Period 5 Key Concepts Flashcards
Remember what you learned
What is Sharecropping?
A system where freedmen and poor whites worked land in exchange for a share of the crop, often resulting in cycles of debt and dependency.
What is the significance of Sharecropping to the post-Reconstruction South?
Sharecropping limited African Americans’ and poor whites’ access to land and kept them economically dependent, hindering their ability to achieve self-sufficiency and equality.
What were the Jim Crow Laws?
State and local laws that mandated racial segregation in public facilities, education, and voting rights in the Southern United States after Reconstruction.
How did the Jim Crow Laws impact African Americans in the post-Reconstruction South?
These laws upheld racial segregation, effectively undoing the advancements made by the 14th and 15th Amendments and perpetuating racial inequality.
What was the significance of the Plessy v. Ferguson decision (1896)?
The Supreme Court ruling legalized segregation under the “separate but equal” doctrine, reinforcing racial inequality and limiting African American civil rights.
What was the Freedmen’s Bureau?
A government agency created in 1865 to assist freed slaves and poor whites with food, shelter, education, and legal support during Reconstruction.
What was the significance of the Freedmen’s Bureau to Reconstruction?
While it provided essential aid, it was unable to secure land for freedmen, leaving many still dependent on exploitative systems like sharecropping.
What was the 13th Amendment (1865)?
The amendment that abolished slavery in the United States.
What was the significance of the 13th Amendment?
It formally ended slavery, marking a significant step toward freedom and equality for African Americans.
What was the 14th Amendment (1868)?
The amendment granting citizenship to all persons born or naturalized in the U.S., including former slaves, and guaranteeing equal protection under the laws.
What was the significance of the 14th Amendment?
It provided legal protection for civil rights and helped dismantle the legal basis for racial discrimination.
What was the 15th Amendment (1870)?
The amendment that granted African American men the right to vote.
What was the significance of the 15th Amendment?
It marked a major expansion of suffrage rights, although Southern states found ways to circumvent it through measures like poll taxes and literacy tests.
What is the Black Code?
Laws passed in the South after the Civil War that restricted the freedoms of African Americans and forced them into labor contracts.
How did Black Codes impact African Americans?
These laws limited African Americans’ freedom and economic opportunities, laying the foundation for segregation and racial discrimination post-Reconstruction.
What were the Enforcement Acts (1870-1871)?
Laws passed by Congress to combat the Ku Klux Klan and other white supremacist groups that were attacking African Americans and preventing them from voting.
What was the significance of the Enforcement Acts?
These laws were an attempt to protect African American civil rights during Reconstruction, although they were largely ineffective in curbing racial violence and discrimination.
What were carpetbaggers?
Northerners who moved to the South during Reconstruction, often to take advantage of political and economic opportunities.
What was the significance of carpetbaggers?
They were resented by many Southerners but played a role in Reconstruction governments, helping to implement reforms and promote civil rights for freed slaves.
What was the significance of Hiram Revels?
As the first African American to serve in the U.S. Senate (1870), Revels symbolized the political opportunities created for African Americans during Reconstruction.
What was the significance of the Compromise of 1877?
It ended Reconstruction by withdrawing federal troops from the South and allowed the return of Democratic control, which undermined African American civil rights in the region.
What were the Ku Klux Klan’s (KKK) main goals?
The KKK aimed to intimidate and terrorize African Americans and white Republicans to prevent them from voting and exercising civil rights during Reconstruction.
What was the significance of the Ku Klux Klan during Reconstruction?
The Klan’s violence and intimidation were key factors in the failure of Reconstruction and the resurgence of white supremacy in the South.
What was the Tenure of Office Act (1867)?
A law restricting the president’s ability to remove cabinet members without Senate approval, which was part of the conflict between President Andrew Johnson and Congress.
