Reconstruction act flashcards

13th Amendment

Abolished slavery and involuntary servitude except as punishment for a crime.

14th Amendment

Granted citizenship to all born/naturalized in the US; guaranteed equal protection and due process.

15th Amendment

Prohibited voter discrimination based on race, color, or previous servitude.

Military Reconstruction Act

Divided the South into 5 military districts overseen by federal troops.

Ratification

Required southern states to ratify the 14th Amendment to rejoin the Union.

Freedmen's Bureau

A federal agency created to aid former slaves with food, education, and labor contracts.

Radical Republicans

Congressional faction advocating for strict punishment of the South and full rights for Freedmen.

Black Codes

Restrictive Southern laws passed to control Black labor and maintain white supremacy.

Vagrancy Laws

Used in Black Codes to arrest unemployed Black individuals and force them into labor.

Civil Rights Act of 1866

Passed to override Black Codes, granting equality under the law.

Tenure of Office Act

Law limiting the President’s power to remove cabinet members, used to impeach Andrew Johnson.

Impeachment of Andrew Johnson

Process against the President for violating the Tenure of Office Act.

Disfranchisement

The revocation of voting rights for former Confederate leaders.

Constitutional Conventions

Required in Southern states to rewrite constitutions ensuring Black suffrage.

Re-admission

The process of southern states formally returning to the Union after satisfying Congress