Reconstruction and African American experience (1865-1890) Flashcards
1
Q
Approximately, there were (…) freedmen following the end of slavery
A
4m
2
Q
3
Describe CW background to slavery
A
- 1861-65
- Sectional differences
- Southern economy dependent on slavery/sharecroppers
3
Q
3
Describe the 3 major Reconstruction amendments
A
- the abolition of slavery (13th)
- granting the freed slaves citizenship (14th)
- the right to vote (15th)
4
Q
6
Describe Reconstruction under Lincoln
A
- Proposed very limited suffrage for AAs - had openly discussed voluntary emigration to Africa, Caribbean, etc
- Sent 13th amendment through Congress pre-Southern defeat over fears Southern senators may object
- Vetoed Wade Davis Plan
- Set up Ten Percent Plan
- Set up Freedmen’s Bureau for one year in March 1865
- Assassinated by Booth in April 1865 six days after war ended
5
Q
4
Describe the Wade Davis and Ten Percent Plan
A
- Voters must take Ironclad Oath
- Wade Davis Plan - Set bar at 50% for state readmission
- Vetoed by Lincoln over fears federal relations would be strained
- Ten Percent Plan - set at 10% to swear oath of allegiance
6
Q
4
Describe the Freedmen’s Bureau
A
- Set up by lincoln in March 1865
- Provided legal and financial advice
- Resources were meagre and spread thin
- Programme set up for just one year - not renewed by Johnson
7
Q
4
Describe key events of Johnson’s presidency
A
- Civil Rights Bill 1866
- The 14th Amendment
- Attempted impeachment in 1868
- Congress for Radical Reconstruction (e.g. Military Reconstruciton Bill 1867)
8
Q
6
Describe Johnson’s attitude to Reconstruction
A
- Opposed to RR and preferred restoration
- Southener - Dem VP on National Unity Candidate in 1864
- For him, Southern states had never left union and thus no reason to exclude them from political decision making
- May 1865, issued general pardon for those who swore Ironclad Oath and recognised govt of Virginia (set up under 10% Plan)
- For him, only passage of 13th amendment and repayment of Confederate debt remained (USA subsumed debt)
- Expected republican party to dissolve and he would lead new conservative party
9
Q
3
Describe the treatment of Southern leaders
A
- Rebel president Jefferson Davis was imprisoned for only 2 years
- General Robert E. Lee lost his estate in Virginia, but lived as a free man for the rest of his life
- Southern electors vehemently voted for old confederate leaders e.g. Confederate VP, Alexander H. Stephens, was elected as a Senator of Georgia in 1882
10
Q
5
Describe Black Codes
A
- Laws issued in Southern states between 1865-66
- Restricted freemen’s rights to buy property, conduct business, made black children work as apprentices on plantations, etc
- Argued black people needed discipline to live newly freed lives - echo of paternalistic justification of slavery
- Newly passed penalties for murder, rape and arson applied almost exclusively to black criminals
- undone by 14th amendment and RR congress - but set precedent for JC laws
11
Q
5
Describe the Civil Rights Bill, 1866
A
- A proposed bill would have strengthened Freedmen’s Bureau
- Johnson sided with Dems in vetoeing bill
- Moderate Republicans introduced Civil Rights Bill to guarantee black people minimum rights
- vetoed by Johnson in April 1866
- Congress overrided the presidential veto (by ⅔ majority in both Houses)
12
Q
5
Describe the terms of 14th amendment
A
- Designed to enshrine Civil Rghts Bill 1866 into constitution
- Stated that people born in the USA or who were naturalised were US citizens
- All citizens were guaranteed equality before the law
- Gave federal authorities the right to intervene if individual states contravened its rules
- Ratified 1668, 2 years after congress passage
13
Q
3
Describe the opposition to the 14th amendment
A
- Johnson urged southern states to reject it
- The amendment was rejected by all ex-Confederate states bar Tennessee
- Had failed to get approval of 75% of states necessary to become law
Tennessee is Johnson’s home state
14
Q
4
Describe Radical Republican legislation in Congress
A
- Iniitiated to ensure 14th amendment passage
- Military Reconstruction Bill 1867 - imposed military rule on 10 confederate states that rejected amendment until they set up National Conventions to accept amendment and black suffrage
- Command of Army Act 1867 - reduced Johnson’s control over military to strengthen military reconstruction bill
- Tenure of Office Act 1867 - prevented Johnson from removing swarm of RR office-holders, namely Sec of War Edwin Stanton
15
Q
4
Describe the impeachment of Johnson
A
- Johnson ignored Tenure of Office Act and dismissed Stanton in 1868
- 11 articles of impeachment brought forward by Republicans
- 35 for, 19 against - 1 short of 2/3 supermajority
- Johnson remained in office, but his credibility was destroyed
16
Q
5
Name some key events from the presidency of Grant
A
- White terrorists
- Legal discrimination
- Final policies of reconstruction (15th Amendment, Ku klux klan laws, Civil Rights Act 1875)
- The failure of radical reconstruction
- Many scandals
17
Q
4
Describe the 1868 election
A
- Reconstruction election
- Grant vs Seymour
- Grant won 3/4 of all states - but only won 300k more votes than Seymour
- Showed Republican strategists how vital were the Southern AA votes
18
Q
3
Describe the 15th amendment (Grant)
A
- Passed by Congress in 1869, ratified 1870
- prohibited disenfranchisement of AAs
- However, individual states could decide who could register to vote
19
Q
5
Describe the ‘White Terror’
A
- KKK’s violent actions grew - had formed in 1865 in Tennessee
