DCUSH Semester 1 Final

13th Amendment (1865)

Formally ended slavery throughout the United States. It permanently abolished slavery, making freedom a constitutional right and ending an institution that had existed since the nation’s founding.

14th Amendment (1868)

Granted citizenship to all people born or naturalized in the U.S. and required states to provide equal protection under the law. It protected the rights of formerly enslaved people and became the foundation for future civil rights laws and Supreme Court decisions.

Freedmen’s Bureau

A government agency created to help formerly enslaved people and poor whites with education, jobs, food, housing, and legal help after the Civil War. It helped millions transition from slavery to freedom and laid the groundwork for public education in the South.

Black Codes

Southern laws that limited African Americans’ rights, such as restricting movement, jobs, and voting. They showed Southern resistance to Reconstruction and led Congress to pass stronger civil rights laws and amendments.

Sharecroppers

A farming system where workers rented land and paid with a share of their crops. It kept many African Americans and poor whites in debt and poverty, limiting true economic freedom after slavery.

Battle of Gettysburg (1863)

A major battle in Pennsylvania where Union forces defeated Confederate General Robert E. Lee. It was a turning point in the Civil War, stopping Confederate advances into the North.

Battle of Vicksburg (1863)

A Union victory that captured the Confederate stronghold of Vicksburg, Mississippi. It gave the Union control of the Mississippi River and split the Confederacy in half.

Battle of Antietam (1862)

A battle in Maryland that ended with no clear winner but stopped the Confederate invasion of the North. It allowed President Lincoln to issue the Emancipation Proclamation, shifting the war’s purpose toward ending slavery.

Emancipation Proclamation (1863)

Declared enslaved people in Confederate states to be free. It changed the Civil War into a fight against slavery and prevented European countries from supporting the Confederacy.

Gettysburg Address (1863)

A short speech by President Lincoln honoring fallen soldiers at Gettysburg. It redefined the Civil War as a struggle for equality and democracy, emphasizing that all people are created equal.