AP US History Flashcards: Reconstruction

What this deck covers

This deck focuses on Reconstruction, giving you a quick way to review the definitions, rules, and examples that matter most for AP US History.

How to use these flashcards

Work through these flashcards in short sessions. Try to answer each prompt before flipping the card, then revisit any cards you miss until the explanation feels automatic.

Flashcard 1: Identify the act that marked the official end of Reconstruction.

Answer: Compromise of 1877. Political deal that withdrew federal troops and ended military Reconstruction.

Flashcard 2: What was the purpose of the Enforcement Acts during Reconstruction?

Answer: Combat Ku Klux Klan violence and protect African American voting rights. Federal laws designed to suppress KKK terrorism and protect voting rights.

Flashcard 3: Which President is associated with the term 'Radical Reconstruction'?

Answer: Ulysses S. Grant. Grant supported Congressional Reconstruction policies against Southern resistance.

Flashcard 4: Which amendment granted citizenship to all born or naturalized in the U.S.?

Answer: 14th Amendment. Ratified in 1868, it overturned the Dred Scott decision and defined citizenship.

Flashcard 5: Which President is associated with the term 'Radical Reconstruction'?

Answer: Ulysses S. Grant. Grant supported Congressional Reconstruction policies against Southern resistance.

Flashcard 6: What was a major economic challenge during Reconstruction?

Answer: Rebuilding the Southern economy and infrastructure. War devastation required massive investment in railroads, factories, and cities.

Flashcard 7: What was the objective of the Tenure of Office Act?

Answer: Restrict the President's power to remove certain officeholders. Prevented presidents from removing Senate-confirmed officials without Senate approval.

Flashcard 8: Identify the term used for Southern whites who supported Reconstruction.

Answer: Scalawags. Derogatory term for Southern whites who collaborated with Republican Reconstruction.

Flashcard 9: What did the Southern Homestead Act aim to achieve?

Answer: Provide land to freed slaves and Southern loyalists. Offered 80-acre plots to promote black land ownership and Southern loyalty.

Flashcard 10: Which President's administration was marred by corruption scandals?

Answer: Ulysses S. Grant. Grant's presidency was plagued by scandals like Credit Mobilier and Whiskey Ring.

Flashcard 11: Identify the term for Northerners who moved South during Reconstruction.

Answer: Carpetbaggers. Northern migrants seeking economic opportunities or political power in the South.

Flashcard 12: Who succeeded Abraham Lincoln as President?

Answer: Andrew Johnson. Johnson became president after Lincoln's assassination in April 1865.

Flashcard 13: Identify the term used for Southern whites who supported Reconstruction.

Answer: Scalawags. Derogatory term for Southern whites who collaborated with Republican Reconstruction.

Flashcard 14: What was the primary purpose of the 14th Amendment?

Answer: Provide equal protection and due process under the law. Guaranteed equal treatment under law and prevented states from denying due process.

Flashcard 15: What was the main goal of the Ku Klux Klan during Reconstruction?

Answer: Undermine Reconstruction and maintain white supremacy. Terrorist organization that used violence to intimidate African Americans and Republicans.

Flashcard 16: What was a major social challenge during Reconstruction?

Answer: Integrating freed slaves into society. Creating schools, establishing civil rights, and overcoming racial prejudice.

Flashcard 17: What was the main focus of the Wade-Davis Bill?

Answer: Impose stricter requirements for Southern states' readmission. Required majority of white males to swear loyalty before state readmission.

Flashcard 18: What was the outcome of the U.S. vs. Cruikshank case?

Answer: Limited federal power to protect African American rights. Supreme Court ruled federal government couldn't prosecute private civil rights violations.

Flashcard 19: Which President initiated the 'Proclamation of Amnesty and Reconstruction'?

Answer: Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln's 1863 plan offered amnesty to Confederates who took loyalty oaths.

Flashcard 20: What was the primary reason for the establishment of Jim Crow laws?

Answer: Enforce racial segregation in the Southern United States. State and local laws mandating racial segregation in the post-Reconstruction South.

Flashcard 21: Which group in Congress was known for advocating strict Reconstruction policies?

Answer: Radical Republicans. Congressional faction demanding harsh punishment for the South and civil rights protection.

Flashcard 22: Which amendment is known for defining citizenship?

Answer: 14th Amendment. Established that all persons born in the U.S. are citizens with equal rights.

Flashcard 23: What was the primary reason for the establishment of Jim Crow laws?

Answer: Enforce racial segregation in the Southern United States. State and local laws mandating racial segregation in the post-Reconstruction South.

Flashcard 24: Identify the term for Northerners who moved South during Reconstruction.

