US History Midterm

Freedmen’s Bureau

a federal/social agency that tried to help newly freed African Americans by providing food, housing, education, and legal assistance after the Civil War

Juneteenth

June 19, 1865; the day when enslaved people in Texas were informed of their freedom and the official end of slavery in the US.

Contract System

hired by plantation owner but had to sign a contract; contracts included behavioral regulations but American Americans could leave after contract ended; Gave African Americans employment but White plantation owners still had control over Black labor

Sharecropping

African Americans did to secure land, food, and livelihood after war; planters would divide their land into units and rent each unit to an individual family; planters would give them tools and animals but family had to give crop to planter; African Americans were on their own but could end up with nothing

Lincoln’s 10% Plan

purpose was to reunify Southern states with the Union; Southern states could return once 10% of eligible voters took a loyalty oath and formed a new government

Wade- Davis Bill

Radical Republicans alternative plan to Lincoln’s since they thought it was too easy; required 51% of eligible voters to take loyalty oath which Lincoln pocket-vetoed (didn’t sign it)

Andrew Johnson

becomes president after Lincoln’s assassination; bad politician and wasn’t liked by Radical Republicans; racist and owned slaves before war

Presidential Reconstruction

Johnson’s plan to get Southern states back in the Union; pardon to any Southerners who participated in rebellion; Constitutional Conventions set up new governments and made their way back to US- FAIL

Black Codes

Southern laws designed to limit African American freedom and maintain a cheap labor force after slavery

Moderate Republicans

tried to get bills passed to toughen up Johnson’s plan; wanted an extension of the Freedmen’s Bureau and civil rights bill

Congressional Reconstruction

Radicals and Moderates combine and Congress took control of Reconstruction and imposed stronger requirements on the South

14th Amendment

grants citizenship for anyone born in the US, specifically African Americans (part of Congressional Reconstruction)

Reconstruction Act of 1867

more difficult process for readmission of Southern States

1) had to make a new state constitution that calls for “universal manhood suffrage”- voting for every man in the state

2) Ratify 14th Amendment

Impeachment of Johnson

impeached after violating the 10 year office act- by firing Edward Stanton from the cabinet without Congressional approval; survived removal by 1 vote

Ulysses S. Grant

elected in 1868; wasn’t a good politician; wants to preserve what has been accomplished; surpresses KKK

15th Amendment

voting rights for American Americans

Carpetbaggers

Northerners who moved South during Reconstruction to seek opportunities; bad people and greedy; got their name from carrying so little that it could fit in a cheap travel bag made out of carpet

Scalawags

White southerners who work withReconstruction governments and Republicans- if you can’t beat them, join them

KKK

White terroist organization that used violence and intimidation against African Americans and their supporters

Panic of 1873

Devastating economic downturn that hurt Republicans and contributed to Democratic gain- people out of work, wages cut

Civil Rights Act of 1875

attempted to prohibit racial discrimination in public settings; weak and simply said that you could sue if discriminated against

Redemption

Democrats regain control of Southern governments, helping bring Reconstruction to an end

Election of 1876

Rutherford Hayes (R) vs. Samuel Tilden (D); Hayes won by 1 vote

Congressional Electoral Commission

South Carolina, Florida, and Louisiana were unsure so they made a commission, 5 senators, 5 US representatives, 5 Supreme Court Justices, 7 Republicans, 7 Democrats, 1 Neutral

Plessy v Ferguson 1896

established the “seperate butr equal” doctrine; racial segregation was constitutional

Railroads

very important in industrialization since people can travel anywhere and make time predictable; issue stock and stockholders hire people to work on railroads

National Transportation Network of US

important for business- states can ship goods far away

Telegraph

first time instantaneous communication over long distances; receiver records morse code on a piece of paper and delivers message

Separate Spheres Ideology

men and women have separate places in where the should be; men should be working and making money while women should be cleaning, cooking, and taking care of the children

Labor Unions

organized groups of ALL workers who wanted better pay, benefits, and better working conditions

National Labor Union of 1886

200-600,000 workers and had no interest in attracting African Americans; was a start but didn’t do a whole lot

Knights of Labor

far more successful, pushed for women having equal pay, child labor should be ended, no convict labor, income tax, African Americans allowed to join, workers work for themselves not bosses, Terrence Powderly= head of KOL

Social Parasites

people who they saw as “harming” the working person ex) lawyers, bankers, liquor salesmen

Haymarket Riot in Chicago

May 4, 1886; thousands of workers went on strike to demand an eight hour workday- somebody through a bomb in the midst of the protest and killed 8 people

American Federation of Labor

only concerned with skilled workers; wanted higher wages and better hours

Pullman Strike of 1894

major famous labor episode in American history- resulted from massive wage cutes; Eugene Debs told his people not to go on railroad cars with pullman cars- federal government sent troops to stop strike

Strikebreakers

African Americans hired during strikes only to pay them less

Merger Movement

companies combine to maximize profit and eliminate competition

Social Darwinism

in the face of economy and business, the strongest survive

Sherman Anti-trust Act

made it illegal to form a company that monopolizes other industries- a single company can’t take over

EC Knight Company

monopoly, sued and went to court

tariffs

raised to protect American industries- goods cost more to generate revenue, republicans want high tariffs and democrats don’t

Overproduction/Deflation

Overproduction- prices go down and not good for farmer

Deflation-a dollar buys more than it bought thirty years ago- farmers want to fix deflation by adding silver to money supply