Period 5: Post-Civil War Recovery and Rights (1865–1877)

Reconstruction

The period immediately following the Civil War (1865–1877) focused on reintegrating former Confederate states into the Union and defining the legal status of African Americans.

Presidential Reconstruction

The approach led by Abraham Lincoln and Andrew Johnson that favored leniency and a quick restoration of the Union.

Lincoln’s 10% Plan

A plan proposed by Lincoln that allowed Southern states to form new governments when 10% of the 1860 voting population swore allegiance to the Union.

Wade-Davis Bill

A bill requiring a majority (50%) of white males in a Confederate state to swear loyalty to the Union, countering Lincoln's 10% Plan.

Pocket-veto

A special type of veto whereby a president can indirectly veto a bill by taking no action on it.

Black Codes

Laws passed in Southern states that restricted the rights of freedmen after the Civil War.

Radical Republicans

A faction within the Republican party that sought to transform Southern society and ensure rights for freedmen.

Reconstruction Acts of 1867

Laws that divided the South into military districts and required states to ratify the 14th Amendment and guarantee black suffrage.

Impeachment of Andrew Johnson

The political process initiated against Johnson for violating the Tenure of Office Act, ultimately leading to his acquittal by one vote.

13th Amendment

An amendment that abolished slavery and involuntary servitude, except as punishment for a crime.

14th Amendment

An amendment granting citizenship to all persons born or naturalized in the U.S., including the Equal Protection and Due Process Clauses.

15th Amendment

An amendment that prohibits denying the right to vote based on race, color, or previous condition of servitude.

Freedmen’s Bureau

An early welfare agency established in 1865 to provide food, shelter, and medical aid to those made destitute by the war.

Sharecropping

A system where freedmen worked a portion of a planter’s land in exchange for a share of the crop.

Crop-Lien System

A credit system where storekeepers granted credit to farmers in exchange for a lien on their future crops.

Ku Klux Klan (KKK)

A domestic terrorist organization founded in 1867 that sought to intimidate black voters and Republicans.

Force Acts (1870–1871)

Legislation passed to give federal power to stop KKK violence, although enforcement was difficult.

Redeemers

Southern Democrats who sought to regain control of state governments and restore white supremacy post-Reconstruction.

Panic of 1873

An economic depression that diverted Northern attention away from civil rights.

Compromise of 1877

An agreement that resolved the disputed 1876 election and led to the withdrawal of federal troops from the South.

Jim Crow laws

State and local laws that enforced racial segregation and disenfranchisement in the South after Reconstruction.

Scalawags

A derogatory term for Southern Republicans, often former Whigs, interested in economic development.

Carpetbaggers

A derogatory term for Northerners who moved South to help rebuild after the Civil War.

Emancipation Proclamation vs. 13th Amendment

The Emancipation Proclamation freed slaves in rebelling territories, while the 13th Amendment freed all slaves.

Long-term impact of Reconstruction

While Reconstruction faced significant challenges, the 14th and 15th Amendments laid the groundwork for future civil rights movements.