Reconstruction Era (me)

Radical Republicans

Groups that wanted full political, civil, and social equality for freedmen and harsh punishment for the South.

Ex-Confederates

Former rebel leaders who sought to regain political power and restore white supremacy.

Ku Klux Klan

A white supremacist group that used violence and intimidation to suppress Black voting and Republican power.

Carpetbaggers

Yankees who moved South after the war to take advantage of the South during a time of economic hardship.

Scalawags

Southern whites who supported the new Reconstruction governments.

Moderate Republicans

Politicians who supported Reconstruction but favored compromise and less severe punishment for the South.

Freedmen

Formerly enslaved people who sought land, education, voting rights, and legal protection.

The 13^{th} Amendment

Constitutional amendment that abolished slavery in the United States.

The 14^{th} Amendment

Amendment that granted citizenship and ensured equal protection under the law for all persons.

The 15^{th} Amendment

Constitutional amendment that gave Black men the right to vote.

Black Codes

Southern laws passed immediately after the war to restrict the rights and labor of freedmen.

Jim Crow Laws

Long-term laws enforcing racial segregation and discrimination after the end of Reconstruction.

Difference: Black Codes vs. Jim Crow

Black Codes focused on labor control immediately post-war; Jim Crow legalized long-term racial segregation.

Freedmen’s Bureau

A federal agency established to provide food, education, medical care, and legal aid to freedmen.

General O.O. Howard

Head of the Freedmen’s Bureau; historically known as the "Christian Soldier."

Military Reconstruction Act (1867)

Divided the South into 5 military districts under Union control to enforce Reconstruction policy.

Why Radical Republicans gained control in 1866

Due to President Johnson’s political failures and significant Republican victories in the elections of 1866.

Abraham Lincoln: Reconstruction Plan

A lenient plan focused on quick reunification via the Ten Percent (10) Plan.

Andrew Johnson: Reconstruction Plan

A pro-South approach emphasizing states' rights and opposing civil rights for Black citizens.

Ulysses S. Grant: Reconstruction Plan

Focused on enforcing Reconstruction laws and using federal power to protect Black voting rights.

Tenure of Office Act

A law requiring Senate approval for the president to remove tertentu cabinet members.

Reason for Andrew Johnson’s impeachment

He violated the Tenure of Office Act by firing Secretary of War Edwin Stanton.

Result of Johnson’s impeachment

He was acquitted by 1 vote in the Senate, which ultimately weakened the power of the presidency.

Force Act / KKK Act

Federal laws allowing the government to use military force to suppress KKK violence.

Amnesty Act of 1872

Act that restored political rights and the ability to hold office to most former Confederates.

Sharecropping

A farming system where workers paid land rent with a share of their crops, often trapping families in debt.

Debt Peonage

A system of forced labor used to repay debts; it functioned as slavery by another name.

Panic of 1873

An economic collapse that shifted Northern attention away from the South and weakened support for Reconstruction.

Compromise of 1877

Political agreement that ended Reconstruction in exchange for Rutherford B. Hayes becoming president.

Effect of Reconstruction ending

Federal troops were withdrawn, Jim Crow laws rose