Unit 6: Reconstruction Era

Freedmen’s Bureau

The federal government’s attempt to actually help formerly enslaved people survive freedom 🧠🍞. Provided food, clothing, medical care, and MOST importantly education through Freedmen’s Bureau schools. Staffed by Northerners (called carpetbaggers by angry white Southerners). Sadly, no land redistribution made it into the final law.

Andrew Johnson

Accidental president after Lincoln’s assassination 😬. Southern Democrat, white supremacist, hated plantation elites but still wanted to go EASY on the South. Handed out thousands of pardons to former Confederates and clashed HARD with Congress over Reconstruction.

13th Amendment

The amendment that officially ended slavery in the U.S. 🎉 (ratified 1865).
Abolished slavery and involuntary servitude except as punishment for a crime — which later caused problems. Gave Congress the power to enforce it.

10% Plan for Reconstruction

Lincoln’s “let’s not make this worse” plan 🤝. If 10% of a Southern state’s voters took an oath of loyalty, they could rejoin the Union and form a new government. Very lenient — aimed at healing the country fast.

Black Codes

The South’s sneaky way of controlling Black people after slavery ended 😐. Laws restricted jobs, movement, land ownership, and court rights. Forced many freedmen into sharecropping, keeping them poor and dependent.

14th Amendment

The citizenship amendment 🇺🇸 (ratified 1868).
Made all people born or naturalized in the U.S. citizens, guaranteed equal protection and due process. Gave Congress power over Reconstruction. Johnson HATED it — Congress passed it anyway.

Reconstruction Act (Military Reconstruction Act)

Congress said, “Fine, we’ll do it ourselves.” 🪖
Put the South under military rule, divided it into 5 districts, and forced states to ratify the 14th Amendment and give Black men the vote before rejoining the Union.

15th Amendment

The voting rights amendment 🗳 (ratified 1870).
Guaranteed African American MEN the right to vote. Women’s rights activists were MAD because women were excluded — but it was still a huge step forward.

Radical Republicans

The “no mercy” wing of the Republican Party 😤.
Believed the South needed punishment and that freedmen needed strong federal protection. Took control of Reconstruction and overrode Johnson’s vetoes.

Scalawags and Carpetbaggers

Political insults, basically 😭
Carpetbaggers = Northerners who moved South to help with Reconstruction (or profit).
Scalawags = Southern whites who supported Reconstruction.
Southerners hated both groups.

Ku Klux Klan

A white supremacist terrorist group formed to stop Reconstruction 👎.
Used violence, intimidation, and fear to keep Black citizens from voting and to restore white control in the South.

Impeachment of Andrew Johnson

Congress was DONE with him 😤.
Johnson tried to block Radical Reconstruction by firing officials. The House impeached him; the Senate acquitted him by ONE vote. He stayed president but lost all political power.