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Lincoln's Ten Percent Plan
This was a plan that specified that a southern state could be readmitted into the Union once 10 percent of its voters swore an oath of allegiance to the Union. It promised full pardons and the restoration of civil rights to all who swore loyalty to the union. -
Wade-Davis Bill
This bill required that 50 percent of a state's white males take a loyalty oath to be readmitted to the Union. In addition, states were required to give blacks the right to vote. -
Freedmen's Bureau
This bureau was established by Congress, and assisted former slaves and poor whites in the South by distributing clothes and food. (Vetoed by Johnson) -
Civil Rights Act
This was the first United States federal act to define citizenship and affirm that all citizens are equally protected by the law. (vetoed by Johnson) -
Ratification of the 15th Amendment
The 15th Amendment granted African American men the right to vote by declaring that the "right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude." -
Freedman's Bureau Abolished
It was criticized for its promotion of the Republican vote and was the least-liked reconstruction reform. It was discontinued, and its duties were given to the general of the U.S. Army. -
Panic of 1873
Banks and other industries were putting their money in railroads. So when the banking firm of Jay Cooke and Company, a firm heavily invested in railroad construction, went bankrupt on September 18, 1873, a major economic panic swept the nation. -
First African American to serve a full six year term
Blanche Kelso Bruce was the first black to serve a full six-year term as senator.
