BDC CH.1 Flashcards
The Failure of Reconstruction + The Triumph of White Supremacy
What was the area known as the Black Belt + what states had a black majority population?
- where majority of blacks in US were concentrated (from S VA to E TX) (known for soil fertility for plantations)
- Louisiana + Mississippi + South Carolina = black majority states
(LMS)
What events/legislation took place the officially marked the end of slavery?
- Confederacy Defeat
2. 13th Amendment
CT
What were the privileges given to new “freedmen” in the South?
- marriages legally recognized
- able to form independent families
- religious freedom
- right to private property
- free from white supervision
(MARRF)
What was one of the first actions taken by African Americans as freedmen?
- many went searching for family members on other plantations
What actions did African American Southerners take to gain freedom prior to the passing of the 13th Amendment/Civil War?
- released (manumitted) by masters
- bought their way out
RB
What made the free African Americans in the South prior to the Civil War so important for the future of African Americans nationally?
- were first black group to acquire basic literacy + skills + property
- formed backbone of future black leadership
What were the demands being made by black leadership to politicians after the Civil War?
- “full equality”
- land + property + legal right (trial by jury) + education
What actions did the freedmen take to assert their freedom?
- resisted signing labor contracts w/ former masters
- if compelled to work for whites: shortened work day + limited work week + demanded women not work in the fields
(SLD) - left white churches to form their own
(RIL)
What were the opinions of the Democratic/Republican Party at the time after the Civil War about the status of the freedmen?
Democrats - opposed abolition + thought blacks as inferior
Republicans - formed to stop spread of slavery + fought in Civil War to end it
Who were the Radicals in the Republican Party + who were they led by?
- small group that believed in racial equality
- led by Thaddeus Stevens + Charles Sumner
What was the opinion of Abraham Lincoln regarding the freedmen in the South?
- educated/literate blacks + former black Union soldiers should get voting rights
- did not compel states to do this (merely suggested)
What circumstances following Lincoln’s assassination took place that persuaded the Republican Party to become more supportive of complete black liberation?
- Andrew Johnson policies
-Black Codes - convinced Republicans blacks need federal protection
AB
What was so dangerous about President Andrew Johnson to the status of blacks in the South?
- was a staunch racist
- restored self-government to South
- sympathetic towards Southern Whites
- allowed Confederate representatives in Congress
(WRSA)
What were the Black Codes enforced by the Southern states following the Civil War?
discrimination laws that placed blacks under white control
- prevented blacks testifying against whites in Court
- limited property available for blacks to buy
- required license fees for blacks to start businesses
- vagrancy laws to compel blacks to work for whites
- ridiculous fines
(PLRVR)
Where did race riots take place that helped convince Republicans to go forward w/ Reconstruction?
Memphis + New Orleans (1866)
MN
What important political events occurred between 1866-1868?
- Republicans win control of Congress (1866)
- Republicans returned South to military occupation
- impeached Andrew Johnson (1868)
(RRI)
What was the impact of the 14th Amendment?
- struck down Black Codes
- made freedmen full citizens = given “equal protection”
What was the impact of the 15th Amendment?
- gave black men right to vote
What was the political impact for blacks when universal suffrage was accepted?
- saw blacks not just vote but hold public offices
How did education progress for blacks under the new Reconstruction policies?
- Freedmen’s Bureau/north Churches set up system of private/public blacks schools
What was the biggest flaw of Radical Reconstruction that caused it to fail?
- failed to give promised land to freedmen
- “forty acres + a mule”
What was the result of the government not promising African Americans any private land?
- many worked as sharecroppers for white landlord
- many never able to escape their debt
What was another way the federal government besides a lack of land rights failed the freedmen during the Reconstruction era?
- did not ensure their education
- South out of money from war - incapable of properly funding schools
- Congress shut down Freedmen’s Bureau (1870) + denied further money to public education
What was the impact of the lack of education funding from the federal government on African Americans?
- 50% white vs 31% black kids enrolled in school (1890)
- 15% white vs 65% black kids illiterate
What was considered the worst failure of Reconstruction?
- gov. didn’t enforce racial equality policies
- weak in execution
What actions did the federal government take that led to an immediate backlash against the policies in the South from angry whites?
- enfranchisement of blacks + disenfranchisement of former Confederates
(ED)
What strategies did white southerners utilize to try to eliminate Reconstruction efforts in the South?
- intimidation + violence
IV
What factors caused violence against blacks to escalate in the south during Reconstruction?
- enfranchisement of blacks + return of military occupation + Republicans winning state elections
(ERB)
When/where was the Ku Klux Klan founded?
Pulaski, TN (1866)
- members were white Democrats
What was the political violence that was happening in predominantly black populated states + what was the result?
