#AP US History: Reconstruction Study Guide

Hey there! Let's get you prepped for the APUSH exam. We're going to break down Reconstruction, focusing on the key stuff you need to know. Think of this as your cheat sheet for tonight! Let's dive in!

#Reconstruction Loopholes & Resistance

Reconstruction was supposed to rebuild the South and integrate formerly enslaved people into society, but it faced HUGE resistance. Key takeaway: Amendments had loopholes, and the South found ways to keep Black people down.

#13th Amendment: Slavery Abolished (Kind Of)

The 13th Amendment officially ended slavery and involuntary servitude, but...

• Convict Leasing: 😠 States leased out prisoners (mostly Black people) to private companies for labor, often under terrible conditions. Basically, slavery by another name.

• Sharecropping: 👨‍🌾 Landowners allowed tenants (often formerly enslaved people) to farm land in exchange for a share of the crops. This system kept many Black families in debt and tied to the land. It was a cycle of poverty and dependence.

Image: A depiction of sharecropping, highlighting the economic challenges faced by Black farmers.

#14th Amendment: Citizenship & Equal Protection (Sort Of)

The 14th Amendment granted citizenship and equal protection under the law to all persons born or naturalized in the U.S., but...

• Black Codes: 📜 Laws passed in the South to control the movement and behavior of newly freed Black people, restricting their rights to property, work, and legal representation.
• Vagrancy Laws: 🏘️ Criminalized homelessness and unemployment, forcing many Black people into involuntary labor.
• Jim Crow Laws: 🎭 Segregation laws that mandated racial separation in public spaces and institutions. "Separate but equal" was the justification, but it was NEVER equal.
• Supreme Court Undermining: 🏛️

  • Slaughterhouse Cases: ⚖️ Weakened the 14th Amendment by saying its protections only applied to federal citizenship, not state citizenship.

  • Cruikshank Case: ⚖️ Ruled that the federal government couldn't prosecute individuals for violating Black civil rights, leaving it up to the states.

*Image: A visual representation of Jim Crow er...