free at last Flashcards
how many states succeeded from the union and when
11
1860-1
when was the emancipation proclamation and where
September 1862 - battle of Antietam
what was the emancipation proclamation
all slaves in the confederate states are now free
how many died in the American civil war
620 000
13th amendment to the constitution what and date
December 1865
ended slavery = 4 million a/a freed
14th amendment to the constitution what and date
July 1968
all citizens equal protection under the law + defined citizen
15th amendment to the constitution what and date
February 1870
guaranteed male citizens right to vote (but was later overcome by poll tax, literacy tests and grandfather clauses)
what was the position of freed slaves (4 topics to consider)
Freedman's bureau Representation Sharecropping Economic Education
Freedman’s bureau
1865 - 1872
meant to assist freedmen in the south
spent $5million on education
meant to role out 40 acres and a mule policy but only 2000 families acquired the land - failed as had 858,000 acres of abandoned land to give
undermanned and underfunded - never more than 900 people working for it
representation
ok 2 senators 16 in house of representatives 1000 held local posts but gerrymandering black codes (poll tax, grandfather clauses, literacy tests)
sharecropping
a/a farms piece of land and in payment white land owner took a proportion of the crop
also loans taken by a/a to cover costs of equipment
left freedmen in large amounts of debt, often in a worse position than they had been in slavery
1870 - only around 30,000 a/a owned land
economic position
very poor as southern economy in disarray after civil war
eg: 1864 98% of exports from the union, 2% from the confederacy
also union 300,000 cotton bales, confederacy produced a negligible amount as had been destroyed by the civil war
but some small success stories eg Isaac Myers founded a co-operative in Baltimore 1865, raised $10,000 and bought a shipyard employing 300 a/a
education
1830s = anti-literacy laws forbade free and enslaved black people from becoming literate
freedman’s bureau opened 1000 schools across the south for black pupils
problem of many advances a/a made after civil war
not sustainable
when reconstruction ended so did most of the money
After the civil war what positives came for A/A
- After civil war 700,000 black males registered to vote in the south vs 600,000 white
- 1869-77 black senators were elected to the US congress
- In republican controlled states, black legislators contributed to state laws increasing funding for education and public facilities
- Black sheriffs were elected in Mississippi
- Black republicans even outnumbered white republicans due to southern whites voting democrat.
Tripling of black literacy levels as illiteracy fell from 90% in 1860 to 70% in 1880
After the civil war what negatives were still in place for A/A
- The proportion of black officials was far short of black vote
- No state elected a blacked governor
- No state senate had a black majority
- Charles Caldwell (black senator) was shot by white
The rise off the KKK
- The KU KLUX KLAN was a secret order stablished in Tennessee by war hero general Nathan Bedford Forrest
- Its main aims were to retore white supremacy and oppose the North
- There were approximately 500,000 members across the south
- The KKK destroyed 25 public schools and killed 50 black teacher in Mississippi
- Thousands of black Americans were murdered by the Klan tho blacks fought back in majority areas
- Lynching was widespread and usually done at night. After the KKK act was passed in 1871 there were so many indictment that the federal court system couldn’t cope.
How the US government responded to the KKK
- In 1870-71 congressed passed 3 acts
- The 3rd of these acts was known as the Ku Klux Klan act and gave pres grant legal and military power to crash the Klun
- Ex confederate soldiers continued to use violence against black Americans in the south
- White league in Louisianan after disputed election in 1873 led to a black militia holding the town of Colfax for 14 days
How successful was reconstruction in increasing equality really?
Reconstruction did bring about some gains
• 13th, the freedmen’s bureau, civil rights act, 14th amendment military reconstruction, 15 amendment, enforcement acts, another civil rights act. Huge positive even though some did not work.
• Political experience for elected officials at both state and federal level
• Freedom of movement
• Confidence and opportunity to build their own institutions, e.g. churches
• Tripling of black literacy levels as illiteracy fell from 90% in 1860 to 70% in 1880
• Funding for education increased and prestigious black universities like Howard in Washington DC
• These uni helped to produce the future civil rights campaigners and leader