- KKK killed/beat both white Republicans + blacks to prevent elections going Republican
- would end many Republican controlled governments
What events occurred that officially ended Radical Reconstruction in 1877?
- Democratic takeover of Louisiana + Mississippi + South Carolina
(LMS)
What was the Republican Party’s response to the political violence that was happening in the South?
- deployed troops
- formed state militias
- suspended habeas corpus
- prosecuted Klansman
(DFSP)
What caused the violence in the South to continue even after Republican intervention?
- Klansman broken up but new groups replaced them
- violence too widespread for troops to contain all
- too well supported for convictions to kill spread
- coercion became popular among Northern voters
(KVTC)
Why did the Republican Party decide to allow the Democrats to recapture the South + allow white supremacy to take hold?
- felt they could retake White House w/o black support
What were the goals of the Democratic Party about the freedmen once they reclaimed the South?
- tolerated black voting but unwilling to share political power w/ blacks
- wanted to suppress black vote entirely eventually
(TW)
What actions did the Democratic Party take to try to suppress black influence in the South as much as possible + to prevent federal intervention?
- gerrymandered election districts
- abolished elective posts
- created complicated voting procedures
(GAC)
What was the Eight Box Law of 1882?
- SC law that required a separate ballot box for each contested post
- secret ballot made voting more difficult for illiterates
What became a common phenomenon in Southern state elections once these policies were put into place?
Fraud
What was the popular opinion of white southerners about the suffrage privileges given to blacks?
- didn’t like any black political participation whatsoever
Why were white southerners concerned with blacks being able to vote even after all the repressive voting measures they took?
- blacks still voting in large #s
- Republicans still formidable in elections
- disaffected whites were abandoning Democrats for independent 3rd party
- independent whites + Republican blacks could team up to take out Democrats from power
(BRDI)
What action did the state of Mississippi take to repress the black vote even more?
- adopted new constitution that required voters to be able to read any portion of it
- plummeted # of black voters in the state
What did the federal government do about the laws implemented by Mississippi + what was its effect?
- allowed it to continue
- decision encouraged other states to take similar action
What event in 1892 gave hope to African Americans?
- formation of the Populist Party
What were the beliefs of the Populists surrounding treatment of African Americans + their main stance?
- denounced lynch law + called for Negro rights defense
(DN) - felt blacks/whites shared same economic problems so must work together
What was the makeup of the Populist Party + who did they align w/ in most cases?
- poor white farmers that left Democrats
- teamed up w/ Republicans in some states to create “Fusion” against Dems.
What was the result of the coalition between the Republican Party/Populist Party in the 1894 elections in North Carolina?
- swept Dems. from power
What policies did the Fusion North Carolina government put in place + what was its effect on the black population?
- made state election laws simpler + eliminated fraud
- resulted in more blacks elected to office than in any other state
What was difference between Fusion government vs Radical Reconstruction?
- not imposed by North
- homegrown experiment of biracial democracy
NH
What actions did the Democrats take to prevent the Fusion government in North Carolina from becoming a model for all other southern states to follow?
- black fear propaganda - would take over gov.
- intimidation + fraud + violence in southern states to prevent Populist gains
BI
What was the effect of the Democrats suppression tactics against the Fusion government system?
- Populist Party basically over by 1896
What actions did North Carolina democrats take in 1898 to ensure the Fusion government wouldn’t win reelection?
- quasi-military campaign (Red Shirts)
- black man rape scare propaganda
QB
Who was Rebecca Felton + what did she say that painted African Americans in a negative light?
- called on white men to protect white women from “black rapists”
What was the impact Alex Manly’s editorial in Wilmington?
- editorial said white women choose to be w/ black men consensually + sometimes over white men
- white Democrats called for rally in Wilmington
- Dem. leaders called on whites to kill Manly + other blacks
(EWD)
What was the result of the violent cries being made by the Democratic Party in North Carolina when it came time to vote?
- force tactics worked
- Dems. reclaimed control of NC
- successfully disenfranchised black vote
- Populists/Republicans shut out
(FDSP)
What happened in Wilmington following the results of the 1898 elections?
- Red Shirts began seizing public buildings
- Dems. forced mayor + police chief + city council to resign
- attacked black community/ran them out of town - many moved North to never return
- Wilmington Press office burned down
(RDAW)
What were some reasons that people felt the Fusion government system was bound to fail?
- blacks were suspicious of populists - didn’t fully back racial equality
- populists - embraced Republican ideals reluctantly
- some populists supported disenfranchisement (frustrated b/c not getting enough black support + by Dem. success in Black Belt)
(BPS)
Which demographic helped lead the disenfranchisement of blacks in the South the most?
