Reconstruction, New South, Gilded Age, and Progressive Era Flashcards

Flashcards covering Reconstruction, the New South, the Gilded Age, and the Progressive Era.

What was the Ten-Percent Plan?

A plan proposed by President Abraham Lincoln in 1863 that would allow a Southern state to rejoin the Union when 10% of its voters swore loyalty to the U.S. and accepted the end of slavery.

What was the Wade-Davis Bill?

A stricter alternative to Lincoln’s 10% plan, proposed by Congressional Republicans in 1864, requiring 50% of white male citizens in a state to swear loyalty and demanding stronger protections for formerly enslaved people.

What was the Freedmen’s Bureau?

A federal agency established in 1865 to help freed slaves and poor whites in the South, providing food, education, legal aid, and help reuniting families.

Who were the Radical Republicans?

A faction in Congress that wanted to transform Southern society after the Civil War, supporting full rights and citizenship for African Americans and harsh punishment for former Confederates.

What was Johnson’s Restoration Plan?

President Andrew Johnson's 1865 plan to readmit Southern states, offering pardons to many ex-Confederates and letting Southern states control Reconstruction without requiring protections for formerly enslaved people.

What was Johnson’s Impeachment and why did it happen?

In 1868, Johnson was impeached by the House for violating the Tenure of Office Act by removing Secretary of War Edwin Stanton; he avoided removal from office by one vote in the Senate.

Who were Carpetbaggers?

Northerners who moved to the South during Reconstruction, often for business or political opportunities.

Who were Scalawags?

White Southerners who supported Reconstruction and the Republican Party, often seen as traitors by other Southerners.

Who were black politicians during Reconstruction?

African Americans holding public office for the first time during Reconstruction, including Hiram Revels, the first Black U.S. Senator.

What were the Force Acts?

Laws passed in the early 1870s to combat the Ku Klux Klan and protect African Americans' voting rights, giving the federal government power to intervene with troops and prosecute hate crimes.

What was the Colfax Massacre?

An 1873 attack in Colfax, Louisiana, where white supremacists murdered over 100 Black men defending a local courthouse after a disputed election.

What was the Reconstruction Act?

An 1867 act dividing the South into five military districts under federal control, requiring states to ratify the 14th Amendment and grant Black men the vote to rejoin the Union.

What are the Reconstruction Amendments?

13th Amendment (1865) – Abolished slavery, 14th Amendment (1868) – Granted citizenship and equal protection under the law, 15th Amendment (1870) – Prohibited denying the right to vote based on race (but not sex).

What was the Union League?

A Republican political organization that helped mobilize Black voters during Reconstruction, educating freedmen about civic duties, organizing voters, and promoting Republican candidates.

What was the Election of 1872 Signifigance?

Ulysses S. Grant (Republican) re-elected, defeating Horace Greeley (Liberal Republican/Democrat), signaling waning Northern support for Reconstruction.

What was the Tenure of Office Act (1867)?

A law passed by Congress to limit the president’s power to remove federal officials without Senate approval, used to impeach President Andrew Johnson.

What was the Crop-Lien System?

An agricultural credit system where poor farmers (mostly Black and poor whites) borrowed against future crops to buy supplies, creating a cycle of debt and dependency.

What was the Panic of 1873?

A severe economic depression triggered by bank failures and railroad overbuilding, diverting national attention away from Reconstruction and civil rights.

What were Black Codes?

Southern laws passed after the Civil War to restrict the rights of freed African Americans.

Who were the “Redeemers”?

White Southern Democrats who aimed to restore white rule by ending Reconstruction.

Rise of the KKK (Ku Klux Klan)?

Founded in 1865 by ex-Confederates, the KKK used terror to suppress Black political participation.

What were lynchings?

Extrajudicial killings used to terrorize African Americans.

What were Enforcement Acts / Force Acts (1870–71)?

Federal laws designed to combat Klan violence and protect African American voting rights.

What was the “Lost Cause”?

A romanticized narrative glorifying the Confederacy and portraying Reconstruction as corrupt.

What was the Compromise of 1877?

Democrats agreed to allow Hayes to become president in exchange for the withdrawal of federal troops from the South, marking the end of Reconstruction.

What were Jim Crow Laws?

State and local laws enforcing racial segregation in the South.

What were the conflicting ideas of Booker T. Washington & W.E.B. Du Bois?

Washington believed in vocational education and gradual progress; Du Bois called for full civil rights and political activism.

What is sharecropping?

A farming system where freedmen and poor whites rented land and paid with a portion of their crops, keeping many in poverty.

What was the control of voting?

Southern states passed laws to suppress Black voting using legal tricks and violence.

What were poll taxes?

