RECONSTRUCTION

Freedom for African Americans after the Civil War

Freedom included establishing schools and independent black churches, the desire for family stability after separation during slavery, the right to vote, and land ownership as a means of financial independence.

Sharecropping

Sharecropping is an agricultural system where a landowner allows a tenant to use their land in exchange for a portion of the crop produced, which often left tenants in debt.

Freedmen's Bureau

The Freedmen's Bureau coordinated education, provided healthcare to both freedmen and poor white southerners, settled disputes, and was authorized to distribute land, though this rarely happened.

Andrew Johnson

Andrew Johnson was Lincoln's vice president, a Unionist who disliked slave owners but held racist views. He believed in states' rights and pardoned many Southerners, leading to the enactment of black codes.

Radical Republicans

Radical Republicans pushed for civil rights for African Americans and advocated for harsh penalties against Southern states that resisted Reconstruction policies.

Reconstruction Acts of 1867

The Reconstruction Acts divided the South into five military districts and required the creation of new state governments that included black suffrage.

15th Amendment

The 15th Amendment prohibited the denial of the right to vote based on race, color, or previous condition of servitude, but it did not grant women the right to vote.

Fall of Reconstruction causes

The fall of Reconstruction was due to the compromise of 1877, reestablishment of control like rise of the KKK and redeemers, panic of 1873,

Scalawags and Carpetbaggers

Scalawags were white Southerners who supported Reconstruction, while carpetbaggers were Northerners who moved to the South seeking political or economic advantages.

Racial violence during Reconstruction

Racial violence included riots against black political authority, everyday violence where white men attacked black men, and organized groups like the Ku Klux Klan.

Redemption for white Southerners

Redemption referred to the desire of white Southerners to restore white supremacy and eliminate the rights of blacks, effectively rejecting the changes implemented during Reconstruction.

Significance of the 1876 presidential election

The 1876 election marked the end of Reconstruction as Hayes was awarded disputed electoral votes with a promise to withdraw military protection for African Americans.

Presidential reconstruction

Rapid reunification of the nation with minimal conditions for Southern states.

Radical Reconstruction

To protect the rights of former slaves, punish former Confederates, and fundamentally change the Southern social and political system.