Answer: Carpetbaggers. Northern migrants seeking economic opportunities or political power in the South.

Flashcard 25: What was the result of President Johnson's impeachment trial?

Answer: Acquitted by one vote in the Senate. Senate fell one vote short of the two-thirds majority needed for conviction.

Flashcard 26: Which compromise effectively ended the Reconstruction era?

Answer: Compromise of 1877. Deal that withdrew federal troops from the South in exchange for Hayes's presidency.

Flashcard 27: What did the 15th Amendment achieve?

Answer: Granted voting rights regardless of race, color, or previous servitude. Ratified in 1870, it aimed to prevent voter disenfranchisement based on race.

Flashcard 28: Which Southern state was the first to be readmitted to the Union?

Answer: Tennessee. Tennessee was readmitted in July 1866 after ratifying the 14th Amendment.

Flashcard 29: What was the significance of the Civil Rights Act of 1866?

Answer: First U.S. law to define citizenship and affirm all citizens' equal protection. Established birthright citizenship and equal protection, basis for 14th Amendment.

Flashcard 30: What was the main criticism of the Sharecropping system?

Answer: It often trapped workers in a cycle of debt and poverty. Landowners provided credit at high interest, keeping workers perpetually indebted.

Flashcard 31: Identify the amendment that abolished slavery in the United States.

Answer: 13th Amendment. Passed in 1865, it permanently banned slavery throughout the United States.

Flashcard 32: Who succeeded Abraham Lincoln as President?

Answer: Andrew Johnson. Johnson became president after Lincoln's assassination in April 1865.

Flashcard 33: Which laws were designed to restrict the freedoms of African Americans post-Civil War?

Answer: Black Codes. Southern laws that severely limited freed slaves' civil rights and freedoms.

Flashcard 34: What was a major social challenge during Reconstruction?

Answer: Integrating freed slaves into society. Creating schools, establishing civil rights, and overcoming racial prejudice.

Flashcard 35: What was the role of the Union League during Reconstruction?

Answer: Promote Republican policies and support African American rights. Republican organization that mobilized black voters and provided political education.

Flashcard 36: What was the objective of the Tenure of Office Act?

Answer: Restrict the President's power to remove certain officeholders. Prevented presidents from removing Senate-confirmed officials without Senate approval.

Flashcard 37: Identify the Reconstruction plan proposed by President Lincoln.

Answer: Ten Percent Plan. Required only 10% of voters to take loyalty oath for state readmission.

Flashcard 38: Which President initiated the 'Proclamation of Amnesty and Reconstruction'?

Answer: Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln's 1863 plan offered amnesty to Confederates who took loyalty oaths.

Flashcard 39: What was the main goal of the Reconstruction era?

Answer: Reintegrate Southern states and ensure rights for freed slaves. Reconstruction aimed to rebuild the Union and establish civil rights for former slaves.

Flashcard 40: What did the Southern Homestead Act aim to achieve?

Answer: Provide land to freed slaves and Southern loyalists. Offered 80-acre plots to promote black land ownership and Southern loyalty.

Flashcard 41: What was the main criticism of the Sharecropping system?

Answer: It often trapped workers in a cycle of debt and poverty. Landowners provided credit at high interest, keeping workers perpetually indebted.

Flashcard 42: What was the result of President Johnson's impeachment trial?

Answer: Acquitted by one vote in the Senate. Senate fell one vote short of the two-thirds majority needed for conviction.

Flashcard 43: Which laws were designed to restrict the freedoms of African Americans post-Civil War?

Answer: Black Codes. Southern laws that severely limited freed slaves' civil rights and freedoms.

Flashcard 44: What did the 15th Amendment achieve?

Answer: Granted voting rights regardless of race, color, or previous servitude. Ratified in 1870, it aimed to prevent voter disenfranchisement based on race.

Flashcard 45: Which act divided the South into five military districts?

Answer: Reconstruction Act of 1867. Placed the South under military rule until new constitutions were ratified.

Flashcard 46: Which group in Congress was known for advocating strict Reconstruction policies?

Answer: Radical Republicans. Congressional faction demanding harsh punishment for the South and civil rights protection.

Flashcard 47: Identify the act that removed voting restrictions for former Confederates.

Answer: Amnesty Act of 1872. Restored voting rights to most former Confederates except highest-ranking officials.

Flashcard 48: What was the role of the Union League during Reconstruction?

Answer: Promote Republican policies and support African American rights. Republican organization that mobilized black voters and provided political education.

Flashcard 49: What was the main focus of the Wade-Davis Bill?

Answer: Impose stricter requirements for Southern states' readmission. Required majority of white males to swear loyalty before state readmission.

Flashcard 50: Which labor system arose in the South during Reconstruction?

