History 2112: Reconstruction Era

Flashcards covering key vocabulary and concepts from the Reconstruction Era (1865-1877), including political figures, constitutional amendments, social issues, and the end of the period.

Reconstruction

The 12-year period after the Civil War (1865-1877) focused on rebuilding the South and bringing Southern states back into the Union.

War of the Rebellion

Another name for the American Civil War.

Abraham Lincoln's Reconstruction Philosophy

Favored leniency towards the South and wanted loyal Southerners to help bring other states back into the Union.

Republican Party (Reconstruction Era)

The political party of Abraham Lincoln, advocating for rights for former slaves during Reconstruction.

Radical Republicans

A faction within the Republican Party that pushed for aggressive reforms in the South, including civil rights for former slaves and punishment for Confederates.

Thaddeus Stevens

A prominent Radical Republican Congressman from Pennsylvania who advocated for dividing up plantation land to give to former slaves.

President Andrew Johnson

Lincoln's second Vice President and successor; a Southerner from Tennessee who held lenient policies towards the South during Reconstruction and was later impeached.

13th Amendment

Ratified in 1866, this amendment officially abolished slavery in the United States.

14th Amendment

Ratified in 1868, it guarantees federal debt repayment and includes the Equal Protection Clause, granting federal rights to former slaves and applying the Bill of Rights to the states.

15th Amendment

Ratified in 1870, this amendment guarantees the right to vote regardless of race or skin color.

Ulysses S. Grant

A Union General during the Civil War who later served as President during much of Reconstruction (1869-1877).

Presidential Election of 1876

A highly disputed election between Samuel J. Tilden (D) and Rutherford B. Hayes (R) that ultimately led to the end of Reconstruction.

Samuel J. Tilden

The Democratic candidate in the 1876 Presidential Election.

Rutherford B. Hayes

The Republican candidate in the 1876 Presidential Election, who became president as a result of the Compromise of 1877.

Electoral Commission of 1877

A special 15-member body created by Congress to resolve the disputed electoral votes of the 1876 Presidential Election.

Compromise of 1877

An unwritten agreement where Democrats allowed Rutherford B. Hayes to become president in exchange for the withdrawal of federal troops from the South, effectively ending Reconstruction.

White Democrats (Reconstruction South)

Former Confederates and others who worked to regain political power in the South, often opposing Reconstruction policies and former slaves' rights.

Jim Crow Segregation

A system of laws and practices enacted after Reconstruction to enforce racial segregation and discrimination in the Southern United States.

Black Codes

Laws passed by Southern states during President Johnson's time to restrict the rights and freedom of former slaves (e.g., curfews, vagrancy laws, anti-miscegenation laws).

Anti-miscegenation Laws

Laws prohibiting interracial marriage.

Vagrancy Laws

Laws passed in the South during Reconstruction that made it illegal for Black men to be unemployed, forcing them into labor contracts.

Ku Klux Klan (KKK)

A violent white supremacist secret society that emerged in Tennessee during Reconstruction, targeting Black politicians and those supporting their rights.

Nathan Bedford Forrest

A former Confederate general who became an early leader (Grand Wizard) of the Ku Klux Klan.

Impeachment of Andrew Johnson

The process initiated by the House of Representatives against President Johnson for trying to fire his Secretary of War, making him the first U.S. president to be impeached.

Freedmen's Bureau

A federal agency established to aid freed slaves and poor whites in the South during Reconstruction, providing relief, education, legal assistance, and labor contracts.

Unionists (Reconstruction Era)

Southerners who remained loyal to the Union during the Civil War and often gained political power, supporting the Republican Party during Reconstruction.

Scalawags

A derogatory term used by ex-Confederates for white Southerners who switched to the Republican Party after the Civil War and supported Reconstruction.

Carpetbaggers

A derogatory term for Northerners who moved to the South after the Civil War, often for humanitarian reasons, business opportunities, or political involvement.