Reconstruction/"New" South/Gilded Age Vocab

reconstruction

period after the Union’s victory in the civil war to try and rebuild the South

Pacific Railway Act

series of measure passed by congress to promote the construction of a transcontinental railroad across the US:uses government funds to build westward

Exoduster

African American who migrated from the south to the great plains (west), fleeing racial violence, Jim Crow laws and seeking better opportunities. Many were former slaves bound to the sharecropping system.

13th Amendment

A constitutional amendment that abolished slavery in the United States, ratified in 1865.

14th Amendment

A constitutional amendment that granted citizenship and equal protection under the law to all persons born or naturalized in the United States, ratified in 1868.

15th Amendment

A constitutional amendment that granted African American men the right to vote, prohibiting the denial of suffrage based on race, color, or previous condition of servitude, ratified in 1870.

Freedmen’s Bureau

A federal agency established in 1865 to assist freed slaves and impoverished whites in the South during the Reconstruction era. Strong education development, but was understaffed and underfunded.

Lincoln’s 10% Plan

A proposal by President Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War that aimed to reunify the nation by allowing Southern states to rejoin the Union if 10% of their voters took an oath of allegiance to the Union. (Lienent)

“Swing ‘round the circle”

A political campaign by President Andrew Johnson in 1866 to gain support for his Reconstruction policies, which involved a series of speeches across the country.

Wade-Davis Bill

A proposed plan for Reconstruction that required a majority of white male citizens in a Southern state to take a loyalty oath before rejoining the Union and guaranteed civil rights for freedmen. Wanted stricter conditions on Southern states for their readmission into the union.

Military Reconstruction Act

1867 law organizing the enforcement of natural laws given by the union to the south as they were readmitted into the union. The national military was sent to enforce these laws on civilians in the south.

Andrew Johnson

17th President of the United States, who succeeded Abraham Lincoln. His lenient Reconstruction policies faced opposition from Congress, leading to his impeachment.

Ku Klux Klan

A white supremacist group formed in the South during Reconstruction, known for using violence and intimidation against African Americans and their allies to maintain white dominance.

Black Codes (Jim Crow Laws)

State laws enacted in the South after the Civil War that restricted the rights of African Americans, enforcing racial segregation and discrimination.

Tenure of Office Act

A federal law passed in 1867 that restricted the president's power to remove certain officeholders without the Senate's approval, which was a significant factor in Andrew Johnson's impeachment.

Homestead Act

A federal law enacted in 1862 that provided 160 acres of public land to settlers for a small fee, encouraging westward expansion and settlement in the United States.

The Alaska Purchase

A 1867 agreement in which the United States acquired Alaska from Russia for $7.2 million, expanding U.S. territory significantly.

Carpetbaggers

Northerners who moved to the South after the Civil War, often perceived as exploiting the region's post-war turmoil for personal gain.

Sharecropping

System where freedmen worked land and gave a portion of the crop to the landowner as rent, but the freedmen often were forced into a system of endless debt.

Plessy v. Ferguson

An 1896 Supreme Court case that upheld racial segregation under the "separate but equal" doctrine, legitimizing state laws that enforced segregation.

Gilded Age

1877-1900, a period where externally, the United States achieved some success, but internally had many issues

Rutherford B. Hayes

19th US president, a republican who served in ‘76. Oversaw the end of Reconstruction, began the efforts that led to civil service reform, and attempted to reconcile the divisions left over from the Civil War.

James A. Garfield

Republican elected as the United States’ 20th President in 1880, after nine terms in the U.S. House of Representatives. His Presidency was impactful but cut short after 200 days when he was assassinated.

Chester A. Arthur

Republican elected in 1881, takes over presidency after Garfield’s assassination, established the Pendelton Act based in merit-based job, reforming the government

Grover Cleveland

Democrat elected as the 22nd and 24th president of the US, establishing the interstate commerce act, stabilized the economy, dealt with the Pullman labor strike.

Benjamin Harrison

Republican 23rd president in between Grover Cleveland’s terms, elected after conducting one of the first “front-porch” campaigns by delivering short speeches to delegations that visited him in Indianapolis. Had a “Billion Dollar Congress”.

William McKinley

25th US President, a republican serving from March 4, 1897, until his assassination on September 14, 1901, after leading the nation to victory in the Spanish-American War and raising protective tariffs to promote American industry.

Mugwumps

a faction of American political activists and reformers in the late 19th century, particularly during the Gilded Age, who broke away from the Republican Party in opposition to the party's corruption and support for patronage.

Populism

a political approach that seeks to represent the interests and concerns of ordinary people, often contrasting them against a perceived elite or establishment. It gained traction in the late 19th century, particularly in response to economic challenges and social injustices faced by farmers and laborers.

Stalwarts

a faction strongly supported political patronage and opposed civil service reform, maintaining loyalty to the traditional party system and party bosses.

Half-Breeds

a faction within the Republican Party during the Gilded Age that supported civil service reform and opposed the patronage system. This group emerged as a response to the growing dissatisfaction with political corruption and the spoils system, advocating for a merit-based approach to government appointments.

James Blaine

a prominent American politician and statesman who served as Secretary of State under two presidents and was a leading figure in the Republican Party during the Gilded Age. He is known for his influence on foreign policy, particularly in Latin America, through his efforts to expand American influence and promote trade in the region.

William Jennings Bryan

a prominent American politician and activist known for his strong advocacy of populism and progressive causes. He gained national fame for his fiery speeches, particularly during the 1896 presidential election, where he championed the issues of free silver and agrarian interests, marking him as a key figure in the politics of the Gilded Age

Cross of Gold Speech

delivered by William Jennings Bryan at the Democratic National Convention in 1896, advocating for the free coinage of silver to inflate the currency and aid struggling farmers and workers.

Coxey’s Army

a protest march in 1894 led by businessman Jacob Coxey, advocating for the federal government to create jobs for the unemployed through public works projects.

Omaha Platform

called for government regulation of railroads and telegraphs to prevent monopolistic practices that harmed consumers and small businesses. It also emphasized the importance of labor rights

Eugene Debs

a prominent American labor leader and political activist, His advocacy for workers' rights and social justice, reflecting the growing discontent among the working class against corporate power and government inaction.

Bimetallism

The monetary system that allows the use of both gold and silver as a basis for currency, which was a major point of contention leading up to the Gold Standard Act.

Panic of 1893

a financial crisis that triggered a severe economic depression in the United States and Europe, beginning with the collapse of Jay Cooke & Company, a major bank heavily invested in railroads. This crisis exposed the fragility of the post-Civil War economy and led to widespread bank failures, unemployment, and social unrest.