Ch.17 Reconstruction

Vocabulary flashcards covering key Reconstruction terms from the lecture notes.

13th Amendment

Abolished slavery in the United States.

Amnesty

Pardon given to former Confederates who swore loyalty to the Union.

Lincoln's lenient Reconstruction plan

A plan to readmit Southern states quickly, offering amnesty to ex-Confederates who pledged loyalty.

Radical Republicans

A faction in Congress seeking to punish the South, keep ex-Confederates out of power, and protect African American rights.

John Wilkes Booth

The assassin who killed President Lincoln at Ford's Theatre.

Ford's Theatre

The location of Lincoln's assassination.

Andrew Johnson

President after Lincoln; Tennessee native; former slaveholder; pursued a lenient Reconstruction.

Johnson’s Reconstruction Plan

Lenient plan continuing Lincoln's approach; offered amnesty, oath of loyalty, revocation of secession, and 13th Amendment ratification.

Black Codes

Laws in the South restricting the rights of African Americans.

Freedmen

Emancipated slaves who often faced illiteracy, poverty, and landlessness.

Freedmen's Bureau

Agency created to aid freed slaves with food, shelter, education, jobs, and family reunification.

Civil Rights Act of 1866

Law protecting the rights of freedmen and granting equal protection under the law.

14th Amendment

Constitutional amendment granting citizenship and equal protection to all born/naturalized in the U.S.

Military Reconstruction Act

Legislation dividing the South into military districts overseen by Union generals; required new constitutions and the 14th Amendment.

Tenure of Office Act

Law restricting the President from firing Cabinet members without Senate approval.

Impeachment

Charge of high crimes and misdemeanors; Johnson was impeached by the House for firing the Secretary of War.

Ulysses S. Grant

Civil War general who became President in 1869; his administration faced corruption.

15th Amendment

Prohibited denying the right to vote based on race; gave African American men the vote.

Hiram Revels

First African American U.S. Senator.

Carpetbaggers

Northerners who moved to the South after the war; often involved in business and politics.

Scalawags

Southern whites who cooperated with Republican rule.

Ku Klux Klan

White supremacist group that used intimidation and violence to resist Reconstruction.

Compromise of 1877

Agreement that ended Reconstruction; Hayes would win if federal troops left the South.

Election of 1876 / Electoral Commission

Contested election resolved by a 15-member Electoral Commission; Hayes chosen as President.

Reconstruction Ends

By 1876, Democrats regained most Southern legislatures; federal Reconstruction ended.

New South

Postwar South saw growth in industry and railroads, but remained largely agricultural.

Tenant Farmers

Farmers who paid rent to use land.

Sharecroppers

Farmers who worked another’s land in exchange for a share of crops.

African Americans in Congress during Reconstruction

14 Black Americans elected to the House and 2 to the Senate.

Reforms of Reconstruction governments

Republican-governed Southern states repealed Black Codes and established schools.