Civil War, Reconstruction, and African American Literature 4

Flashcards covering key events, amendments, and literary works related to the Civil War, Reconstruction, and the evolution of African American literature.

What were the primary causes of the Civil War (1861–1865)?

Tensions over slavery and Lincoln's election in 1860, who opposed the expansion of slavery.

What was Lincoln's stance at the beginning of the Civil War?

He wanted to preserve the Union, stating, “A house divided against itself cannot stand.” Initially, the war's goal wasn’t to end slavery, but to bring the South back.

What were the major events of the civil war ?

-early southren victories

-turning point at Gettysburg, mass losses (3903 men dead)

-Lincon’s gettys burg adres emphasized national unity and democracy

-war ended in 1865, five days later lincoln was assasinated

What did the 13th Amendment (1865) accomplish?

Abolished slavery nationwide, except as criminal punishment.

What were the key provisions of the 14th Amendment (1868)?

Gave citizenship to all born or naturalized in the U.S., guaranteed equal protection and due process and reversed Dred Scott.

What did the 15th Amendment (1870) aim to achieve?

Prohibited denying voting rights based on race or former slavery.

but some states found alternative ways to restrict black voting (ie literary tests)

What was the background leading to Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)?

After Reconstruction, Southern states began creating laws to separate races, leading to Homer Plessy's arrest in 1892 for sitting in a “white only” train car.

What was the Supreme Court's ruling in Plessy v. Ferguson?

Upheld racial segregation as constitutional, stating that 'separate but equal' facilities did not imply Black inferiority, effectively legalizing Jim Crow laws.

Which justice dissented the supreme courts ruling ?

Justice Harlan “our constitution is color blind”, warned the ruling would be as h

What was Harriet Beecher Stowe's purpose in writing Uncle Tom's Cabin, and what was its impact?

She wrote Uncle Tom’s Cabin to raise Northern awareness about slavery's brutality, shaping public opinion in the North but was rejected in the South as exaggerated.

what were the novels main themes and criticisms?

Tackles slavery, gender, and class, with a subtle anti-patriarchal message

Jane Tompkins: Called it an attempt to reorganize culture from the woman’s point of view.

Critics note racial stereotyping in characters like Topsy (crude, immodest) vs. Eva (pure, angelic).

Slave dialects are used in dialogue for realism, but also reflect the white target audience

What were 'Anti-Tom' novels?

Pro-slavery or plantation novels that romanticized plantation life while indirectly confirming slavery’s cruelty.

The Sword and the Distaff (1852) William Gilmore Simms

The Planter’s Northern Bride (1854) Caroline Lee Hentz

What were early slave narratives?

Originated in the 18th century and mixed autobiography and abolitionist messaging.

Frederick Douglass’s The Heroic Slave (1853)

William Wells Brown Clotel (1853)

what is kenneth W warrens argument ?

African American literature as a defined genre didn’t exist until after segregation

began.

Earlier Black writers were seen more as individuals than as contributors to a literary

tradition.

Post-Civil War Black writing shifted toward broader themes, not just slavery.

What was the focus of the Civil Rights Era (1960s) in literature?

Shifted focus from slavery to segregation, civil rights, and modern Black identity.

toni morison beloved,non linear structure unreliable narration and haunting memory

octavia butler kindred,mixes race,time travel and historical trauma

william styron,the confessions of nat turner,Biofiction by a white author,controversial a raises debates on who has the right to tell these strories

What were the key themes and shifts in African American literature from the 19th to the 20th century?

Testimony, activism, realism in the 19th century. Experimentation, genre-mixing, and psychological depth in the 20th century.

Modern works continue to explore slavery through new lenses such as (science fiction,postmodernism,magical realism)