Reconstruction and Western Expansion

Question 1

Amendment

Answer 1

An amendment is a formal change to the U.S. Constitution. During Reconstruction, three key amendments were passed. Granted rights and freedom to ex-slaves

Question 2

13th Amendment

Answer 2

Abolished slavery (1865).

Question 3

14th Amendment

Answer 3

Gave citizenship and “equal protection under the law” to all born in the U.S., including freed slaves (1868).

Question 4

15th Amendment

Answer 4

Gave Black men the right to vote (1870).

Question 5

Black Codes

Answer 5

laws passed in Southern states to limit the freedom of blacks after the Civil War. These laws forced freedmen into low-paying jobs and restricted their movement and rights. Andrew’s Reconstruction

Question 6

Black Reconstruction

Answer 6

Reconstruction by Congress. Freedmen held political office, established schools, and rebuilt communities. Aimed to empower blacks

Question 7

Carpetbaggers

Answer 7

Carpetbaggers were Northerners who moved to the South after the Civil War to gain political power or profit. Many supported Republican Reconstruction and worked to help freed slaves, but Southerners viewed them as opportunists.

Question 8

Civil Rights Act of 1866

Answer 8

This law granted citizenship and equal rights to all men born in the U.S., regardless of race. It was Congress’s response to Southern Black Codes and was passed over President Andrew Johnson’s veto.

Question 9

Freedmen’s Bureau

Answer 9

Federal agency created in 1865 to help freed slaves and poor whites in the South. It provided food, schools, medical care, and legal assistance.

Question 10

Impeachment

Answer 10

Congress charges a president with wrongdoing. In 1868, President Andrew Johnson was impeached for violating the Tenure of Office Act by firing a cabinet member. He avoided removal by one vote. Showed power struggle between him & Radical Republicans

Question 11

Literacy Test

Answer 11

Exam designed to deny voting rights to Blacks. Many blacks were denied education, so tests impossible to pass

Question 12

Pardon

Answer 12

A pardon forgives a person for crimes. President Andrew Johnson issued pardons to many former Confederate leaders, allowing them to regain political power.Showed his bad approach to Reconstruction

Question 13

Radical Republicans

Answer 13

A group in Congress who wanted to punish the South and protect freed slaves’ rights. They opposed President Andrew Johnson’s leniency and passed laws like the Civil Rights Act and Reconstruction Amendments.

Question 14

“Redeemer” Governments

Answer 14

Redeemer governments were Southern leaders who took power after Reconstruction ended. They aimed to “redeem” the South by restoring white supremacy and undoing Reconstruction reforms. Reversed progress of Reconstruction

Question 15

Reconstruction

Answer 15

(1865–1877) when the U.S. rebuilt the South and integrated freed slaves into society. Two approaches were taken:

Question 16

Reconstruction Amendments

Answer 16

ended slavery, granted citizenship, and protected voting rights for African Americans. Radical Republic Reconstruction

Question 17

Tenure of Office Act

Answer 17

1867. This law prevented the president from removing cabinet members without Senate approval. Johnson’s violation of this law led to his impeachment.

Question 18

“Equal Protection”

Answer 18

14th Amendment. This principle guarantees that all people receive the same legal protection under the law.

Question 19

Compromise of 1877

Answer 19

An agreement that ended Reconstruction. In exchange for withdrawing Union troops from the South, Rutherford B. Hayes became president.

Question 20

Jim Crow Laws

Answer 20

A system of laws that enforced racial segregation in the South after Reconstruction. Jim Crow laws reversed many Reconstruction gains.

Question 21

Sharecropping

Answer 21

A farming system where freed slaves rented land and gave part of their crops as payment. It often trapped them in debt and poverty.

Question 22

Homestead Act of 1862

Answer 22

This law gave 160 acres of free land to settlers who lived on and improved the land for five years. Encouraged Western Expansion

Question 23

Assimilation

Answer 23

Forcing Native Americans to adopt white American culture, religion, and customs. Tied to Western Expansion as settlers took Native lands.

Question 24

Manifest Destiny

Answer 24

belief that the United States was destined by God to expand across the North American continent, from the Atlantic to the Pacific, justifying territorial acquisition and displacing Native American populations.

Question 25

Nez Perce War of 1877

Answer 25

A conflict where Chief Joseph and the Nez Perce tried to flee to Canada but were captured by U.S. troops.

Question 26

Land Grants

Answer 26

Government gifts of land to railroads. Square mile of land for mile of railroad laid

Question 27

Andrew Johnson

Answer 27

17th president. Favored lenient Reconstruction. Pardoned Confederates. Clashed with Radical Republicans.

Question 28

Lincoln’s 2nd Inaugural Address

Answer 28

1865 speech urging reconciliation: “malice toward none, charity for all.” Called for unity after the Civil War.

Question 29

John Wilkes Booth

Answer 29

Confederate sympathizer who assassinated Lincoln in 1865. His actions disrupted moderate Reconstruction plans.

Question 30

Ku Klux Klan (KKK)

Answer 30

White supremacist group formed in the South. Used violence and terror to suppress Black voting and civil rights during and after Reconstruction.

Question 31

Pacific Railroad Act of 1862

Answer 31

Law providing land grants and funds to build the Transcontinental Railroad.

Question 32

Plessy v. Ferguson

Answer 32

1896 Supreme Court case that upheld segregation under “separate but equal.”

Question 33

elections of 1866, 1876

Answer 33

1866: Radical Republicans won Congress, enabling strict Reconstruction. Congress election

1876: Disputed election led to the Compromise of 1877, ending Reconstruction. Hayes won
Theme: Reconstruction politics.

Question 34

End of Civil War, assassination of Abraham Lincoln year

Answer 34

1865

Question 35

Compromise that ends Reconstruction

Answer 35

Compromise of 1877

Question 36

Nez Perce War

Answer 36

Nez Perce tribe led by Young Joseph tried escaping to Canada but defeated by army

Question 37

Spanish-American War

Answer 37

Showed America was a major powerhouse after they won

Question 38

Reservation System (American Indians)

Answer 38

Forced Natives to move to reservation centers and convert them to American culture