Reconstruction and the Civil War Era

Vocabulary terms covering the political struggles, key figures, and social ideologies during the American Reconstruction period.

Andrew Johnson

A president from a humble, poor background in Tennessee who was loyal to the Union but held a limited vision of Reconstruction that protected the existing social system.

Presidential Reconstruction

A vision of rebuilding the country where slavery was abolished but former Confederates could keep their positions and face no significant costs or system changes.

Congressional Reconstruction

A period characterized by a struggle between the president and Congress, resulting in bold changes and the passage of the $14th$ and $15th$ amendments.

14th Amendment

A constitutional amendment that Congress required states to ratify as part of the struggle for control over the Reconstruction process.

15th Amendment

An amendment passed as a result of the Congressional Republic's efforts, contributing to political changes such as African American suffrage.

Impeachment

The legal process initiated against President Andrew Johnson during his intense political struggle with the Congressional Republic.

Election of 68

A specific election where several states were categorized as "gray states" and were not allowed to vote because they had not been readmitted to the Union.

Planter Class

The wealthy, landowner elite class in the South that Andrew Johnson blamed for causing the Civil War.

The Lost Cause

A post-war framing that portrayed Southerners as citizens defending themselves against Northern aggression; it was popular among lower-class people devastated by the war.

Land Redistribution

An unfulfilled idea from the Reconstruction era that intended to allow formerly enslaved people to take over their own destinies by owning land for agriculture.