Reconstruction unit test flashcards

13th Amendment

Why: It legally abolished slavery, a huge step forward in freedom. However, the exception allowing slavery as punishment for crime opened the door to new forms of forced labor

14th Amendment

Why: It granted citizenship and equal protection under the law regardless of race, a critical legal victory for African Americans.

15th Amendment

Why: It gave Black men the right to vote, expanding political freedom and participation.

40 Acres and a Mule 

Why: Represented a major step forward by promising land and economic independence, but ultimately failed when land was returned to former owners after Lincoln’s death.

Black Officeholders

Why: Marked a breakthrough as hundreds of thousands of African Americans held political office for the first time.

White Supremacists (Ku Klux Klan)

Why: A violent backlash aiming to restore white dominance through terror, a major setback to African American freedom and safety.

Presidential Election of 1876

Why: Resulted in the withdrawal of federal troops protecting Black rights, effectively ending Reconstruction and enabling white supremacist control.

Literacy Tests

Why: Used to disenfranchise Black voters through impossible exams, a deliberate restriction on political freedom.

Plessy v. Ferguson

Why: Legalized “separate but equal” segregation, enforcing systemic racial discrimination and inequality.

Andrew Johnson

Why: His leniency towards former Confederates and opposition to civil rights laws stalled progress and allowed oppressive systems like Black Codes.

Confederate Leaders

Why: Allowed former enemies of freedom to regain political power and undermine African American rights.

Black Codes

Why: Laws designed to restrict African Americans’ freedoms and force them back into near-slavery conditions.

Freedmen’s Bureau

Why: Provided critical support like education and legal aid, a step forward, but also pressured freedmen into unfair labor contracts with former slaveholders, limiting true freedom.

Thaddeus Stevens’s Land Plan

Why: Would have helped economically empower freed slaves but failed to pass, representing a lost opportunity.

Civil Rights Act of 1866

Why: Legally affirmed citizenship and equal protection, laying groundwork for future civil rights protections.

Sharecropping

Why: Economically trapped many freed slaves in poverty and dependency, a setback from true freedom.

Reconstructions Acts of 1867

Why: Required new constitutions guaranteeing voting rights, enabling more democratic and inclusive governments.

African-American Schools and Colleges

Why: Education was vital for empowerment and self-sufficiency, a strong step forward.

Convict Leasing

Why: Exploited a loophole in the 13th Amendment to re-enslave African Americans through forced labor under brutal conditions.