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Emancipation Proclamation
Declared “Forever free” the slaves in the confederate areas still in rebellion. Slaves were not free immediately. It removes any change of a negotiated settlement with the South and influences Britain’s decision to stay out of the war. -
Black Codes
Laws designed to regulate the affairs of the emancipated blacks and keep them as slaves. It was hard to rise economically and the emancipated blacks became slaves to the soil again. It required blacks to sign slave contracts with minimal pay and penalties when they stopped working. -
Lincoln’s Assassination
Lincoln went to Fords Theatre to watch “Our American Cousin” when pro-southern actor, John Wilkes Booth, shot him in the head. Booth escaped and was found 12 days later and was shot on sight. -
Ku Klux Klan
This was a group of whites people who murdered blacks and former slaves since they now had more freedom. They dressed in sheets that were supposed to represent the ghosts of the south to scare the blacks. -
Passing the 14th and 15th Amendments
The 15th Amendment was passed in 1869 and it granted black men the right to vote. The 14th Amendment gave civil rights and citizenship to freedmen reduced congress representation of states that didn’t let blacks on the ballot. Anyone born in America has freedom and rights. -
Reconstruction Act
Divided the south into 5 military districts, each commanded by a general. It required states wishing to be administered had to pass the 14th Amendment.
