Reconstruction, Race, and the New South

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms, people, laws, and concepts from Reconstruction, race, and the New South as presented in the notes.

Reconstruction

The post–Civil War period (roughly 1865–1877) aimed at reintegrating the Southern states and redefining the status and rights of the newly freed enslaved people, implemented in three phases: Presidential, Congressional, and Radical Reconstruction.

Civil War (1861–1865)

Conflict primarily over slavery and states’ rights; its outcome led to Reconstruction and questions about citizenship and rights for freed slaves.

13th Amendment (1865)

Constitutional amendment that abolished slavery in the United States.

Freedmen's Bureau

A federal agency created to aid formerly enslaved people and poor whites in the South, notably by schooling and relief efforts.

Black Codes

Southern state laws designed to restrict the freedoms of Black people, while granting limited rights (property, marriage, sue/testify) to maintain a social order close to slavery.

Fourteenth Amendment (1866)

Constitutional amendment defining citizenship for anyone born in the U.S. and guaranteeing due process and equal protection of the laws; aimed to overturn Black Codes.

Citizenship

Status guaranteed by the Fourteenth Amendment to all persons born in the U.S.; foundational to civil and political rights.

Due Process

Legal requirement that the state must respect all legal rights owed to a person, a key component of the Fourteenth Amendment.

Equal Protection

Constitutional promise in the Fourteenth Amendment that laws must treat people equally; used to challenge discriminatory practices.

10% Plan (1863)

Lincoln’s plan for Reconstruction allowing a Southern state to re-enter the Union when 10% of its voters swore an oath of allegiance; liberal terms, including some Black-voter considerations.

Presidential Reconstruction

Early phase of Reconstruction led by Lincoln and then Johnson emphasizing lenient terms for reintegration of Southern states.

Andrew Johnson

U.S. president after Lincoln who pursued a lenient, white-supremacist-leaning Reconstruction that gave whites broad power in new Southern governments and excluded Black participation.

Presidential Reconstruction vs. Congressional Reconstruction

Presidential: lenient, led by Lincoln/Johnson; Congressional: stricter terms enforced by Congress to protect freedmen’s rights.

Radical Reconstruction

A more stringent phase beginning in 1867, characterized by federal oversight of Southern governments and measures to secure Black rights, often through military presence.

Military Reconstruction Act (1867)

Law dividing the South into military districts, requiring new state constitutions with Black suffrage and ratification of the 14th Amendment for readmission.

Black Suffrage

The voting rights granted to Black men in the South under Reconstruction, as part of requirements to re-enter the Union.

Ku Klux Klan (KKK)

White supremacist terrorist organization formed to terrorize BlacK citizens and Republican officials, undermining Reconstruction through violence.

Enforcement Acts (1870–1871)

Federal laws designed to protect voting rights by criminalizing interference; allowed federal supervision of elections and authorized suspension of habeas corpus to suppress the Klan.

Redeemer Governments

White Southern Democrats who regained control of state governments after Reconstruction, often through violence, intimidation, and disenfranchisement.

Compromise of 1877

Political deal ending Reconstruction: Hayes became president, federal troops were withdrawn from the South, and Reconstruction ended.

Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)

Supreme Court ruling that upheld “separate but equal” facilities for Blacks and whites, legitimizing segregation.

Jim Crow

System of racial segregation and disenfranchisement in the South after Reconstruction.

Poll Taxes

Fees required to vote; used to disenfranchise poor and Black voters in the post–Reconstruction era.

Literacy Tests

Reading/writing tests used to disenfranchise Black voters; often applied selectively to deny voting rights.

Grandfather Clause

Policy exempting people from poll taxes or literacy tests if their ancestors had the right to vote in 1860, aimed at preserving white voting power.

15th Amendment (1870)

Constitutional amendment prohibiting denial of the right to vote based on race, color, or previous condition of servitude.

Carpetbaggers

Northerners who moved to the South during/after the Civil War and participated in Reconstruction governments.

Scalawags

White Southerners who supported Reconstruction and cooperated with Republican governments.

Tenant Farming

System where a landowner provides land and resources; the tenant farms and pays a portion of the crop as rent.

Sharecropping

A form of farming in which the farmer provides labor and sometimes tools, in exchange for a share of the crop, often leading to debt.

Henry Grady

Editor of the Atlanta Constitution who promoted the New South’s vision of industrialization and diversification to attract Northern investment.

New South

A vision of the post–Reconstruction South emphasizing industrialization, diversified farming, and a cooperative but unequal racial order.

Booker T. Washington

Prominent Black leader who headed the Tuskegee Institute; advocated industrial education and self-help to gain economic progress.

Tuskegee Institute

A historically Black college founded by Booker T. Washington in Alabama to provide practical, technical education.

Atlanta Compromise (1895)

Washington’s proposal that Blacks focus on economic advancement and accept limited civil rights in exchange for education and opportunity.

Lost Cause

Mythic Southern narrative blaming the Civil War on Northern aggression and portraying the Confederacy with honor; used to justify segregation and resistance to change.

Northern Investment

Efforts to attract industrial capital and investment to the Southern states during the New South era.

Diversified Farming and Industry

Key components of the New South: more varied crops and the growth of mills, textiles, railroads, and other industries.