5.10 - APUSH

my arm hurts

13th Amendment

This constitutional amendment, ratified in 1865, abolished slavery and involuntary servitude, except as punishment for a crime. It marked a significant step in the fight for civil rights and equality, ensuring that no one could be held as a slave or forced into labor against their will.

Proclamation of Amnesty and Reconstruction

Flashcard

Definition: A plan by Abraham Lincoln in 1863 to reintegrate Southern states into the Union post-Civil War. It granted pardons to Confederates who pledged loyalty and accepted the end of slavery, allowing states to form governments once a set percentage of voters swore allegiance. The aim was to foster healing and swift national recovery.

Wade-Davis Bill

Flashcard

Definition: A 1864 proposal for stricter re-admission requirements for Southern states post-Civil War, requiring a majority of white male citizens to take an oath of allegiance and abolish slavery. It was pocket-vetoed by President Lincoln, highlighting tensions in Reconstruction approaches.

Freedmen’s Bureau

Definition: A U.S. federal agency created in 1865 to aid formerly enslaved individuals and impoverished whites in the South post-Civil War. It offered food, housing, medical aid, education, and legal assistance to support the transition to freedom and civil rights. The bureau encountered challenges like limited funding and opposition, leading to its dissolution in 1872.

Johnson’s Reconstruction Policy

This policy aimed to quickly readmit Southern states to the Union with minimal conditions. It pardoned many former Confederate leaders and allowed states to re-establish their governments with few restrictions. However, it faced criticism for failing to protect the rights of newly freed African Americans, leading to increased tensions and the rise of Black Codes and opposition from Radical Republicans.

Charles Sumner

Known for his strong opposition to slavery and his role in the Civil Rights movement. He was a leading advocate for civil rights for African Americans and famously delivered the "Crime Against Kansas" speech in 1856, which criticized pro-slavery forces. His outspoken views led to a violent attack in the Senate by Congressman Preston Brooks. Sumner's efforts contributed significantly to the Republican Party's emergence and the eventual passage of civil rights legislation.

Civil RIghts Act of 1866

The Civil Rights Act of 1866 aimed to ensure equal rights for all citizens, particularly newly freed African Americans, by granting them the same legal rights as white citizens, including the ability to sue, own property, and make contracts.

14th Amendment

This constitutional amendment, ratified in 1868, addresses citizenship rights and equal protection under the law. It prohibits states from denying any person the equal protection of the laws and ensures that all individuals born or naturalized in the U.S. are citizens. This amendment played a crucial role in civil rights, particularly in addressing issues of racial discrimination and voting rights.

Report of the Joint Committee

In June 1866, a joint committee of the House and the Senate issued a report declaring that the reorganized Confederate states were not entitled to representation in Congress.

The Election of 1866

Flashcard:

A significant political event in the United States that occurred during the Reconstruction era, when voters chose members of Congress. It was marked by a struggle between the President and Congress over control of Reconstruction policies. The outcome solidified the power of the Republican Party and its approach to civil rights for freed slaves. This election saw a large turnout and was influenced by issues such as race, the status of the South, and the future of slavery.

Reconstruction Acts of 1867

Placed the South under military occupation. The acts divided the former Confederate states into five military districts, each under the control of the Union army. In addition, the acts increased the requirements for gaining readmission to the Union: an ex-Confederate state had to ratify the 14th Amendment and place guarantees in its constitution to grant the franchise (right to vote) to all adult males, regardless of race.

Tenure of Office Act (1867)

This law prohibited the president from removing a federal official or military commander without Senate approval. Congress wanted to protect the Radical Republicans in Johnson’s cabinet, such as Secretary of War Edwin Stanton, who was in charge of the military governments in the South.

Edwin Stanton

Secretary of War (caputured Fot Henry and Fore Donelson) under Abraham Lincoln then after his death, he was under Johnson where he was dismissed after the Tenure of Office Act was passed to help ensure his position as a radical republican.

The Election of 1868

The Republicans turned to a war hero, General Ulysses S. Grant, even though he had no political experience. Despite Grant’s popularity in the North, he managed to win only 300,000 more popular votes than his Democratic opponent. $e votes of 500,000 Black men gave the Republican ticket its margin of victory.

15th Amendment

Prohibited any state from denying or abridging a citizen’s right to vote “on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.” It was ratified in 1870.

Civil Rights Act of 1875

This guaranteed equal accommodations in public places (hotels, railroads, and theaters) and prohibited courts from excluding African Americans from juries. The law was poorly enforced, as moderate and conservative Republicans tired of trying to reform an unwilling South and feared losing White votes in the North.

Andrew Johnson

The only democratic senator to not succeed to the confederacy (and therefore his state of Tennessee) and remained loyal to the Union. And, was initially Lincolnss VP choice to help gain Southerner votes as he was a strong supporter of state’s rights and the constitution. He would become the first president to get impeached after Congress passed the Tenure of Office Act in 1867.

Congressional Reconstruction

When the Southern states represented themselves in congress with former confederate generals and colonels; infuriated republicans who enjoyed their overrule in congress. Along with slaves now counting as a whole person, instead of the previous 3/5, many northerners feared that the South would take over Congress.

Due process of law

The Fifth Amendment says to the federal government that no one shall be "deprived of life, liberty or property without due process of law." - meaning that the citizen effected needs to know how the goverment’’s actions (no matter what) if it effects and derives them of life, liberty or property.

Crédit Mobilier

the 1867-1868 scandal in which Union Pacific executives formed their own railroad construction company, then hired and overpaid themselves to build their own railroad

Horace Greeley

In 1862, he pressed the President to abolish slavery as a way to end the war. After Greeley wrote Congressmen Schuyler Colfax a letter on March 16, 1862 offering his support for an emancipation measure introduced by President Lincoln.

Panic of 1873

An economic disaster that rendered thousands of Northern laborers both jobless and homeless. Overspeculation by financiers and overbuilding by industry and railroads led to widespread business failures and depression.

Liberal Republicans

The Liberal Republicans advocated civil-service reform, an end to railroad subsidies, withdrawal of troops from the South, reduced tariffs, and freer trade.

Scalawags

Democratic opponents derisively called Southern Republicans “scalawags”

Carpetbaggers

Northern newcomers “carpetbaggers” (after cheap luggage made from carpet fabric).

Blanche K. Bruce

During the Reconstruction era, one of two African Americans was sent from the South to the Senate.

Hiram Revels

During the Reconstruction era, one of two African Americans was sent from the South to the Senate. Revels was elected in 1870 to take the Mississippi Senate seat once held by Jefferson Davis.

Women’s suffrage

The absence of millions of men from the fields and factories added to the responsibilities of women in all regions. $ey stepped into the vacuum created by the war, operating farms and plantations and taking factory jobs customarily held by men. In addition, women played a critical role as military nurses and as volunteers in soldiers’ aid societies. All of which boosted the advocacy of women’s equal rights for voting.