Key Terms
What is Reconstruction?
The period after the Civil War when the Southern states were rebuilt and reintegrated into the Union.
Who was Abraham Lincoln?
The President of the United States during the Civil War who created a plan for Reconstruction but was assassinated in 1865.
What was the 13th Amendment?
Abolished slavery!
What was one major challenge the South faced after the Civil War?
Rebuilding the economy, which had been devastated by the war.
What was life like for many freedmen? Easy or hard?
It was still very hard because they had little money or land.
Freedman's Bureau
An agency created by Congress in 1865 to help former enslaved people and poor whites in the South. Provided food and clothing.
Who was Andrew Johnson?
The President after Lincoln’s assassination, whose lenient Reconstruction policies led to his impeachment.
What was the 14th Amendment?
granted citizenship to anyone born in the U.S., including former slaves, and provided equal protection under the law.
What was one problem the South faced after the war?
Many homes and cities were destroyed.
Why did some people move West after the war?
To find new opportunities and land.
Carpetbagger
A Northerner who moved to the South after the Civil War to participate in Reconstruction.
Who were freed after Reconstruction?
Slaves
What was the 15th Amendment?
gave African American men the right to vote.
Why were Black Codes a problem for African Americans?
They limited the rights of freedmen, making it hard to be truly free.
What was the Freedmen’s Bureau?
An organization that helped freedmen with food, education, and jobs.
What were the Black Codes?
Laws passed in Southern states to limit the rights of newly freed African Americans.
Which law in the South was created combat or oppose the Reconstruction Amendments?
Black Codes!
What was the 10% Plan?
10% of the population in each southern state had to pledge loyalty to the US to be readmitted to the country.
What did African Americans want most after the war?
Freedom and land!