Reconstruction Flashcards
How many Americans died during the civil war?
700,000
How many pardons did Johnson issue to confederates?
13,000
How many slaves were freed by the 13th Amendment?
4 million
When was the 14th amendment and what did it do?
1868, gave citizenship to freed slaves m, guaranteed all us citizens equality under the law and the Civil Rights Bill 1866 could not be changed in future
What was the 15th amendment and when was it passed?
1869/ratified 1870, vote could not be denied on account of race
When was the freedman’s bureau established and what did it do?
1865, assisting freedmen in the south
1867 Military Reconstruction Act
Introduced military control in the south
Amnesty Act 1872
Allowed ex-confederates back into power
What did the Supreme Court rule in 1883 with regards to civil rights?
1875 Civil Rights Act was unconstitutional
When did Hayes issue the Southern Compromise and what did this mean for reconstruction?
1877, ended reconstruction and power was completely restored to southern states
In South Carolina, what % of eligible black people voted in the 1880 election compared to the 1896 election?
1880- 70%, 1896- 11%
In Louisiana, 1896, elections were fought with a background of sustained violence by white terrorists, how many were killed?
1,000
1873 colfax massacre
150 freedmen were killed after a Republican won the election for governor
US v Cruikshank Supreme Court case
Overturned the convictions of two men who had been prosecuted by the federal government for the colfax massacre. 14th amendment could only be applied to states not individuals
Who established the NAACP?
WEB Du Bois
Who was Madam CJ Walker?
Member of a sharecropping family but started to develop a hair cream for black people and became the first black female millionaire
What did Booker T Washington believe and who was he?
Believed progress would be slow as African Americans had to prove themselves and he was a former slave
How many black senators and House of Representatives were elected to Congress?
2 black senators, 20 black House of Representatives
What were some examples of universities set up for African Americans?
Howard University (1867), Hampton University (1868), Tuskegee University (1881)
Plessy v Ferguson 1896
Separate but equal facilities were legal
By 1910, what % of black farmers owned their own land and what happened to their standard of living?
25% owned land and their standard of living improved
Definition of reconstruction
The process of reintegrating the southern states into the USA and rebuilding southern society
What were the aims of reconstruction?
To set the conditions which would allow the southern states back into the union and assure self-sufficient lives for released slaves
Between 1882-1968 how many lynchings took place? How many of these were African Americans?
4,743, 3,446/ 72% were African Americans
What did radical Republicans want?
To impose much harsher settlement on the south than Lincoln did
Lincoln’s 10% plan
Rebel states would be admitted back into the union if 10% of their electorate agreed to an oath of future allegiance to the USA
What were some challenges to the Freedman’s Bureau?
It faced opposition from powerful people and was underfunded/understaffed
Why did Johnson face opposition from both the north and the south?
Opposed by the north as he’s an ex-southerner who owned slaves and was governor of Tennessee (a confederate state)/ and opposed by south as he betrayed them
Military construction bill
Splits the south into 5 military districts and each was under the control of a federal commander. Had to ensure elections were legal.
Carpetbaggers
Northerners who exploited the south during the civil war
Scallywags
White southerners who cooperate with the north to benefit themselves
In 1870, what fraction of a northerner’s income was a southerner’s?
2/5
How did the south’s economy differ to the north’s and why was this?
South was depressed and in poverty in comparison because they were still predominantly agricultural and dependent on plantations
What were African Americans seen as in the south?
2nd class citizens
There were never more than (blank) troops in the south?
20,000 not enough
By 1868, how many blacks and whites could vote and what did this impact?
700k blacks and 660k whites played an important role in electing Grant (Republican) in 1868
What did freed people often have to do for work after emancipation?
They became trapped in sharecropping debt where half of the crops had to be given to the land lord
In the 1880 election what % of eligible black voters voted in comparison with the % in 1896?
1880 - 70%, 1896 - 11%
When did the KKK begin?
1865
What did the KKK do?
Terrorist organisation which discouraged black people from voting/holding office using violent acts such as whipping, shooting, hanging etc
What was the KKK’s goal?
Preserve white civilisation and return power to the democrats
What were the facilities like in the south for African Americans?
They were inferior to whites’
Who did freed people buy land from?
Bought from plantation owners who overcharged them
When was Lincoln assassinated?
April 1865
What was the result of the 1876 election?
Hayes lost to Tilden (Democrat) who won the popular vote causing the 1877 southern compromise
Black Codes
Series of laws forcing unemployed black people to work/be apprentices and could also prevent education
Civil Rights Bill 1866
Gave minimum rights to black people
How did Johnson respond to the civil rights bill 1866?
Vetoed the bill but was overturned by Congress
