Reconstruction Era Vocabulary

Reconstruction(1865-1877)

Post American Civil War era aimed at restoring the Southern states and defining the new rights of freed slaves

• significant political, social & economic changes

Freedmen’s Bureau

a federal agency established to assist newly freed slaves in the South after the Civil War

→aimed to provide food, housing, education, and medical care while helping African Americans transition to freedom and find employment

→ played a crucial role during Reconstruction but was eventually dismantled due to political pressure from Southern Democrats and diminishing federal support

Andrew Johnson

17th president of the U.S., who assumed office after Lincoln’s assassination

→Clashed with Congress over civil rights and reconstruction policies 

→Approach to Reconstruction was lenient towards the South (e.x, offered pardons to former Confederates)

→Southern Democrat + First president to be impeached

States’ Rights

political theory that individual states have certain rights and powers that the federal government cannot infringe upon

Presidential Reconstruction

period following the Civil War, characterized by the efforts of President Abraham Lincoln and Andrew Johnson to reintegrate the Southern states back into the Union

→emphasized leniency and rapid restoration + allowed Southern states to rejoin with minimal requirements + focused on the acceptance of the 13th Amendment

10 Percent Plan(1863)

a strategy proposed by Lincoln for the Reconstruction of the Southern states after the Civil War

→plan stated that a Southern state could be readmitted to the Union once 10% of its voters took an oath of allegiance to the Union (lenient path for re-establishment)

Wade-Davis Bill(1864)

proposal for the Reconstruction of the South after the Civil War, which aimed to impose stricter requirements on Southern states for rejoining the Union, including that a majority of white males in a state must take a loyalty oath before reconstruction could begin

→Proposed by Senator Benjamin Wade and Representative Henry Winter Davis

Radical Republicans

a faction within the Republican Party during the Reconstruction era that advocated for strong measures to secure civil rights for freed slaves and promote their political participation

→sought to change Southern society through policies (e.x, land redistribution and equal rights), believing that true reconstruction could only happen with federal intervention

13th Amendment

abolishment of slavery and involuntary servitude

Black Codes

laws passed by Southern states after the Civil War aimed at controlling the labor and behavior of formerly enslaved people

→severely restricted the rights of African Americans, limiting their freedom and economic opportunities, while reinforcing white supremacy

Sharecropping

southern agricultural system, where landowners allowed tenants to use their land in exchange for a share of the crops produced

→ became a means of economic survival for many freed African Americans and poor whites, but it often trapped them in cycles of debt and poverty

Civil Rights Bill of 1866

a landmark piece of legislation that aimed to protect the civil rights of all citizens, particularly African Americans

→declared that all persons born in the United States were citizens and granted them equal rights under the law

14th Amendment

granted citizenship and equal protection under the law to all persons born or naturalized in the U.S.

→aimed to secure the rights of former slaves and address issues related to Reconstruction, ensuring that states could not deny any person due process or equal protection of the laws

Charles Sumner

American politician and anti-slavery activist, advocating for civil rights and social justice

→known for his role as a senator from Massachusetts and surviving a brutal Senate floor attack during the chaotic years leading up to the Civil War

→outspoken critic of slavery and a key figure in the Republican Party

Thaddeus Stevens

Republican leader and U.S. House of Representatives

→advocate of civil rights and radical measures to reshape the South after the Civil War

→fierce opponent of President Andrew Johnson's lenient policies towards the South

→aimed at ensuring political and social equality for freed slaves and punishing Confederate leaders

Reconstruction Act of 1867

a piece of legislation aimed at restructuring the Southern states after the Civil War (e.x, civil rights and political inclusion for formerly enslaved individuals)

15th Amendment

prohibits the federal and state governments from denying a citizen the right to vote based on 'race, color, or previous condition of servitude' 

Union League

a network of black political organizations that promoted loyalty to the Union

Scalawags

Southern whites who supported Reconstruction after the Civil War, often collaborating with Northern Republicans

→often seen as traitors by many in the South, as they aligned with the policies aimed at rebuilding the South and ensuring civil rights for newly freed African Americans

Carpeybaggers

individuals, primarily from the North, who moved to the South after the Civil War, often seen as opportunists seeking to exploit the post-war chaos for personal gain

Ku Klux Klan(KKK)

white supremacist hate group founded in the aftermath of the Civil War that has a history of promoting racism, anti-Semitism, and xenophobia

→emerged as a response to the societal changes during Reconstruction 

Force Acts (Enforcement Acts)

a series of three laws passed by the U.S. Congress aimed at combating the violent acts of white supremacist groups against African Americans 

Impeachment

the process by which a sitting president, or other federal official, is charged with misconduct while in office, potentially leading to their removal from office

Tenure of Office Act (1867)

a law passed by Congress aimed at restricting the president's power to remove certain officeholders without the Senate's approval

Seward’s Folly

the Purchase of Alaska was the acquisition of Alaska from Russia by the United States, significantly expanding U.S. territory

→initially criticized but later recognized for its strategic and economic value, particularly due to the discovery of natural resources in the region

Military Reconstruction

divided the former Confederate states into five military districts, placing them under Union army rule to enforce civil rights, protect newly freed enslaved people, and oversee the drafting of state constitutions