CHAPTER 15

Reconstruction

The period after the Civil War focused on rebuilding the South and integrating freed African Americans into society.

Presidential Reconstruction

Led by President Andrew Johnson, it was a lenient approach towards restoring Southern states without protection for freedmen.

Black Codes

Laws enacted by Southern states to restrict African Americans' freedom and maintain a labor force similar to slavery.

Radical Republicans

A group advocating for strong federal intervention and strict Reconstruction policies.

13th Amendment

The constitutional amendment that abolished slavery in the United States.

14th Amendment

The amendment that granted citizenship to all born in the U.S. and provided equal protection under the law.

15th Amendment

The amendment that prohibited voting discrimination based on race, color, or previous condition of servitude.

Freedmen's Bureau

Agency providing assistance to freed African Americans in areas like education and legal support.

Sharecropping

An economic system where freedmen worked land owned by whites in exchange for a share of the crop.

Ku Klux Klan (KKK)

A white supremacist group that used terror and violence against African Americans and their allies.

Compromise of 1877

The agreement that ended Reconstruction by withdrawing federal troops from the South.

Manifest Destiny

The belief that Americans were destined to expand westward to spread democracy and civilization.

Indian Wars

A series of conflicts between Native Americans and settlers as encroachment on Native lands occurred.

Dawes Act (1887)

A federal law aiming to assimilate Native Americans by promoting private land ownership.

Chinese Exclusion Act (1882)

Legislation that severely restricted Chinese immigration to the United States.

Frederick Jackson Turner's Frontier Thesis

A theory stating that the frontier was crucial in shaping American democracy and character.