Reconstruction Era: Challenges and Changes in the South

Reconstruction

Period from 1865-1877 to rebuild the South.

Amnesty

Pardon for Southerners taking an oath to the Union.

Wade-Davis Bill

1864 proposal for stricter Reconstruction requirements.

Radical Republicans

Group wanting stronger protections for blacks' rights.

13th Amendment

Constitutional amendment abolishing slavery in 1865.

Lincoln's Assassination

April 14, 1865; led to Johnson's presidency.

Andrew Johnson

Vice President who became president after Lincoln.

Black Codes

Laws restricting rights of black Americans post-Civil War.

Sharecropping

System where farmers give crops for rent payment.

Compromise of 1877

Deal ending Reconstruction, removing federal troops.

Poll Tax

Fee required to vote, disenfranchising poor citizens.

Gerrymandering

Manipulating voting districts to favor one group.

Ku Klux Klan

Secret society using violence against blacks and allies.

Freedmen's Bureau

Agency aiding newly freed blacks with support.

Educational Opportunities

New schools established for blacks and poor whites.

14th Amendment

Granted citizenship and equal protection to all.

Emancipation Proclamation

Executive order freeing slaves in Confederate states.

Barter System

Exchange of goods/services without using money.

Plantation Destruction

Burning of Southern plantations during the Civil War.

Wade-Davis Bill

New states had to declare debts unpayable.

Southern Economy

Slow recovery post-Civil War, reliant on agriculture.

Racism Persistence

Despite abolition, racial discrimination continued.

Segregation Laws

Legal separation of races enacted post-Reconstruction.

Northern Migration

Movement of blacks to northern and western areas.