chapter 17 study guide

1. Reconstruction Plans

   • Lincoln’s Plan: Focused on reunification with minimal punishment.

     • 10% of voters in Southern states had to pledge loyalty to the U.S.

     • Southern states required to accept a ban on slavery.

   • Johnson’s Plan: Continued Lincoln’s leniency but pardoned Confederate leaders, angering many in Congress.

2. Freedmen’s Bureau

   • Established in 1865 to assist former slaves (freedmen).

   • Provided food, clothing, medical care, and education.

   • Greatest accomplishment: teaching African-Americans to read.

   • Expired in 1872 due to opposition from Southern whites.

3. Black Codes

   • Laws restricting the freedom of African-Americans and maintaining a labor force.

   • Forced African-Americans into sharecropping, creating cycles of poverty.

   • Criticized as "slavery with a paycheck."

4. Conflict Between Johnson and Congress

   • Johnson vetoed key Reconstruction bills, including the Freedmen’s Bureau extension.

   • Congress responded by passing the 14th Amendment (1866):

     • Granted citizenship and civil rights to African-Americans.

     • Required Southern states to ratify the amendment before rejoining the Union.

5. Reconstruction Act of 1867

   • Divided the South into five military districts.

   • Union generals oversaw Reconstruction efforts and enforced laws.

   • Southern states had to ratify the 14th Amendment and provide voting rights to African-American men to rejoin the Union.

Part II: Post-Reconstruction

1. Key Themes of Reconstruction and Post-Reconstruction:

   • Federal Protection of African-American Rights:

     • Federal troops safeguarded African-American rights during Reconstruction.

     • Enforcement Acts limited the influence of hate groups like the Ku Klux Klan (KKK).

   • Opposition to Reconstruction:

     • Southern governments and groups like the KKK resisted Reconstruction policies using violence and intimidation.

   • Abandonment of Federal Protection:

     • Focus shifted to national economic issues, leading to the withdrawal of troops in the Compromise of 1877.

2. Important Legislation and Supreme Court Cases:

   • Enforcement Act (1870): Restricted groups like the KKK from violating African-American rights.

   • 15th Amendment: Guaranteed voting rights to African-American men but was undermined by poll taxes, literacy tests, and grandfather clauses.

   • Plessy v. Ferguson (1896): Upheld segregation under the “separate but equal” doctrine.

3. Key Events:

   • Formation of the Ku Klux Klan: Intimidated African-Americans and suppressed Republican influence in the South.

   • Compromise of 1877: Marked the end of Reconstruction by withdrawing federal troops from the South.

4. Key Terms and Concepts:

   • Freedmen’s Bureau: Provided critical support for former slaves.

   • Black Codes: Restricted African-American freedoms and forced them into exploitative labor systems.

   • Solid South: Period of Democratic dominance in southern politics.