Reconstruction DEUS-1

Reconstruction

The period after the Civil War in which the United States began to rebuild, lasting from 1865 until 1877.

Confederate states

The states that seceded from the Union during the Civil War and fought against the United States.

Lincoln's Plan for Reconstruction

Abraham Lincoln's favored lenient Reconstruction policy, which pardoned all Confederates (except high-ranking officials and those accused of war crimes) if they swore allegiance to the Union.

Radical Republicans

A group of Republicans in Congress led by Charles Sumner and Thaddeus Stevens who wanted to destroy the political power of former slaveholders and grant full citizenship and voting rights to African Americans.

Wade-Davis Bill

A bill proposed by Congress that required a majority of eligible voters in 1860 to swear an oath of allegiance, rather than just 10% as in Lincoln's plan. Lincoln used a pocket veto to kill the bill.

Johnson's Plan

Andrew Johnson's plan for Reconstruction, which was similar to Lincoln's but did not address the needs of former slaves and angered Radical Republicans.

Freedmen's Bureau

A government agency created by Congress to assist former slaves and poor whites in the South by providing food, clothing, and education.

Civil Rights Act of 1866

An act that gave African American males voting rights and forbade states from passing "black codes" that restricted their lives.

Congressional Reconstruction

The period in which Radical and moderate Republicans worked together to overturn Johnson's veto and drafted the 14th Amendment, granting citizenship and equal protection under the law to all persons born or naturalized in the United States.

Reconstruction Act of 1867

An act that did not recognize state governments formed under Lincoln and Johnson's plans, divided the remaining Confederate states into military districts, and required states to ratify the 14th Amendment to reenter the Union.

Johnson's Impeachment

The attempt by Radical Republicans to impeach President Andrew Johnson for not enforcing the Reconstruction Act, based on the Tenure of Office Act.

Election of 1868

Ulysses S. Grant's election as president, with support from Southern Blacks who voted mostly Republican. Radicals introduced the 15th Amendment after the election, prohibiting the denial of voting rights based on race, color, or previous condition of servitude.

Postwar South Conditions

The physical and economic effects of the Civil War on the South, including the need to rebuild battle-scarred regions, restore infrastructure, and address plummeting property values and ruined farms.

New Republican governments

State governments in the South that were established by Republicans and undertook projects such as building roads, bridges, railroads, and public schools.

Scalawags

White Southerners who joined the Republican Party, hoping to gain political offices and enrich themselves with the help of the African American vote.

Carpetbaggers

Northerners who arrived in the South with few belongings, believed by white Southerners to be exploiting the postwar turmoil for their own profit.

Political Differences

Internal conflicts within the Republican Party and resistance from Southern whites to accepting the new status of African Americans and equal rights.

Former Slaves Face Challenges

The challenges faced by former slaves after emancipation, including the need to reunify families, seek education, establish churches, and form volunteer groups for support.

Former Slaves

Individuals who were previously enslaved.

Black Codes

Laws enacted by Southern state governments that restricted the rights and freedoms of African Americans.

Hiram Revels

The first African American Senator, representing Mississippi.

Sharecropping

A system in which landowners divided their land and gave each worker a few acres to cultivate in exchange for a share of the crop.

Tenant Farming

Sharecroppers who saved enough money to buy their own tools and rented land from the owner, keeping all their harvest.

Cotton

A cash crop that was a major economic driver in the South.

Ku Klux Klan

A secret society founded by Confederate veterans that aimed to restore white supremacy and prevent African Americans from exercising their rights.

Anti-Black Violence

Acts of violence and destruction targeted at African Americans, their property, and those who tried to help them.

Enforcement Acts

Legislation that provided federal supervision of elections in Southern states and gave the president the power to use federal troops to combat the activities of the Ku Klux Klan.