Reconstruction Basics
This was the period after the Civil War when the United States worked to rebuild the South and reunite the country.
Reconstruction
This amendment abolished slavery in the United States.
13th Amendment
This organization helped formerly enslaved people with food, education, medical care, and other support after the Civil War.
Freedmen’s Bureau
These laws were created in the South to restrict the freedom of African Americans after the Civil War.
Black Codes
This Supreme Court case upheld racial segregation under the idea of “separate but equal.”
Plessy v. Ferguson
Reconstruction began after the end of this war.
Civil War
This amendment granted citizenship and equal protection under the law.
14th Amendment
This farming system allowed people to work land they did not own in exchange for giving part of the crop to the landowner.
Sharecropping
This white supremacist group used threats and violence to intimidate African Americans and weaken their political participation.
Ku Klux Klan
Homer Plessy challenged a Louisiana law that required Black and white passengers to do this.
Ride in separate railroad cars.
About 4 million people gained their freedom when slavery ended after the Civil War. Who were they?
Formerly enslaved African Americans
This amendment protected voting rights for African American men.
15th Amendment
Name THREE ways the Freedmen’s Bureau helped formerly enslaved people.
Possible answers: schools, food, clothing, medical care, finding family members, jobs, or help with labor contracts.
This type of voter restriction required people to prove they could read or understand certain material before voting.
Literacy test
Plessy argued that segregation violated this amendment’s guarantee of equal protection.
14th Amendment
Name THREE major challenges formerly enslaved people faced after gaining freedom.
Possible answers: finding work, earning money, obtaining land, getting an education, reuniting families, or protecting their rights.
Why was the 14th Amendment still needed after the 13th Amendment ended slavery?
Because ending slavery did not automatically give formerly enslaved people citizenship or equal protection under the law.
Why did many formerly enslaved people become sharecroppers after the Civil War?
Because many did not have enough money, land, or supplies to farm independently.
What was the purpose of Jim Crow laws?
To enforce racial segregation and limit the rights of African Americans.
What did the phrase “separate but equal” mean?
Black and white Americans could be legally separated as long as the separate facilities were considered equal.
Why were equality and full rights not guaranteed for African Americans after slavery ended?
Because ending slavery did not stop discrimination, unfair laws, violence, or efforts to limit African Americans’ rights.
How did the Reconstruction Amendments change the status of African Americans in the United States?
They ended slavery, established citizenship and equal protection, and protected voting rights for African American men.
How could sharecropping keep families economically dependent on landowners?
Families could borrow money or supplies and end the year in debt, making it difficult to save money or leave the system.
How could African Americans have voting rights under the 15th Amendment but still be prevented from voting?
States used restrictions such as literacy tests, poll taxes, intimidation, and violence to make voting difficult or dangerous.
How did the Plessy decision affect Jim Crow segregation?
It gave legal support to segregation and made Jim Crow laws harder to challenge.