Answer: Sharecropping. System where farmers worked land for a share of crops, often creating debt cycles.

Flashcard 51: Which amendment is known for defining citizenship?

Answer: 14th Amendment. Established that all persons born in the U.S. are citizens with equal rights.

Flashcard 52: What was the significance of the Civil Rights Act of 1866?

Answer: First U.S. law to define citizenship and affirm all citizens' equal protection. Established birthright citizenship and equal protection, basis for 14th Amendment.

Flashcard 53: Identify the Reconstruction plan proposed by President Lincoln.

Answer: Ten Percent Plan. Required only 10% of voters to take loyalty oath for state readmission.

Flashcard 54: Identify the first African American senator.

Answer: Hiram Revels. Mississippi senator who broke the color barrier in the U.S. Senate in 1870.

Flashcard 55: Who was the President at the start of Reconstruction?

Answer: Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln began Reconstruction planning before his assassination in 1865.

Flashcard 56: What was the goal of the Amnesty Act of 1872?

Answer: Restore rights to most former Confederates. Removed political disabilities from most former Confederate officials and soldiers.

Flashcard 57: Which amendment granted citizenship to all born or naturalized in the U.S.?

Answer: 14th Amendment. Ratified in 1868, it overturned the Dred Scott decision and defined citizenship.

Flashcard 58: What was the main goal of the Ku Klux Klan during Reconstruction?

Answer: Undermine Reconstruction and maintain white supremacy. Terrorist organization that used violence to intimidate African Americans and Republicans.

Flashcard 59: Which President's administration was marred by corruption scandals?

Answer: Ulysses S. Grant. Grant's presidency was plagued by scandals like Credit Mobilier and Whiskey Ring.

Flashcard 60: Identify the act that removed voting restrictions for former Confederates.

Answer: Amnesty Act of 1872. Restored voting rights to most former Confederates except highest-ranking officials.

Flashcard 61: What was the purpose of the Freedmen's Bureau?

Answer: Aid freed slaves and poor whites in the South. Federal agency providing education, food, and legal assistance during Reconstruction.

Flashcard 62: What was the goal of the Amnesty Act of 1872?

Answer: Restore rights to most former Confederates. Removed political disabilities from most former Confederate officials and soldiers.

Flashcard 63: What was the purpose of the Freedmen's Bureau?

Answer: Aid freed slaves and poor whites in the South. Federal agency providing education, food, and legal assistance during Reconstruction.

Flashcard 64: What was the purpose of the Enforcement Acts during Reconstruction?

Answer: Combat Ku Klux Klan violence and protect African American voting rights. Federal laws designed to suppress KKK terrorism and protect voting rights.

Flashcard 65: Identify the act that marked the official end of Reconstruction.

Answer: Compromise of 1877. Political deal that withdrew federal troops and ended military Reconstruction.

Flashcard 66: Who was the President at the start of Reconstruction?

Answer: Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln began Reconstruction planning before his assassination in 1865.

Flashcard 67: Identify the amendment that abolished slavery in the United States.

Answer: 13th Amendment. Passed in 1865, it permanently banned slavery throughout the United States.

Flashcard 68: Which labor system arose in the South during Reconstruction?

Answer: Sharecropping. System where farmers worked land for a share of crops, often creating debt cycles.

Flashcard 69: What was the main goal of the Reconstruction era?

Answer: Reintegrate Southern states and ensure rights for freed slaves. Reconstruction aimed to rebuild the Union and establish civil rights for former slaves.

Flashcard 70: What was a major economic challenge during Reconstruction?

Answer: Rebuilding the Southern economy and infrastructure. War devastation required massive investment in railroads, factories, and cities.

Flashcard 71: What was the primary purpose of the 14th Amendment?

Answer: Provide equal protection and due process under the law. Guaranteed equal treatment under law and prevented states from denying due process.

Flashcard 72: Which act divided the South into five military districts?

Answer: Reconstruction Act of 1867. Placed the South under military rule until new constitutions were ratified.

Flashcard 73: Identify the first African American senator.

Answer: Hiram Revels. Mississippi senator who broke the color barrier in the U.S. Senate in 1870.

Flashcard 74: Which compromise effectively ended the Reconstruction era?

Answer: Compromise of 1877. Deal that withdrew federal troops from the South in exchange for Hayes's presidency.

Flashcard 75: What was the outcome of the U.S. vs. Cruikshank case?

Answer: Limited federal power to protect African American rights. Supreme Court ruled federal government couldn't prosecute private civil rights violations.

Flashcard 76: Which Southern state was the first to be readmitted to the Union?

Answer: Tennessee. Tennessee was readmitted in July 1866 after ratifying the 14th Amendment.