1. RECONSTRUCTION
PowerPoint
and Notes
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© Erin Kathryn 2015

2. Reconstruction
After the Civil War ended, the nation had to be reunited.
The period when the South rejoined the Union is called Reconstruction.
Americans did not agree on how to bring the South back into the Union
Some people wanted to punish the south, while others, such as President Abraham Lincoln, wanted to make it easy for southern states to rejoin.
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3. Lincoln’s Assassination
On April 14, 1865, President Lincoln was assassinated, or killed, by John Wilkes Booth.
Lincoln’s death shocked and saddened many people.
The Vice President, Andrew Johnson became the President.
Johnson put Lincoln’s plan for Reconstruction into action.
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4. Black Codes Southern states quickly set up new state governments.
The federal government forced them to abolish, or end, slavery.
Most southern states passed harsh laws called Black Codes.
These laws limited former slaves to travel, vote, and work in certain jobs.
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5. Freedman’s Bureau
Congress created the Freedman’s Bureau, which gave food, clothing, medical care, and legal advice to poor blacks and whites.
The Freedman’s Bureau set up hospitals, schools, and jobs for many people.
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6. Impeaching President Johnson
In 1867, Congress began its own Reconstruction plan.
Congress forced southern states to obey the laws.
The states had to allow all men, including blacks, to vote.
Congress tried to remove President Johnson by voting to impeach him.
To impeach means to charge a government official with a crime.
Congress almost forced Johnson out of office, but they did not succeed and he finished his presidency.
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7. Carpetbaggers & Scalawags
Southerners who helped the government during Reconstruction were known as scalawags, which was a slang word for an old worthless horse.
Some Northerners traveled south during Reconstruction in an effort to help rebuild the south.
These Northerners were known as carpetbaggers because they often carried suitcases made of carpet materials.
Southerners did not like carpetbaggers.
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8. Changes to the Constitution
During Reconstruction, three new amendments to the Constitution were created by Congress.
These changes gave the national government more power than the states.
They also protected the rights of African-Americans.
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9. Thirteenth Amendment
Declared that slavery would no longer be allowed to exist in the United States
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10. Fourteenth Amendment
Declared that the states could not limit the rights of citizens
“Due Process of the law”
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11. Fifteenth Amendment
Gave all men the right to vote, no matter what their skin color was or if they had been slaves
Women were not allowed to vote until 1920
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12. End of Reconstruction
Over time, people grew frustrated and disappointed with Reconstruction because they felt that it had not successfully reunited the nation.
In 1877, President Rutherford B. Hayes ended Reconstruction and ordered government soldiers to leave the south.
With no protection, African Americans were unable to vote and lost their political power.
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13. Jim Crow Laws Southern states began passing Jim Crow laws.
These laws kept African Americans separate from other Americans and made segregation legal.
Segregation is the forced separation of races.
Jim Crow laws segregated schools, hospitals, and even cemeteries.
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14. Why It Matters...
After Reconstruction, African Americans had to continue their struggle for freedom.
For decades, Jim Crow laws prevent African Americans from exercising their rights.
© Erin Kathryn 2015