Reconstruction Lecture

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms and concepts related to the Reconstruction era following the American Civil War, including political phases, constitutional amendments, and societal changes.

Reconstruction

The period following the U.S. Civil War (1865-1877) focused on rebuilding the South, integrating freed slaves into society, and determining the legal status of former Confederate states.

Presidential Reconstruction (1865-1867)

An initial phase of Reconstruction led by Presidents Lincoln and Johnson, characterized by relatively lenient policies toward the South, requiring a 10% loyalty oath and abolition of slavery for state readmission, but not strongly ensuring Black voting rights.

Black Codes

Laws passed by Southern states during Presidential Reconstruction that severely restricted the freedom of African Americans, often forcing them into labor contracts and limiting their rights.

Congressional (or Radical) Reconstruction (1867-1877)

A phase of Reconstruction led by Radical Republicans in Congress, which imposed stricter requirements on Southern states, including military occupation, Black suffrage, and disqualification of Confederates from holding office.

Freedmen's Bureau

An agency created in 1866-1872 during Congressional Reconstruction to provide assistance, education, and legal protection to former slaves and impoverished whites in the South.

Thirteenth Amendment

A U.S. Constitutional amendment ratified in 1865 that abolished slavery and involuntary servitude, except as punishment for a crime.

Fourteenth Amendment

A U.S. Constitutional amendment ratified in 1868 that granted citizenship to all persons born or naturalized in the U.S., ensured equal protection under the law, established due process, repudiated Confederate debt, and disqualified Confederates from office.

Fifteenth Amendment

A U.S. Constitutional amendment ratified in 1870 that guaranteed the right of citizens to vote regardless of race, color, or previous condition of servitude, thus ensuring universal male suffrage.

Universal Male Suffrage

The right of all adult men, regardless of race or previous condition of servitude, to vote, as guaranteed by the Fifteenth Amendment during Reconstruction.

Disenfranchisement

The act of taking away the right to vote from a person or group, which freed people in the South experienced towards the end of Reconstruction as white supremacists regained power.

White Supremacists

Individuals or groups who believe in the superiority of the white race and advocate for the dominance of white people, playing a significant role in overturning Reconstruction efforts in the South through violence and political power.

The Lost Cause

A romanticized interpretation of the Confederacy and the Civil War, prevalent in the South after the war, often portraying the Southern cause as heroic and slavery as benevolent, contributing to racial nostalgia and resistance to change.

Tenant farming

A system of farming where a farmer works land owned by another in exchange for a share of the crops or a fixed payment, often replacing slavery as a labor system for freed people on Southern plantations after the Civil War.

Compromise of 1877

An informal agreement that effectively ended Reconstruction; in exchange for Rutherford B. Hayes becoming president, federal troops were removed from the South, leading to the collapse of Republican governments there.

Redemption

The term used by white Southerners to describe the return of white supremacist Democratic rule in the former Confederate states, marking the end of Reconstruction era reforms.