lepore reconstruction quiz

“Radical” Republicans

Republican faction advocating for abolition, racial equality, and harsh Reconstruction policies for the South; clashed with moderates and Johnson.

President Lincoln’s 10% Plan

Lenient Reconstruction plan requiring 10% loyalty oaths and abolition of slavery; criticized by Radicals as too soft.

The Wade-Davis Bill

Radical Republican response to the 10% Plan; demanded majority loyalty oaths and stronger protections for freedmen; vetoed by Lincoln.

President Johnson’s Plan for General Amnesty

Lenient policy restoring Southern power and granting pardons; resisted by Radicals for enabling pre-war elites and opposing Black rights.

“Reconstruction” vs. “Restoration”

Reconstruction aimed at racial equality and rebuilding; restoration focused on reinstating Southern states with minimal change.

The Black Codes

Laws restricting freedmen’s rights, forcing labor contracts, and maintaining racial hierarchy; led to federal intervention and the Civil Rights Act of 1866.

Sharecropping

Exploitative labor system binding freedmen to landowners, perpetuating economic dependence and racial inequality post-slavery.

The Civil Rights Act of 1866

First federal law guaranteeing citizenship and equality regardless of race; countered Black Codes and paved the way for the Fourteenth Amendment.

The Freedmen’s Bureau

Federal agency aiding freedmen with education, housing, and legal support; faced opposition and limited resources.

Thirteenth Amendment

Abolished slavery in 1865 but left systemic racial issues unresolved.

Fourteenth Amendment

Granted citizenship and equal protection under the law; cornerstone of civil rights but faced resistance and inconsistent enforcement.

Fifteenth Amendment

Prohibited racial discrimination in voting; undermined by voter suppression tactics like poll taxes and literacy tests.

Ku Klux Klan

White supremacist group using terror to suppress Black rights and dismantle Reconstruction efforts.

Women’s Rights vs. Freedmen’s Rights

Tension between suffragists and abolitionists over the Fifteenth Amendment excluding women, causing fractures in equality movements.

Black Voters

Freedmen enfranchised by Reconstruction Amendments; faced violence, intimidation, and suppression from groups like the Ku Klux Klan.

The Reconstruction Acts

Laws dividing the South into military districts to enforce Reconstruction policies and secure African American rights; opposed by Southern states.

Women’s Suffrage Movement

Focused on securing voting rights for women; split over the Fifteenth Amendment for excluding women, causing divisions within equality movements.

The new departure

Women’s suffrage strategy arguing that the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments implicitly granted women the right to vote; largely rejected by courts.

The Force Act of 1870

Federal law targeting voter suppression and Klan violence, authorizing military intervention to protect Black voters and enforce Reconstruction.

The Klan Act of 1871

Empowered federal authorities to prosecute Klan members and suppress racial violence; temporarily weakened the Klan’s influence.

American Equal Rights Association

Founded in 1866 to promote universal suffrage for women and African Americans; split over the Fifteenth Amendment, leading to separate suffrage groups.

National Woman Suffrage Association

Founded by Stanton and Anthony in 1869 to advocate for women’s suffrage, opposing the Fifteenth Amendment for excluding women.

Redeemers

Southern Democrats seeking to end Reconstruction, restore white supremacy, and implement policies benefiting wealthy landowners.

Jim Crow Laws

State and local laws enforcing racial segregation and disenfranchisement in the South; perpetuated systemic racism and inequality.

Abraham Lincoln

16th U.S. President; led the Union during the Civil War, issued the Emancipation Proclamation, and proposed the lenient 10% Plan for Reconstruction.

Andrew Johnson

17th U.S. President; succeeded Lincoln, implemented lenient Reconstruction policies, clashed with Radical Republicans, and was impeached but not removed.

Ulysses S. Grant

18th U.S. President; enforced Reconstruction, signed the Enforcement Acts to combat the Klan, but faced scandals during his administration.

Thaddeus Stevens

Radical Republican leader in Congress; advocated for racial equality, harsh Reconstruction policies, and land redistribution to freedmen.

Charles Sumner

Radical Republican senator; championed civil rights, abolition, and Reconstruction reforms; clashed with moderates and Southern Democrats.

Frederick Douglass

Former enslaved person turned abolitionist leader; advocated for Black rights, women's suffrage, and Reconstruction policies.

Elizabeth Cady Stanton

Women’s rights leader; co-founded the National Woman Suffrage Association; opposed the Fifteenth Amendment for excluding women.

Susan B. Anthony

Women’s suffrage activist; co-founded the National Woman Suffrage Association, emphasizing women's right to vote alongside Black rights.

Benjamin Wade

Radical Republican senator; co-sponsored the Wade-Davis Bill and criticized Lincoln’s and Johnson’s lenient Reconstruction plans.

Henry Winter Davis

Radical Republican representative; co-authored the Wade-Davis Bill, advocating stricter terms for Southern reintegration.

Hiram Revels

First African American U.S. senator, representing Mississippi during Reconstruction; symbolized progress but faced widespread racism.

Blanche K. Bruce

Second African American U.S. senator from Mississippi; advocated for Black rights and education during Reconstruction

Jefferson Davis

President of the Confederacy; imprisoned after the Civil War; opposed Reconstruction and supported the Southern “Lost Cause” narrative.

Lucy Stone

Women’s rights and abolition activist; co-founded the American Woman Suffrage Association, supporting the Fifteenth Amendment.