- Other militias/groups like White League in Louisiana
- Lynching became prevalent
- Actions made troop intervention essential for AA protection
- Federal Govt passed Ku Klux Klan laws
20
Q
2
Describe the Ku Klux Klan laws 1870-71
A
- Federal Govt passed 3 Enforcement Acts (Ku Klux Klan laws) in 1870-71 to strengthen provisions of 14/15th amendment
- Acts banned intimidation or bribery of black voters
21
Q
4
Describe the Civil Rights Act 1875
A
- Guarantee equal treatment in issues such as jury service and public transport
- Internal debates in Republican party about potential state interference (hence why it took years to pass after being initially proposed in 1870)
- Grant supported measure, but by 1875 RR policies were losing momentum
- SC deemed Act unconstitutional in 1883
22
Q
5
Describe opposition to RR governments in the South
A
- ‘Scalawags’ - white Southerers who supported Rc policies
- ‘Carpetbaggers’ - opportunistic Northerners seeking political/financial gain
- RR govts despised as they threatened the ‘cause’
- Govts often corrupt and inefficient
- Southern Dems referred to themselves as the ‘Redeemers’
23
Q
3
Describe limitations to complaints about Southern political treatment post-CW
A
- No major confiscation of property occurred
- Carpetbagger influence exagurrated - At no point did Northeners make up more than 2% of the population of an ex-Confederate state
- Corruption was commonplace across USA (i.e. Grant Presidency)
24
Q
3
Describe the end of RR Governments
A
- State readmission meant Dems gained ground on temporarily dominant Republicans state legislatures
- Tennessee had Democrat control from as early as 1869
- By 1876, only LA, FL and SC had Republican control - though this was changed by compromise of 1877
25
Q
2
Describe the violence in Louisiana
A
- 1868 election - sustained violence by white terrorists killed 1000, most of whom black freeden
- Colfax Massacre 1873 saw 3 whites and about 150 pro-Republican freedmen unjustly killed
26
Q
4
Describe the failure of radical reconstruction
A
- Democrat control was restored in several Southern states between 1870-75
- Corruption and scandals (e.g. Tweed Ring) detracted from RR
- Split in Repubican party between liberal republicans opposed to military supression and RRs by 1877
- Hayes Compromise 1877
27
Q
2
Describe the Amnesty Act 1872
A
- Aproved by Grant
- Allowed many ex-confederates (150k ex-Confederate troops) to return to political life after being disqualified under prior laws
28
Q
5
Describe the 1876 election
A
- Hayes vs Tilden
- Compromise candidate Hayes promised contradictory policies of ‘home rule’ in South and protection of political/civil rights of AAs
- Pop vote: Tilden 4.2m, Hayes 4m
- Elec college: 185 Hayes, 184 Tilden
- 20 contested electoral college votes in South Carolina, Florida and Louisiana on account of disenfranchisement of mainly Republican-black voters
29
Q
3
Describe the agreement of the Hayes Compromise 1877
A
- Congress convened a special commission on 15 members (7 Rep, 7 Dem and 1 Ind) - the independent candidate resigned and was replaced by a Republican
- Predictably, the commission voted in favour of Hayes becoming president, by 8 votes to 7
- Democrats threatened to filibuster certification of result
30
Q
4
Describe the effects of the Hayes Compromise 1877
A
- Dems agreed to compromise in return for ‘home rule’ and withdrawal of federal troops (+ federal aid to railroad/public works programmes)
- Dems won major concession - easy to promise freedmen equality and not deliver
- Took all force out of Enforcement Acts and similar legislation
- Ended Reconstruciton era - heralded in Jim Crow system
31
Q
3
Describe political progress in AA situation (1865-90)
A
- Temporary black majority in South Carolina legislature
- 2 black senators and 20 black representatives went to Congress
- Taxes went up in Southern states to fund in part RR social programmes
32
Q
5
Describe political limitations in AA situation (1865-90)
A
- The Republican Party would often put forward white candidates to attract white voters, having been guaranteed of African-American votes
- Hayes Compromise 1877
- Rapidly declining interest in AA affairs
- President Arthur held little interest
- Election of Democrat Cleveland in 1884, who was keen to not offend white support base
33
Q
4
Describe progress in the franchise of AAs (1865-90)
A
- Black office-holding during Rc
- Passage of 15th amendment
- Greater possibility of franchise in North
- Swung election in 1868 and 1876
34
Q
3
Describe limitations in the franchise of AAs (1865-90)
A
- Voter suppression in South (e.g. 1868 and 1876 elecs)
- 15th amendment exploited as did not outlaw discrimination in voting on account of gender/property
- By 1910, AA vote all but wiped out in South
35
Q
3
Describe progress in the employment of African-Americans (1865-90)
A
- Some employment in railroads and lumbering
- Free from day to day supervision of slavery
- Slow movement towards land ownership - by 1910 25% of black farmers owned their land and the standard of living was rising
36
Q
5
Describe limitations in the employment of African-Americans (1865-90)
A
- Sharecropping system in South
- Very little land redistributed to ex-slaves
- ⅔ of crops were handled by black Americans and ⅓ by the poor whites, yet the white people still received a higher compensation
- Freedmen’s Savings Bank went bust during panic of 1873 - hundreds of black investors sent back into poverty
- Frequently barred from Trade Unions in North (e.g. AFL founded 1886)
37
Q
4
How did the sharecropping system work?
