Reconstruction

reconstruction study guide

What was Reconstruction?

The period immediately following the Civil War (1865-1877) when the federal government worked to reintegrate Southern states back into the Union and define the status of former slaves.

What was the 13th ammendment?

Abolished slavery throughout the United States.

What was the 14th ammendment?

Granted citizenship to all persons born or naturalized in the U.S. (including former slaves) and guaranteed equal protection under the law.

What was the 15th ammendment?

Guaranteed that voting rights could not be denied based on race, color, or previous condition of servitude (granted voting rights to African American men).

What was the Freedmen's Bureau?

An agency established by Congress in 1865 to provide food, shelter, clothing, medical care, and education to former slaves and poor whites in the South. Also helped former slaves find loved ones.

What were Black Codes?

Laws passed by Southern states immediately after the Civil War to limit the freedom of African Americans and force them back into labor.

What is sharecropping?

A system where landowners allowed tenants to use land in exchange for a share of crops. It often led to a cycle of debt and poverty for African Americans, preventing economic independence. (similar to slavery)

What is KKK?

The Ku Klux Klan (KKK) is an American white supremacist hate group, established in 1865, that utilizes terrorism, violence, and intimidation to promote white nationalism and segregation.

What was the Comprime of 1877? Who became president and how did that lead to the end of Reconstruction?

Dispute over votes. Hays became president. No one monitoring South anymore.

What is a Scalawag and a Carpetbagger?

Scalawag- Southerners who had sided with the North during the Civil War.

Carpetbagger- Northerners who move South to take advantage of the situation and make money.