the South after the war.

Thaddeus Stevens

a powerful Radical Republican in the House of Representatives. He wanted to protect the rights of freedmen and harshly punish former Confederate states.

William Seward

Lincoln’s and Johnson’s Secretary of State. He is best known for buying Alaska from Russia in 1867, a deal first called “Seward’s Folly.”

Freedman’s Bureau

A government agency created in 1865 to help freed slaves and poor whites in the South. It provided food, education, jobs, and legal help during Reconstruction.

Wade-Davis Bill

a strict plan for Reconstruction proposed by Radical Republicans. It required most Southern men to swear loyalty to the Union before their state could rejoin, but Lincoln refused to sign it.

Percent Plan

Declared that a Southern state could rejoin the Union when 10% of its voters swore loyalty. It was meant to make Reconstruction quick and easy. Angered Radical Republicans who wanted tougher terms.

Moderate/Radical Republicians

Moderate Republicans wanted to bring the South back into the Union quickly and peacefully.

Radical Republicans wanted to punish the South and protect the rights of freed slaves more strongly.

Civil Rights Act

Gave citizenship and equal rights to African Americans. It was passed over President Johnson’s veto and was an early step toward racial equality.

14th Amendment

Gave citizenship to everyone born in the United States, including former slaves. Also promised “equal protection under the law” to all citizens. Became one of the most important foundations for civil rights in America.

Reconstruction Act

Divided the South into five military districts under Union control. It required Southern states to ratify the 14th Amendment and guarantee Black men the right to vote before rejoining the Union. Marked the start of Radical Reconstruction.

15th Amendment

Gave African American men the right to vote. It said that voting rights could not be denied based on race, color, or previous condition of servitude. However, many Southern states later used other tactics, like literacy tests, to get around it.

Ex parte Milligan

A Supreme Court case that ruled civilians could not be tried in military courts when civil courts were open. Limited the power of the federal government and military during Reconstruction. It showed that even after the war, the Constitution still protected individual rights.

Tenure of Office Act

Passed in order to limit President Johnson’s power. Said the president could not remove certain officials without Senate approval. Johnson broke this law when he fired Secretary of War Edwin Stanton, leading to his impeachment.

The Impeachment of A. Johnson

Impeached in 1868 after he violated the Tenure of Office Act. Radical Republicans also wanted him out because he opposed many of their Reconstruction policies. He was found not guilty by one vote in the Senate, so he technically stayed in office but lost most of his power.