Civics - Reconstruction

reconstruction

The period after the Civil War when the U.S. worked to rebuild the South and integrate formerly enslaved people into society. It involved new laws, amendments, and programs to grant African Americans civil rights, education, political participation, housing, marriage, etc. Although, many efforts were resisted in the South.

thirteenth amendment

made slavery illegal throughout the U.S.

freedmen’s bureau

an agency providing relief for freed people and certain poor people in the south.

andrew johnson

Lincoln’s vice president that was sworn immediately into office after his assassination. He was impeached for firing someone from the president’s cabinet, which was illegal. He was a democrat and he vetoed/stopped funding the freedmen’s bureau. He also vetoed the civil rights act of 1866.

Lincoln’s Assassination

Lincoln was assassinated in 1865 by John Wilkes Booth while attending a play at Ford’s theatre. His death shocked the nation and affected Reconstruction heavily, leading to harsher policies under his successor, Andrew Johnson.

Black codes

laws that greatly limited the freedom and rights of African-Americans

radical republicans

A group in Congress during Reconstruction who wanted to punish and reshape the South for the Civil War, while also protecting the rights of African Americans. They pushed for laws and amendments that ensured African Americans could hope, hold office, and receive equal protection under the law.

Fourteenth amendment

It granted citizenship to all born in the U.S. or by naturalization. It also guarantees equal protection under the law.

Reconstruction acts

Laws passed after the civil war that divided the south into military districts to help rebuild the region and enforce new rights for former slaves. They required southern states to create new governments, guarantee African American men the right to vote, and approve the 14th amendment before rejoining the union.

impeachment

the process used by a legislature body to bring charges of wrong doing against a public official

fifteenth amendment

gave men of all races the right to vote

Hiram Revels

The first black U.S. Senator, representing Mississippi during Reconstruction. He worked to support education and civil rights for formerly enslaved African Americans.

Ku Klux Klan (KKK)

a secret society that opposed civil rights, particularly suffrage, for African Americans.

Enforcement acts

made it a federal crime to interfere with elections or to deny citizens equal protection under the law.

Compromise of 1877

An agreement that ended reconstruction by allowing Rutherford B. Hayes to become president. In return, federal troops were removed from the South, which let southern states limit African Americans rights and enforce segregation.

Poll tax

a special tax people had to pay before they could vote.

Segregation

the forced separation of whites and African Americans in public places.

Jim Crow laws

Rules in the U.S. that enforced racial segregation and kept African Americans unequal from whites. 3 examples are that they created segregated schools, buses/trains, and bathrooms.

Plessy V. Ferguson

A Supreme Court case that ruled racial segregation was legal as long as facilities were “seperate but equal.” This decision allowed Jim Crow laws to continue and let segregation proceed.

Sharecropping

a process where landowners provided the land, tools, and supplies, while the sharecroppers provided the labor. The sharecropper gave most of the crop to the landowner and kept the remains for food. They rented the land from the landowner and paid a fee.

Civil rights

the rights of full citizenship and equality under the law

hate crimes

a violent act against a person because of his or her race, color, national origin, gender, or disability

Brown V. Board of education

A Supreme Court case that ruled racial segregation in public schools was unconstitutional. It overturned “separate but equal” from Plessy v. Ferguson, saying segregated schools were inherently unequal and harmed African American children.

Montgomery Bus Boycott

after Rosa parks got arrested for not sitting at the back of the bus, Martin Luther King Jr. led a boycott where African-Americans didn’t ride the buses. The Supreme Court later ruled segregation on buses against the constitution.

civil rights act of 1964

this act banned segregation in stores, restaurants, hotels and theaters. It ended discrimination in decisions about hiring workers. Discrimination applied to gender, religion, and national origin.

Voting rights act of 1965

an act that banned the unfair use of literacy tests that prevented most African Americans from voting

Why was Andrew Johnson too lenient with the south?

because he allowed the southern states to limit African American suffrage and their rights. He also pardoned confederates from their crimes. Adding on, he also stopped funding for the freedmen’s bureau and vetoed the civil rights act of 1966.

What was the main goal of Reconstruction?

to rebuild the South and integrate (reunite) formerly enslaved people into society with rights and protections

What was the main purpose of the Freedmen’s Bureau during reconstruction?

to provide food, schools/education, healthcare, marriage, housing, political participation, and legal help to formerly enslaved people.

How did southern states try to limit the rights of African Americans after the civil war?

By passing black codes, Jim Crow laws, and enforcing discriminatory laws.

How did sharecropping affect formerly enslaved people?

it often trapped them in debt and poverty, limiting their economic freedom.

why did reconstruction end it 1877?

the compromise of 1877 removed federal troops from the south ending federal enforcement of civil rights. Segregation and discrimination still continued.

How did violence affect reconstruction efforts in the south?

Groups like the KKK intimated African American voters and officials, undermining progress.

What were the main challenges African Americans faced in politics during reconstruction?

threats, violence, and discriminatory laws tried to stop them from voting or holding office.

How did southern states resist reconstruction policies?

they passed restrictive laws, ignored federal rules, and supported groups like the KKK.

what was the purpose of the civil rights act of 1866?

to give African Americans citizenship and equal rights under federal law.

How did the Supreme Court impact reconstruction?

decisions often limited civil rights protections and allowed states to enforce segregation.