Lesson 4: The Aftermath of Reconstruction Flashcards
Compromise of 1877 Definition
an agreement by Republican presidential candidate Rutherford B. Hayes to end Reconstruction in return for congressional Democrats accepting his inauguration as president after the disputed election of 1876
Grandfather Clause Definition
in the post-Reconstruction South, a law that excused a voter from a literacy test if his grandfather had been eligible to vote on January 1, 1867
Jim Crow Laws Definition
laws that separated people of different races in public places in the South
Literacy Test Definition
an examination to see if a person can read and write; used in the past to restrict voting rights
New South Definition
a term used to describe the South in the late 1800s when efforts were being made to expand the economy by building up industry
Plessy v. Ferguson definition
an 1896 court case in which the Supreme Court ruled that segregation in public facilities was legal as long as the facilities were equal
Poll Tax Definition
a tax required before a person can vote
Segregation definition
the legal separation of people based on racial, ethnic, or other differences
What was happening to the power of the Radical Republicans by the 1870s? How was the Northern view on Reconstruction changing during this time?
By the 1870s, Radical Republicans were losing power. Many northerners grew weary of trying to reform the South. It was time to let southerners run their own governments, they said—even if it meant that African Americans in the South might lose their rights.
How did widespread corruption affect the Republicans and their image towards the people?
Disclosure of widespread corruption also hurt Republicans. President Grant appointed many friends to government offices. Some used their position to steal large sums of money from the government. Grant won re-election in 1872, but many northerners lost faith in Republicans and their policies.
What did the Amnesty Act of 1872 state? Which political party did white Southerners strictly vote for? Which southern states were still in Republican control?
Congress passed the Amnesty Act in 1872. It restored the right to vote to nearly all white southerners, including former Confederate officials who had lost voting rights due to the Fourteenth Amendment. White southerners voted solidly Democratic. At the same time, threats of violence kept many African Americans from voting. By 1876, only three southern states—South Carolina, Florida, and Tennessee—remained under Republican control.
How did the Election of 1876 play out? How did the Compromise of 1877 end Reconstruction and determine the winner of the Election?
The end of Reconstruction came with the election of 1876. The Democrats nominated Samuel Tilden, governor of New York, for President. The Republicans chose Ohio governor Rutherford B. Hayes. Both candidates vowed to fight corruption. Tilden won the popular vote. However, he had only 184 electoral votes, one short of the number needed to win. The outcome of the election hung on 20 votes from states where the election was disputed. All but one came from the three southern states still controlled by Republicans. The exception was Oregon, where a Democratic governor replaced a Republican elector with a Democratic one, even though his state had voted heavily Republican. In the three southern states, Republican election officials were accused of throwing out Democratic votes. As inauguration day drew near, the nation still had no one to swear in as President. Congress set up a special commission to settle the crisis. The commission, made up mostly of Republicans, decided to give all the disputed electoral votes to Hayes. Southern Democrats could have fought the decision. However, they agreed to support the commission’s decision in return for a promise by Hayes to end Reconstruction. This agreement is known as the Compromise of 1877. Once in office, Hayes removed all remaining federal troops from Louisiana, South Carolina, and Florida. Reconstruction was over.
What was the political impact of Reconstruction?
Reconstruction had a deep and lasting impact on southern politics. White southerners had bitter memories of Radical Republican policies and military rule. For the next hundred years, the South remained a stronghold of the Democratic party. At the same time, black southerners steadily lost most of their political rights.
What happened as federal troops withdrew from Southern states? What did Conservative Democrats hope to do to African Americans’ rights?
As federal troops withdrew from southern states, Conservative Democrats tightened their grip on southern governments. These Conservatives found new ways to keep African Americans from exercising their rights. Many of these were laws that restricted the right to vote.
How did poll taxes, literacy tests, and the grandfather clause limit the number of black voters?
Over time, many southern states passed poll taxes, requiring voters to pay a fee each time they voted. As a result, poor freedmen could rarely afford to vote.
States also imposed literacy tests that required voters to read and explain a section of the Constitution. Since most freedmen had little education, such tests kept them away from the polls. Election officials also applied different standards to black and white voters. Blacks who were able to read often had to answer much more difficult questions than whites on literacy tests. Still, many poor whites could not pass the literacy test. To increase the number of white voters, states passed grandfather clauses. These laws stated that if a voter’s father or grandfather had been eligible to vote on January 1, 1867, the voter did not have to take a literacy test. No African Americans in the South could vote before 1868, so grandfather clauses ensured that white men could vote.