A
- Tenant farmers use land and are provided with resources
- white landowner takes portion of crop produced
- White plantation owners insisted they continued to grow cotton/tobacco
- Essentially force AAs to work on plantations
38
Q
4
Describe progress in AA education (1865-90)
A
- Increased education rate during Reconstruction era (6x more South Carolinian black children went to school in 1870 than 1860)
- Tuksegee institute, a university to promote AA learning, opened in 1881 and led by Booker T Washington
- Number of black children in schools in USA had doubled between 1877 and 1887
- Mostly integrated schools in North-East
39
Q
4
Describe limitations in AA education (1865-90)
A
- Only ⅖ of eligible black children were enrolled between 1877-87
- Southern black schools poorly supplied and financed, often lacking bare essentials of desks and blackboards
- White schools had longer terms
- Fears educated black class would destroy caste system
40
Q
4
Describe progress in AA migration (1865-90)
A
- Emancipation gave AAs right to migrate
- Between 1870 and 1900, the USA’s black population almost doubled from 4.4m to 7.9m
- Black population in North and West doubled from 460k to 910k, with migration in search of better job opps accounting for half the increase
- Strong black culture began developing in North (e.g. Harlem emerged as black ghetto in 1880s)
41
Q
2
Describe limitations in AA migration (1865-90)
A
- Majority of AAs remained in South
- Intensfied Northern racial tensions
42
Q
3
Describe segregation (1865-90)
A
- Not legal, but economic segregation in North
- Between 1887 and 1891, 8 Southern states adopted formal segregation through rapidly developing Jim Crow laws, 3 of them extending this to waiting room facilities
- Social Darwinism used as justification
43
Q
4
Describe Jim Crow Laws in the South (1865-90)
A
- Enforced racial segregation in Southern states
- Institutionalised: SC denied The Civil Rights Cases that individuals’ access to public accommodation deserved statutory protection against racial discrimination in 1883
- Cross-racial cohabitation strictly forbidden
- In Atlanta, given different bible to swear on in court
44
Q
3
Describe opposition to Jim Crow Laws in the North (1865-90)
A
- Ohio and New Jersey (1884) passed civil rights laws following other states
- by 1895, 17 states had civil rights legislation
- however statutes were weak, with few penalties and weak enforcement
45
Q
3
Describe white terrorism (1865-90)
A
- Growth of KKK (1865-) and other groups
- KKK -> Colfax Massacre 1873
- Lynching
46
Q
6
Describe lynching (1865-90)
A
- Commonplace in Rc; reached height in Gilded Age
- between 1882 and 1899, 2.5k men and women lynched
- ‘justice without trial’
- Public events where even children watched
- Police/state govt did little to intervene
- Cases against lynching rarely brought to court, and all-white juries would not convict
47
Q
What was special about Hiram Rhodes Revels?
A
Became first AA senator, taking ex-confederate President Jefferson Davis’ old seat in Mississippi in 1870
48
Q
2
Outline a fact that shows the decline in Southern political success after the CW
A
- Between 1788-1860, Southerners had held the presidency for 50 years
- from 1864-1912, there was just one elected Southern president
49
Q
3
List the 3 scandals under Grant
A
- Black Friday 1869
- Tweed Ring - $45m stolen through Tammany Hall (detracted from Rc efforts)
- Whiskey Ring Scandal 1875
50
Q
3
Describe Black Friday 1869
A
- Group of speculators attempted to influence the government and manipulate the gold market.
- Failed plot triggered gold panic
- Grant’s reputation suffered because he had become personally associated with two of the speculators, Fisk and Gould, prior to the scandal
51
Q
4
Describe the Whiskey Ring Scandal 1875
A
- Network of distillers, distributors and public officials
- Conspired to defraud the federal government out of millions of liquor tax revenue
- Grant’s private secretary Babcock, was indicted in the scandal
- Grant helped acquit babcock
