Reconstruction Era Flashcards
Freedman’s Bureau
A federal agency that helped former slaves by supplying food, clothing, fuel, schools and hospitals.
anmesty
political forgiveness; official pardon
black codes
Laws passed by Southern states that limited the freedom of formerly enslaved people.
14th Amendment
constitutional amendment that made all people born in the US (including former slaves) citizens that have the same rights and are to be granted “equal protection” under the law
scalawags
white Southerner who supported Radical Reconstruction
carpetbagger
Northerner who went to the South after the Civil War to participate in Reconstruction
sharecropping
A system under which landowners gave poor farmers seed, tools, and land to cultivate in exchange for a part of their harvest; often unfair
Ku Klux Klan
a secret group that used violence to try to restore Democratic control of the South and keep African Americans powerless
Who was Andrew Johnson?
The vice president of Lincoln; president during the Reconstruction.
What did Johnson believe about Reconstruction?
Reconstruction was the job of the president, not Congress.
What did Johnson insist southern states do to rejoin the United States of America?
Johnson insisted that new state governments ratify the 13th Amendment and accept the supreme power of the federal government.
Who did Johnson offer amnesty to?
Johnson offered amnesty to most white Southerners (except large plantation owners, top military officers and ex Confederate leaders) at first.
What did Johnson not attempt to do?
Johnson did not attempt to meet the needs of formerly enslaved people and believed states should have the right to address these matters on their own (gain land, voting rights, equal protection under the law). As a result, Southern states passed laws known as “black codes.”
Why was Johnson impeached?
Johnson was impeached for improper conduct while in office. He fired his secretary of war over disagreements, which went against the Tenure of Office Act.
How was Johnson acquitted after impeachment?
Johnson was acquitted by a single vote.
What did Johnson not support?
Johnson did not support citizenship for former slaves.
What did Congress members refuse to do?
Congress members refused to seat representatives from the South. By doing so, Congress exercised its Constitutional right to decide whether its members are qualified to hold office.
What did Congress pass in 1866?
Congress passed the Civil Rights Act of 1866, which stated that all people born in the United States were citizens and that were entitled to equal rights regardless of race; vetoed by Johnson, but overrode by Congress.
What year was the Reconstruction Acts passed?
1867
What did the Reconstruction Acts of 1867 do?
It divided the South into 5 military districts.
According to the Reconstruction Acts of 1867, what did Southern states must do before rejoining the Union?
Southern states must approve new state constitutions that gave the right to vote to all adult men, including African Americans, and ratify the 14th Amendment.
What did Congress pass in 1868?
The Tenure of Office Act was passed in 1868. It prohibited the president from firing government officials without Senate approval.
What were examples of social changes during the Reconstruction?
- Freed slaves traveled, married, found jobs… Some were elected to state governments and Congress.
- Carpetbaggers came to the South for profits.
- African Americans were educated, which led to jobs.
- Freedmen were given 40 acres and a mule by the government.
- Sharecropping was unfair to freedmen (contracts).
15th Amendment
constitutional amendment that stated that citizens could not be stopped from voting on account of race, color or previous condition of servitude
General Amnesty Act of 1872
a law created by Congress that forgives Southern generals, rich plantation owners, and government officials and lets them out of jail
What led to the end of Reconstruction?
- Ulysses S Grant is elected as president in 1868 by the Republicans with the help of freedmen with 214 electoral votes
- 15th Amendment gave all men the right to vote
- Grant is reelected due to a bill passed that got rid of the KKK and allowed African Americans to vote without fear of being hurt in 1872
-SCANDAL
Grant put family and friends in government positions who were not qualified-some took bribes
- Republican party split again and the Liberal Republican Party was formed
- Supreme Court ruled states could restrict voting for literacy/tax reasons; help Democrats gain power
-FINAL BLOW
Compromise of 1877 led to Republican president➡️loss of military zones
What was Lincoln’s Plan?
To unify the nation with forgiveness…
- Pardon Confederate officers
- Allow southern states back into Congress
What caused the Panic of 1873?
Some banks ran out of money, causing panic.
- high unemployment
- stock market collapse
- depression: low economic activity
Panic of 1873
Financial panic in which banks closed and stock market crashed.
Compromise of 1877
-President Hayes (R)
-Federal troops were removed
-Government provide grants/loans for railroads
-Federal funds for building
-Democrat in cabinet
-Democrats promised to respect African Americans rights.
FINAL BLOW TO RECONSTRUCTION
depression
Time of low business activity and high unemployment.
Jim Crow Laws
- Separate but equal laws
- Schools, libraries, pools, etc.
- Legal ruling: 60 years
Plessy vs. Ferguson
- Supreme Court case
- Train car treatment
- Court said separate was okay, as long as it was equal
- Led to segregation (separation of races)
