Reconstruction and the Contested West: Comprehensive Study Notes

Reconstruction Era (1865-1877)

The period after the Civil War focused on rebuilding the southern states and integrating freed slaves into American society.

Ku Klux Klan

A secret society founded in the South in 1866 that aimed to suppress African American civil rights through violence and intimidation.

Abraham Lincoln's Assassination

Lincoln was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth on April 14, 1865, shortly after the Civil War ended, impacting the course of Reconstruction.

13th Amendment

The constitutional amendment ratified in 1865 that abolished slavery in the United States.

14th Amendment

Ratified in 1868, this amendment granted citizenship to all people born or naturalized in the U.S., including former slaves, and guaranteed equal protection under the law.

15th Amendment

Passed in 1870, it prohibits the federal and state governments from denying a citizen the right to vote based on race, color, or previous condition of servitude.

Freedmen's Bureau

A federal agency created in 1865 to assist freed slaves by providing food, housing, education, and medical care.

Contested West,

The era characterized by conflicts over land ownership and resources among settlers, Native Americans, and various interest groups during westward expansion.

Homestead Act of 1862

Legislation offering 160 acres of land to settlers in the West for a small fee, promoting westward migration and settlement.

Transcontinental Railroad

Completed in 1869, this railroad connected the eastern and western U.S., facilitating migration and commerce.

Reconstruction Acts

Legislation passed in 1867 that laid out the process for readmitting Southern states into the Union and aimed to protect the rights of freedmen.

Radical Republicans

Factions within the Republican Party that advocated for strong measures to ensure civil rights and political rights for African Americans during Reconstruction.