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Emancipation Proclamation
Executive order issued by President Abraham Lincoln. It declared that all enslaved people in Confederate states still in rebellion against the Union were to be set free. It did not immediately free all enslaved individuals, it marked a turning point in the war by transforming the fight to preserve the Union into a battle for freedom and equality. The emancipation of labor, "is the freeing of that basic majority of workers who are yellow, brown and black" (Guelzo pg. 10). -
Republican National Convention
Held in Baltimore, Maryland the convention nominated Abraham Lincoln for a second term as president and selected Andrew Johnson as his running mate to symbolize unity. Key platform points included a commitment to the Union's preservation, the abolition of slavery, and vigorous prosecution of the war against the Confederacy. Even before the election, "congressional reconstruction was bringing Southern states back into the Union, this time firmly under Republican control" (Guelzo pg. 56). -
Black Codes
Laws were enacted in Southern states in the United States after the Civil War to restrict the freedom of African Americans and maintain a labor force similar to slavery. These laws varied by state but typically included provisions that limited Black people's rights to own property, testify in court, vote, and move freely. The code, is "designed to bind the freedman into, for all practical purposes, peonage" (Guelzo pg. 26). -
Lincoln's Assassination
While attending a play at Ford's Theatre in Washington, D.C. He was shot in the head by John Wilkes Booth, a Confederate sympathizer and well-known actor, as part of a larger conspiracy to revive the Southern cause after the Civil War. Lincoln died the following morning, becoming the first U.S. president to be assassinated. Johnson, "the day after Lincoln's death, he assured them that he would deal harshly with the rebels who has been responsible the war and assassination" (Guelzo pg. 16). -
13th Amendment
Abolished slavery and involuntary servitude in the United States, except as punishment for a crime. It marked a significant turning point in American history by legally ending centuries of enslavement and was a cornerstone of Reconstruction. The amendment laid the foundation for further civil rights advancements, although systemic racism and inequality persisted. -
Memphis Race Riot
Tension between freed African Americans and local white residents, including police and Irish immigrants, violence began after a clash between Black Union soldiers and white police officers. The riot highlighted the intense racial hostility and contributed to ratify the 14th Amendment, to protect the rights of African Americans. Wisconsin Democrats declared, "as it would degrade and brutify our race, giving Negro Husbands and Negro progeny to our fair daughters and sisters" (Guelzo pg.35). -
Second Reconstruction Act
It supplemented the First Reconstruction Act by providing detailed procedures for organizing Southern states' governments and enabling their reentry into the Union. The act required military commanders in the South to oversee voter registration, ensuring African American men could register and vote while excluding former Confederate leaders. Made the commandant's, "principle responsibility the creation, for the first time in history of American elections" (Guelzo pg. 40). -
15th Amendment
Granted African American men the right to vote by prohibiting federal and state governments from denying voting rights based on "race, color, or previous condition of servitude." It was a significant milestone of the Reconstruction era, aimed at securing political equality for formerly enslaved people. Northern Democrats, "bitterly opposed the 15th Amendment, they employed Klan-like intimidation to suppress black votes at the polls in Northern cities" (Guelzo pg. 101). -
Klu Klux Klan
White supremacist organization founded in Pulaski, Tennessee, by Confederate veterans. Initially formed as a social club, it quickly evolved into a violent group aiming to undermine Reconstruction by terrorizing African Americans and their allies. The KKK used intimidation, violence, and murder to suppress Black political participation and maintain white dominance in the South. The group's form of punishment was, "night visits and whippings and murders" (Guelzo pg. 64). -
Civil Rights Act
Landmark law aimed at ensuring equal treatment for African Americans in public accommodations, such as hotels, theaters, and public transportation. It prohibited discrimination based on race, color, or previous condition of servitude in these spaces. The Act also sought to protect the rights of African Americans to serve on juries and access public services. The act is proposed as, "an act to protect all persons in the United States in their Civil Rights" (Guelzo pg. 31).