Reconstruction Era Overview

These flashcards cover key concepts and terms related to the Reconstruction Era, including plans by Lincoln, Johnson, and Radical Republicans, the impact on African Americans, the emergence of the Ku Klux Klan, and the long-term legacy of this period.

Lincoln's Plan

A lenient plan aimed at quickly reuniting the nation, allowing Southern states back into the Union when 10% of voters swore allegiance.

Black Codes

Restrictive laws passed by Southern states to limit the freedoms and rights of African Americans post-Civil War.

Freedmen's Bureau

A federal agency that provided food, education, medical care, and legal aid to formerly enslaved people.

Compromise of 1877

An agreement that made Rutherford B. Hayes president in exchange for the withdrawal of federal troops from the South, effectively ending Reconstruction.

Enforcement Acts

Laws enacted to make it a federal crime to interfere with a citizen's voting rights and protect African Americans from racial violence.

Redeemers

Southern white Democrats who aimed to 'redeem' the South by ending Reconstruction and restoring white control.

Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)

A landmark Supreme Court case that upheld racial segregation under the 'separate but equal' doctrine.

Reconstruction's Legacy

The changes and outcomes of Reconstruction, including increased African American political participation and the establishment of civil rights.

General Sherman’s Field Order No. 15

Proposed giving '40 acres and a mule' to freed families, though it failed to materialize.

Ku Klux Klan

A hate group founded with the goal of restoring white supremacy by terrorizing African Americans and suppressing their political power.

Impact of Education on Freedpeople

The establishment of public schools for African Americans during Reconstruction, often supported by the Freedmen's Bureau and Black churches.

Economic Challenges for Freedpeople

The struggle for land and resources that led many freed African Americans into sharecropping or tenant farming, resulting in debt.

Radical Republicans' Plan

A harsh approach aimed at reshaping Southern society, protecting civil rights, and punishing Confederate leaders through federal power.