History Since 1877: Reconstruction Era Vocabulary

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms, concepts, legislation, and political movements during the Reconstruction era from the lecture notes.

Antebellum

A term meaning "Before the war," describing the Southern society and way of life before the Civil War.

13th Amendment

Constitutional amendment ratified in 1865 that ended slavery—with an exception for use as punishment—and granted Congress the power of enforcement under Section 2, freeing 4 million people.

Strict Constructionist

A legal philosophy favored by Vice President Andrew Johnson, who favored states' rights when taking office in 1865.

Johnson's Reconstruction Plan

Plan requiring Southern governments to void their ordinances of secession, repudiate Confederate debts, and ratify the 13th Amendment, while allowing state conventions otherwise to act without federal interference.

Black Codes

Laws passed by former Confederate states (such as South Carolina and Mississippi) to regulate and control Black populations; granted rights to marry and own property but denied rights like serving on juries.

Vagrancy Laws

Regulations in Mississippi requiring freedmen to carry employment papers; lack of proof resulted in arrest, fines, or being hired out by the sheriff as a prisoner.

Thaddeus Stevens

A prominent Republican politician who genuinely believed in racial equality during the Reconstruction era.

14th Amendment

Approved on June 13, 1866; prevented state laws from denying due process or discriminating against groups of people, enforcing the Bill of Rights across all states.

Freedmen's Bureau

Federal organization tasked with redistributing abandoned or confiscated land to formerly enslaved people, though its promise of land was ultimately not honored.

Ladies' Memorial Association

Southern women's organization that grew out of the Soldiers' Aid Society to bury and memorialize soldiers, serving as a precursor to the Lost Cause narrative.

Nightriders or Bushwhackers

Organized vigilante groups that intimidated voters, restricted Black economic mobility, and terrorized individuals purchasing land or striving for independence.

Ku Klux Klan (KKK)

Group organized in Tennessee in 1866 that spread across all former Confederate states by 1868, overlapping with criminal gangs and former Confederates to enforce racial control.

Enforcement Acts

Federal legislation making it a crime to deprive African Americans of civil rights and authorizing U.S. troops to protect freed people in the South.

Sharecropping

An agricultural system adopted by Southern planters after losing their capital tied up in enslaved labor, changing how cotton was grown and sold.

Stalwart Republicans

Faction of Republicans who turned away from civil rights idealism toward economic practicality and party politics during Ulysses S. Grant's presidency.

New Departure Democrats

A political faction focused on business, trade, and economic issues that gained strength by distancing itself from pro-slavery Democrats.

Redeemers

New Departure Democrats in the South who won support among white Southerners between 1867 and 1871 by promising local rule by white Democrats.

Mississippi Plan

A 1875 strategy presented by Mississippi Democrats using a wave of violence to eliminate Black political activists and suppress Black voters.

Compromise of 1874

Agreement where Democrats allowed Rutherford B. Hayes to assume the presidency on the condition that all remaining U.S. troops be removed from the South and special economic favors be granted to the region.