End of Reconstruction

What was the purpose of the Homestead Act of 1862?

Provided settlers with 160 acres of land to farm, aimed to dismantle slavery, and offered opportunities to poor people and freed slaves.

What did the Morrill Land Grant Act of 1862 accomplish?

Allocated government land for states to establish agricultural and technical colleges.

How did the Pacific Railway Act of 1862 impact Western settlement?

Funded the construction of the Transcontinental Railroad, completed in 1869, enabling Western settlement and commerce.

What was the main focus of Reconstruction (1865-1877)?

Reconstruction aimed to rebuild the South and integrate freed slaves into society after the Civil War.

What was Lincoln's 10% Plan during Reconstruction?

Southern states could rejoin the Union if 10% of voters swore loyalty to the U.S.

What services did the Freedmen's Bureau provide?

Provided food, education, medical support, and assistance to freed slaves transitioning to free society.

How did Andrew Johnson's Reconstruction Plan differ from Lincoln's?

Johnson pardoned most Southerners except Confederate leaders and wealthy planters, and required states to ratify the 13th Amendment but gave freed slaves no role in political power.

What were Black Codes, and what was their purpose?

Laws passed in the South to restrict freedmen's rights, such as vagrancy laws and bans on jury service, weapon ownership, and public assembly.

What rights were guaranteed by the 14th Amendment (1868)?

Citizenship for all born in the U.S., equal protection under the law, and due process regardless of race.

What was the significance of the 15th Amendment (1870)?

Prohibited voting discrimination based on race, color, or previous condition of servitude, protecting African American men's voting rights.

How did sharecropping affect freedmen in the South?

Kept freedmen in cycles of debt and poverty through land leasing from landowners.

What was the Ku Klux Klan's role during Reconstruction?

Secret society established to terrorize African Americans and their allies, maintaining white supremacy.

What was the outcome of the Compromise of 1877?

Ended Reconstruction and removed federal troops from the South, allowing Democrats to regain power.

What were Jim Crow laws?

Enforced racial segregation and limited African American rights across the U.S.

What was the goal of the Dawes Act (1887)?

Divided Native American lands to assimilate them into American society, stripping them of tribal culture and freedom.