Reconstruction
Lesson 1: Goals of the Groups
5-1.1 Summarize the aims and course of Reconstruction, including the effects of Abraham Lincoln’s assassination,
Southern resistance to the rights of freedmen, and the agenda of the Radical Republicans.
Vocabulary
1. Reconstruction: the period after the Civil War in which the country was being "rebuilt."
2.
Assassination: the murder of a famous person through a surprise attack.
3.
Pardon: the forgiveness of a crime.
4.
Freedmen: former slaves who gained their freedom. Most commonly African Americans.
5.
The Freedmen’s Bureau: a government agency that was meant to help freedmen start new lives.
6.
13 th Amendment: Amendment that freed the slaves.
7.
14 th Amendment: Amendment that made the freedmen citizens
8.
15 th Amendment: Amendment that gave African Americans the right to vote
9.
Radical Reconstruction: the act of using the U.S. military to force the south to rebuild the way the north wanted.
10.
Abraham Lincoln’s goal was to preserve the Union and end the Civil War as quickly as possible .
11.
He promised an easy Reconstruction in order to persuade southern states to surrender.
12.
Lincoln promised that if 10% of the people of a state would pledge their allegiance to the United States of
America and ratify the 13th amendment , which abolished slavery, they could fully participate in the
Union again.
13.
Lincoln was assassinated soon after the end of the Civil War, but his assassination did not immediately change the course of Reconstruction .
14.
However, Reconstruction policy did change within a year .
15.
When Vice President Andrew Johnson became president, he continued Lincoln’s basic policy.
16.
However, Johnson’s goal was also to humiliate the southern elite . He required southerners to ask for a presidential pardon because he wanted to show how powerful he was.
17.
After the Civil War, the goal of many southerners was to return to their normal lives with as little change as possible.
18.
They were willing to accept the end of slavery , but were not willing to give rights to the former slaves .
19.
Southern states passed laws known as Black Codes that kept the freedmen from becoming full citizens.
20.
The goal of the United States Congress was different from that of Southerners or the President. They wanted to punish the south for causing the Civil War and give the freedmen equal rights .
21.
They passed a bill creating the
Freedman’s Bureau so that it could protect the rights of the freedmen against the Black Codes .
22.
President Johnson tried to stop the bill but Congress defeated him. Congress also passed the 14 th amendment , which gave all African Americans citizenship and equal protect under the law.
23.
Because the southern states refused to pass the 14 th
Amendment, Congress sent the military to force the southern states to agree. This action was known Radical Reconstruction because it was so harsh.
24.
Instead of fleeing the south after gaining their freedom, most African Americans stayed and built strong communities, families, and cultures.