Political Development 1 (1865-1890) Flashcards
What is the executive branch? What’s is their responsibility?
President - To enforce the laws
What is the legislative branch? What is their responsibility?
Congress - To create laws
What is the judicial branch? What is their responsibility?
The Supreme Court - To interpret the Constitution
When was the Reconstruction Period?
1865 to 1877
When did the Civil War end? Who was successful?
The Union (Northern states) won the US Civil war on the 9th April 1861 - Lincoln assassinated a week later.
Who took over presidency after Lincoln (15th April 1865)?
Andrew Johnson - Lincoln’s vice president
What were black codes?
Laws passed in separate states to enforce segregation.
What was the first state to institute laws that abolished African American’s full civil rights?
Mississippi
When was the Freedman’s Bureau passed? And when was its power renewed?
It was passed on March 3rd 1865 and renewed in 1866.
Evidence suggesting aiding African Americans was not at the foresight of President Johnson
Johnson used his presidential veto against the renewal of the Freedman’s Bureau and the introduction of the Civil Rights Act in March 1866.
What was the de’facto of the Civil Rights Act of 1866 which granted African American’s equal citizenship to white people?
The de’facto was that many states had black codes which led to black Americans being treated as second-class citizens.
What civil liberties did the Civil Rights Act of 1866 outline?
All citizens had the right to:
Make contracts
Own and sell property
Receive equal treatment under the law
Who came to power in the election of 1866? What was their aim?
The Radical Republicans - their aim was to punish the South
Which branch of government could override President Johnson’s vetoes of the Radical Republican’s initiatives?
The Legislative branch - Congress
Why did the Senate fail to impeach President Johnson?
They needed 1 more vote to convict Johnson - but his power to hinder radical reform was diminished
What were Carpetbaggers?
Northerners who came to the south for political and economic reasons. They were considered corrupt who used Reconstruction to advance their own personal interests.
Who didn’t support the Radical Republicans?
WASPS and the KKK
What did the Radical Republicans aim to do?
To intervene and design laws which protected the emancipated blacks.
Name 2 Radical Republicans
Representative Thaddeus Stevens
Senator Charles Sumner
How many more votes did Ulysses Grant win with in 1868?
300,000 more votes for Republicans
By 1869 which party was in control in all 3 branches of the federal government?
Republican Party
What year was President Grant re-elected in?
1872
Who were the political opposition of the Republicans during the reconstruction period?
The Democratic ‘Redeemers’
Who were the violent opposition of the Republicans during the Reconstruction period?
The ‘White terrorists’
Give 2 examples of increasing violence against African Americans in the USA
- 1868 - 1000 freedmen killed in Louisiana
- 1873 - Colfax Massacre - 150 freedmen killed
When did the Federal troops intervene with lynchings in Louisiana?
1874
What was the Amnesty Act of 1872?
It allowed ex-confederates to return to their political lives.
What happened in 1873 which weakened Ulysses Grant’s presidency?
The 1873 Financial Panic (stocks and shares plummeted)
What scandals did Grant face from 1869-1870?
- 1869 - Black Friday Gold Scandal
- The Railroad Speculation Scandal
- The Tweed Ring NYC operated Democratic political corruption under Grant’s nose in the 1870s and looted $45 million from the state.
Who won the election of 1876?
Following the corrupt and fraudulent election in 1876 a commission was launched to decide who won the election. Republican Rutherford B Hayes (Governor of Ohio) was chosen by the Congressional Committee over Democrat Samuel Tilden (Governor of NYC).
What was the Compromise of 1877?
President Hayes offered to remove Union troops from Confederate states and in return the Confederate states would recognise him as the President despite his potential lack of mandate.
How was President Hayes viewed?
Decent president, stayed for 1 term but was a weak President
Who was Hayes opposed by?
Republican Stalwarts - who advocated for African Americans rights and did not approve of Hayes’ lenient approach towards the Confederate states.
What were Half-Breeds and who did they support?
They were another faction within the Republican party who support James G. Blaine. They were known as ‘half breeds’ as they strayed away from Stalwarts orthodoxy.
Who won the election in 1880? When was he assassinated?
James Garfield won by 10,000 votes and was assassinated in 1881 and his vice president Chester Arthur became President.
Who won the 1884 election?
Grover Cleveland (Democrat)
Who was elected as President in 1888?
Benjamin Harrison (Republican)
What year was Grover Cleveland re-elected in? Why?
1892 as he promised to keep tariffs.
What 2 things did President Benjamin Harrison introduce?
War pensions
McKinley Tariff (1890)
State 5 US Presidents that used ‘pork barrel’ politics?
President Hayes
President Garfield
President Arthur
President Cleveland
President Harrison
What is ‘pork barrel’ politics?
Passing laws to reward supporters
How did Congress respond to corrupt politics in 1890?
Sherman Anti-Trust. It ensured fair competition and stopped monopolies of industry.
Summarise Political Development between 1865 and 1890
- 2 party’s had developed
- The identity and ideology of the Republican and Democrats had developed
- The American political system was still not yet fully formed
- Politics very much was reacting to huge economic and social changes