- wealthy educated Black Belt whites
What was the response by the federal government when the Wilmington mayor asked for assistance from troops to calm the riots?
- fed. gov. declined to intervene
How had the ideology of the Republican Party changed from the end of Reconstruction to 1900?
- made only token gestures to racial equality post Reconstruction
- became comfortable backing white supremacy by 1900
What overshadowed black equality on the Republican Party agenda during the late 19th century?
- national power: to fix tariffs + subsidize railroads + curb labor unions + protect big business
(FSCP) - to control new industrial society
Why was the South seen as unimportant + thus blacks as no longer important to the Republican Party in the late 19th century?
- South was very poor + not very industrialized
- made their issues secondary in Republican eyes
What ideology among mostly Northern white Republicans had been adopted that made support for black equality fall even lower?
- lost faith that blacks could be equals w/ whites
What caused the ideals of abolitionists/Republicans to switch to no longer believing in African Americans being equal to whites?
- questioned how if new Euro immigrants are “inferior whites” how could blacks ever be equal
How did the emerging immigrant population feel about African Americans?
- highly disliked blacks
- saw them as economic competition for jobs
- adopted anti-Black prejudices
- prefer blacks stay in South away from industrial North
(HSAP)
Why did Republicans have a more favorable view of immigrants than blacks by this point?
- were larger proportion of Northern vote than blacks
- reason why Republicans didn’t advocate for blacks to move up North (to keep immigrants happy)
How was the situation of the Northern black population at this period of disenfranchisement in the South?
- could vote but highly segregated society
- black ghettos forming + school segregation growing + labor unions excluded blacks majority time
BSL
What large social change had occurred during the last two decades of the 19th century + examples?
- white hostility towards POCs reignited
- (1882) Congress bans all Chinese immigration due to Cali hate
- (1907) Japanese immigration ban
How did the national spread of racism affect subjects such as the sciences + what was its effect?
- fake scientific racial hierarchies created (whites at top blacks at bottom)
- “race suicide” scare - Euro immigrants making more children than “real Americans”
(FR) - caused Northerners to buy in more to Southern racial hate
What did Southern white leaders do to help the spread of racist ideology to the North?
propaganda - spread lies about “positives” of slavery
What were examples of some of the fake propaganda being spread across the North about slavery?
- “treated slaves like family”
- “made them civilized/religious”
- “saved them from Africa”
- “emancipation had led to blacks’ regression”
(TMSE)
How did sectional reconciliation play a part in Northern acceptance of unfair treatment of African Americans?
- if North left South alone in race issues, regional tension would stop
- peace would come to the South
- blacks accept place as inferiors
- Northern industrialization would be welcomed by South
(IPBN)
How would disenfranchisement of blacks actually help the Republican Party in the long run?
- remove race as an issue in Southern election runs
- could take some white votes away from Dems. since they no longer have “Negro Party” label
RC
By 1900 what was the popular view among whites about Radical Reconstruction?
- it was a terrible mistake
How was the US acquisition of the Philippines in 1898 help white Southerners further dehumanize/restrict influence of blacks?
- Pres. McKinley denies Filipinos self-gov. - deemed a “backwards race”
- Senator Tillman calls out hypocrisy of Republicans
- “Republicans understand Southern POV after being exposed to ‘inferior’ race overseas”
- said who better to govern “inferior race” of blacks than Southern whites (know them best)
- blacks can’t improve on their own - need white supervision
(PSRSB)
What was the case of Plessy v Ferguson?
- Louisiana creoles challenged separate railroad car laws
- Court upheld segregation
What was the impact of the decision made in Plessy v Ferguson?
- denied that forced segregation is discriminatory to blacks
- implied racial segregation was the natural course
What was the argument being made in favor of the decision of Plessy v Ferguson?
- 14th Amendment - didn’t say races must “interact”
- if one race is socially inferior than the Constitution can’t make them equal
What was the Southern loophole around the 15th amendment to restrict black men from being able to vote w/o breaking the Constitution?
- literacy tests + residency requirements + property qualifications + poll taxes + Constitution tests
(LRPPC) - these technically never mentioned race as inhibitor
By 1910 what had become of both the Democratic/Republican Party after the total disenfranchisement of black voting?
Dems. - had one party rule in most states (dominant)
Rep. - heavily weakened by no black votes + little in terms of national power
What had become of the Populist Party by 1910 + why did this occur?
- disintegrated completely
- some populists endorsed disenfranchisement to gain white support
- most populist supporters couldn’t pass voter restriction tests
What happened to the electorate as a result of the voting restrictions put in place in the South?
