Reconstruction and Civil Rights Quiz

What Was Reconstruction?

• Time period after the Civil War (1865-1877)

• Goal: Rebuild the South and help formerly enslaved people

• President Lincoln wanted to bring the country back together

• Many changes happened during this important time

The 13th Amendment

• Passed in 1865

• Made slavery illegal in all states

• First of three important changes to our Constitution

• Gave freedom to all enslaved people

• Changed millions of lives

The 14th Amendment

• Passed in 1868

• Made all people born in America citizens

• Gave equal protection under the law

• Meant everyone should be treated fairly

• Protected rights of all Americans

The 15th Amendment

• Passed in 1870

• Gave Black men the right to vote

• No one could be stopped from voting because of their race

• Important step for equality

• Changed American democracy

The Freedmen's Bureau

• Created to help formerly enslaved people

• Provided food and medical care

• Helped people find homes and jobs

• Started schools for Black children

• Helped families find each other after slavery

What is Sharecropping?

• System where farmers rented land to grow crops

• Had to give part of their crops to the landowner

• Many freed people became sharecroppers

• Often led to debt and poverty

• Made it hard for people to become independent

Understanding Jim Crow Laws

• Unfair laws that separated Black and white people

• Made Black Americans use different schools

• Made Black Americans use different bathrooms

• Made Black Americans use different water fountains

• Made Black Americans use different restaurants

Effects of Reconstruction

• Some positive changes: Jim Crow laws

• Freedom from slavery

• Sharecropping problems

• Citizenship rights

• Voting rights for Black men

What We Learned

• Reconstruction tried to help the country heal

• Three important amendments changed our laws

• Some changes helped, but problems continued

• Understanding this history helps us make better choices today

• We still work for equality and fairness for all