Unit 1

carpetbaggers: Northerners who went to the South after the Civil War. Some went to assist with rebuilding efforts or to help former slaves. Others went to make money for themselves. They were not liked or respected by most Southerners.

freedmen’s bureau: A federal agency set up to help freed slaves after the Civil War.

john wilkes booth: (1838 - 1865) A well-known American actor who shot and killed President Lincoln just days after the end of the Civil War in an attempt to help the Confederacy. He was killed by Union soldiers a few days later.

wade davis bill: A plan suggested in 1864 by two Northern lawmakers that would allow Southern states to join the union again after meeting certain conditions. President Lincoln did not sign the bill because it was more unkind to the Southerners than he believed was necessary.

redeemers: A branch of the Democratic Party in the South whose goal was to take political power away from the freed slaves, carpetbaggers, and other people who supported Reconstruction.

tenure of office act: A law that allowed the president to remove a government official while Congress was out of session. When Congress began meeting again, it would agree or disagree with the president's decision. Congress, believing President Andrew Johnson had broken this law, impeached him. The Senate was one vote short of convicting Johnson, and he remained in office.

thaddeus stevens: (1792 - 1868) A congressman from Pennsylvania and one of the Radical Republicans who believed in harsh punishment for the South after the Civil War. He wanted to divide the plantations and give the land to former slaves.

pinckney pinchback: (1837 - 1921) A lieutenant governor who was born to an African American mother and white father. He was the lieutenant governor of Louisiana when the governor had to step aside. Pinchback served as governor until the end of the governor's term: 35 days.

chief joseph the younger: (1840 - 1904) The chief of a band of Nez Perce Indians. He is best known for leading his band of 800 people in a failed attempt to reach Canada and avoid being put on a reservation.

dawes act: A law passed in 1887 that gave land to individual American Indian families who were living on reservations. This was an attempt to change American Indian culture to that of white Americans. The act also opened these lands to non-Indians and railroad companies.