1.1 - The weaknesses of the Federal Government: Johnson, Grant and the failure of reconstruction

Executive Branch

The branch of government responsible for enforcing laws, led by the President, Vice President, and Cabinet.

Legislature

The legislative branch of government responsible for making laws, which includes Congress, divided into the Senate and House of Representatives.

Judiciary

The judicial branch of government responsible for interpreting laws, embodied by the Supreme Court, which consists of nine justices.

King Cotton

A term that refers to the central role of cotton in the southern economy before the Civil War, emphasizing its importance in agriculture and trade.

13th Amendment

The constitutional amendment that abolished slavery and involuntary servitude, except as punishment for a crime, ratified in 1865.

Freedman’s Bureau

An agency established in 1865 by Lincoln to assist formerly enslaved African Americans with issues related to family, legal advice, and education.

Black Codes

Laws enacted by southern states after the Civil War to restrict the rights of African Americans and maintain white supremacy.

Radical Reconstruction

The period following the Civil War during which the federal government took significant steps to ensure the rights and protections of newly freed African Americans.

15th Amendment

The constitutional amendment that granted the right to vote to all male citizens regardless of race, passed by Congress in 1869 and ratified in 1870.

Tenure of Office Act

A law passed in 1867 that restricted the President's power to remove certain officeholders without the Senate's approval, leading to President Johnson's impeachment.

Democrat Redeemers

A coalition of conservative and pro-business Democrats who sought to regain political power in the South after Reconstruction.

Civil Rights Act of 1866

Legislation that aimed to protect the civil rights of African Americans by ensuring that they could participate in public life free of discrimination.

Military Reconstruction Act

An act passed in 1867 that divided the South into five military districts governed by Union generals to enforce Reconstruction policies.

Liberal Republicans

A faction of the Republican Party that emerged in the early 1870s, advocating for moderation in Reconstruction and less federal intervention.

Panic of 1873

A financial crisis that weakened Grant's political position and contributed to the decline of Reconstruction efforts.

KKK (Ku Klux Klan)

A white supremacist organization formed during Reconstruction that used violence and intimidation against African Americans and their allies.

Amnesty Act of 1872

Legislation that allowed many former Confederates to return to political life, undermining Reconstruction efforts removing most of the penalties imposed on former Confederates by the Fourteenth Amendment

Election of 1868

A presidential election in which Ulysses S. Grant won against Democrat Seymour, bolstered by African American votes and support for Radical Reconstruction.

Disputed Election of 1876

The controversial election between Rutherford B. Hayes and Samuel Tilden, marked by electoral disputes and accusations of fraud.

Sharecropping

A system where tenants work land owned by another in exchange for a share of the crops, common in the post-Civil War South.

Plessy v. Ferguson

The 1896 Supreme Court case that upheld racial segregation under the 'separate but equal' doctrine. - Ruled racial segregation did not violate the constitution

Jim Crow Laws

State and local laws enacted in the South to enforce racial segregation and disenfranchise African Americans from the late 19th century to mid-20th century.

Reconstruction Acts

Legislation passed in 1867 that laid out the process for readmitting Southern states into the Union and ensuring civil rights for freed slaves.

Civil Rights Movement

A decades-long struggle by African Americans and their allies to end legalized racial discrimination and gain equal rights.

Enforcement Acts

Laws passed in the early 1870s to protect African American voters from violence and intimidation, including KKK activities.

Compromise of 1877

The unwritten deal that settled the disputed 1876 election and resulted in the withdrawal of federal troops from the South.

Freedmen's Schools

Institutions established to educate formerly enslaved people after the Civil War, promoting literacy and vocational skills.

Seward's Folly

The purchase of Alaska from Russia in 1867, initially criticized but later seen as a strategic gain.

Black Hill gold rush

The influx of prospectors into the Black Hills of South Dakota after gold was discovered there in the 1870s, leading to conflict with Native Americans.

Poll Taxes

Fees required to vote that were used to disenfranchise poor and minority voters after Reconstruction.

Literacy Tests

Examinations that were used to disenfranchise African Americans and poor whites by requiring a certain level of reading and writing.

Gilded Age

A time of rapid economic growth in the United States during the late 19th century characterized by political corruption and social inequality.