Reconstruction Era Vocabulary Flashcards

Vocabulary terms covering congressional reconstruction, the Reconstruction amendments, key historical figures, and the impeachment of President Andrew Johnson.

Civil Rights Act of 1866

The congressional legislation that defined citizenship for the first time in United States history.

Dred Scott Decision

The controversial Supreme Court ruling authored by Roger B. Taney which stated that the Constitution did not include Black people as citizens.

Roger B. Taney

The Supreme Court Chief Justice from Baltimore who authored the Dred Scott decision.

Fourteenth Amendment

A constitutional amendment that defines citizenship, contains the equal protection clause, and bars certain individuals who violated oaths to the Constitution from holding federal office.

Equal Protection Clause

The aspect of the Fourteenth Amendment that prevents government policies from targeting individuals unfairly and serves as the legal foundation for civil rights litigation.

Filibuster

A Senate procedure where continuous debate prevents a vote on a bill until debate is formally ended.

Reconstruction Act of 1867

Law passed on February 3, 1867, that dissolved presidential reconstruction governments, divided the South into five military districts under martial law, enfranchised Black men, and disenfranchised certain white former Confederates.

Tennessee

The home state of Andrew Johnson and the only former Confederate state excluded from congressional military reconstruction because it was readmitted under presidential reconstruction.

Tenure of Office Act

A law requiring Senate approval to fire any federal official whose appointment originally required Senate confirmation, excluding the federal judiciary.

Edwin Stanton

The Radical Republican Secretary of War whose firing by President Andrew Johnson precipitated Johnson's impeachment trial.

Impeachment

A political process where the House of Representatives brings formal charges against an official, followed by a trial in the Senate requiring a two-thirds vote to convict and remove.

Thaddeus Stevens

A Radical Republican leader and impeachment manager in the House of Representatives who strongly pursued Andrew Johnson's removal from office.

Edmund G. Ross

A Republican Senator who was one of seven moderate conservatives to vote against removing Andrew Johnson from office, saving Johnson by a single vote.

Benjamin Wade

The Radical Republican Senate president pro tempore who was next in line for the presidency if Andrew Johnson had been convicted and removed.

Fifteenth Amendment

The shortest of the Reconstruction amendments, passed in 1870, which protects voting rights.

Carpetbagger

A derisive term used by Southern opponents to describe Northerners who moved to the South during Reconstruction to support Republican policies.

Scalawag

A derisive term used for white Southerners who cooperated with the Republican Party and supported Reconstruction efforts.