- Dem. dominance heavily decreased national participation
- why pay poll tax when you know Dems. already gonna win
- small minority of white elite voted
What did a lack of political competition during this period of voting suppression do to the Democratic Party + politics overall?
- factionalism in party (new demagogues)
- demagogues - extremely racist Dem. politicians spewing black hate for votes in South
- white supremacy only belief holding Dems. together
How did disenfranchisement both secure white supremacy in the South + strengthen it nationally?
- Reps. had no incentive/means to challenge Dems. in the South w/ no black voting
How did disenfranchisement magnify the effect of Democratic one party rule?
- enhanced political longevity of Southern congressman
- gave Southern congressman seniority/influence
- Southerners controlled key gov. committees
- thru procedural rule had complete legislative control
(EGST)
How was the rise in racial segregation among African Americans seen from different perspectives other than by force?
- blacks were already highly segregated during Reconstruction
- racial segregation > complete exclusion = better to have segregated schools than none
- black Southerns sometimes chose segregation voluntarily (church/social clubs)
(BRB)
What was the structure of segregation during the 1870s/1880s?
- segregation more custom than actual law
What important changes were made involving segregation in the 1890s?
- extended to public transportation (humiliating)
2. official Jim Crow laws were codified across South
EO
How has the view over the main advocates for segregation evolved as it’s been studied more?
- historically thought they were poor whites
- now people suspect progressives (middle class) actually main advocates
- progressives viewed segregation as solution to racial conflict in South
How did Jim Crow laws represent a change in white attitudes?
- “color line” became official social structure of new South
- imposed on unwilling blacks by white majority
- not a mutual separate but equal compromise
(CIN)
What was the political role that segregation played in the joining together of southerners?
- united across faith + smoothed political differences
US
What were the three main racial views shared by the majority of the white population during the Jim Crow era?
- segregation
- disenfranchisement
- no interracial marriage
(SDN)
Who would be the last Southern black congressman for the next 70 years after 1901?
- George H. White (NC)
What were the three ways that blacks responded to the establishment of white supremacy in the South?
- left the South
- protest
- accommodationism
(LPA)
Why did many African Americans not migrate to the North in search of better opportunities?
- most had no industrial skills needed to work up North
- Northern industries/labor unions mostly excluded blacks anyway
- expensive
- have all family/roots in the South
(MNEH)
What were some events that involved the migration of blacks to the West?
- Kansas Fever (1879) - lured thousands from LA + MI
- Oklahoma (1910
KO)
What were some forms of protest that African Americans practiced against white supremacy + why weren’t they successful?
- indignation meetings
- equal rights leagues
- filed discrimination lawsuits
- boycotted public transport segregation
(IEFB)
What were the views by blacks of the Republican Party in the early 20th century?
- felt they’d betrayed blacks
- threw away words of Frederick Douglas to support Republicans
FT
Who founded the Afro-American League + what was its function?
- Thomas Fortune
- unite blacks against injustice + promote black economic/educational progress
UP
What were some of the positions taken by the Afro-American League?
- lynching/mob violence
- unequal schooling
- railroad discrimination
- black jury exclusion
- harsh treatment of black prisoners in South
(LURBH)
What was the radical idea that Fortune was willing to push to help the position of African Americans?
- support Democratic candidates
Why did the Afro-League ultimately fail?
- JC Price (president) died young
- Fortune lacked temperament to be good leader
- competing organizations (ACERA + NCRA)
Why was black unity against racial legislation so hard to organize in the early 20th century?
- had no true political allies (Republicans/Populists couldn’t be trusted
- protesting did nothing
(HP)
What were the beliefs of the accommodationists in the Jim Crow South?
- blacks should accept conditions + make most of it
- politics had failed blacks so instead should focus energy on self-improvement
- blacks could learn many skills w/o right to vote
- should make peace w/ Southern whites not demonize them
(BPBS)
Who were the main supporting black demographic of the accommodationist stance why did they support it?
- black middle class
- expected to gain most by concentrating on wealth accumulation
- get knowledge get money get land
Who were the biggest supporters for accommodationist beliefs in the black community + for what reasons?
teachers - dependent on Southern whites for funding since federal gov. gave none (made sure not to upset them)
ministers - some were past Rep. leaders who gave up
What was the most important institution in the black community during the early 20th century?
the Church
What were some of the prejudice remarks made by black ministers in support of accommodationism?
- segregation is lesson in humility to blacks
- blacks fail to lead moral lives so they can’t adjust
- moral improvement would eventually eliminate white prejudice
(SBM)
Why did the division between accommodationists vs protestors w/in the black community begin to grow after 1895?
- continued decline in the status of blacks
- evoked more intense protest measures + increased efforts by acc. to make peace w/ white Southerners
EI