A fee required to vote, excluding poor Black and white citizens.

What were literacy tests?

Biased reading tests required to vote, unevenly applied to African Americans.

What was the Grandfather Clause?

Allowed only those whose grandfathers had voted before the Civil War to bypass voting restrictions.

What was Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)?

A Supreme Court ruling upholding segregation laws by declaring “separate but equal” constitutional.

Who was Ida B. Wells?

An African American journalist and activist who led a campaign against lynching.

Who was Booker T. Washington?

A Black leader who promoted vocational education and economic progress.

What was the Atlanta Compromise (1895)?

A speech by Booker T. Washington urging African Americans to accept segregation temporarily and focus on economic success.

What was the Tuskegee Institute?

A vocational school founded by Washington to train Black Americans in trades.

Who was W.E.B. Du Bois?

A civil rights activist who called for full political rights and higher education.

What are labor unions?

Organizations formed by workers to fight for better wages, hours, and working conditions.

What was the Great Railroad Strike of 1877?

Labor strike was the first major national labor strike in U.S. history, sparked by wage cuts.

What was the Pullman Strike of 1894?

A nationwide railroad strike against the Pullman Company over wage cuts and high rents.

Who were the Knights of Labor?

A broad labor union that welcomed skilled and unskilled workers, women, and African Americans.

What was the American Federation of Labor (AFL)?

Founded by Samuel Gompers, this union focused on practical economic goals for skilled workers.

Who were the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW)?

A radical labor union that aimed to unite all workers and abolish capitalism.

Who were Strikebreakers (a.k.a. “Scabs”)?

Workers hired to replace striking workers.

What were Child Labor Practices?

Common in factories and mines, opposed by labor unions and reformers.

What was the Haymarket Square Riot (1886)?

A labor rally in Chicago that turned violent, leading to a backlash against labor unions.

Who were the “New” Immigrants?

Immigrants who arrived from Southern and Eastern Europe between the 1880s and early 1900s.

What are push and pull factors?

Reasons people left their home countries (poverty, persecution, famine) and reasons people were attracted to the U.S. (job opportunities, political freedom, land).

What was Ellis Island?

The main immigration processing center in New York Harbor from 1892 to 1954.

What was the Immigration Act of 1882?

The first federal law restricting immigration, barring criminals and the mentally ill.

What was the National Origins Act of 1924?

A law that severely limited immigration by establishing quotas based on nationality.

What were the changes of Cities during the Gilded Age?

Rapid urban growth led to overcrowded cities with poor living conditions.

What were Tenements?

Overcrowded apartment buildings where many immigrants and poor workers lived.

What are Settlement Houses?

Community centers in poor urban areas providing education and services to immigrants.

What are ethnic enclaves?

Neighborhoods where immigrants from the same country lived together.

What was americanization?

Programs aimed at helping immigrants assimilate into American culture.

What was the Exoduster Movement?

Migration of African Americans from the South to Kansas after Reconstruction.

What was the Great Migration?

The large-scale movement of African Americans from the South to Northern cities.

What is nativism?

A belief that native-born Americans were superior and that immigrants threatened American culture.

What were the Hostilities Towards Chinese?

Chinese immigrants faced intense racism and discrimination.

What was the Chinese Exclusion Act (1882)?

The first federal law to restrict immigration, banning Chinese laborers.

Who was Jane Addams?

A leading social reformer and founder of Hull House.

What were Middle-Class Wages & Spending?

The expanding middle class earned higher wages and allowed them to spend more on consumer goods.

What was the “Leisure Class”?

A wealthy social group that displayed their status through luxurious lifestyles.

What was the Development of Consumer Culture?

The rise of mass production created a culture focused on buying goods.

What was Philanthropy & The “Gospel of Wealth”?

Wealthy individuals have a moral obligation to use their riches to benefit society.

What is socialism?

A political and economic ideology advocating for public ownership of the means of production.

What was The Social Gospel?

A religious movement that applied Christian ethics to social problems.

What was temperance?

A social movement aimed at reducing alcohol consumption.

What was Expanding Women Suffrage in the West?

Western states led the way in granting women the right to vote.

What was the Annexation of Hawaii?

The 1898 U.S. acquisition of Hawaii for military and economic benefits.

What was the Interstate Commerce Act of 1887?

The first federal law to regulate private industry.

What was the Specie Resumption Act of 1875?

A law that aimed to return the U.S. to the gold standard.

Democrats & Republicans parties shared what opinions?

Democrats often supported states’ rights and agrarian interests, while Republicans favored industrial growth.

What was the Pendleton Civil Service Act (1883)?

A federal law that established merit-based hiring for government jobs.

What was Coxey’s Army?

A protest march in 1894 led by Jacob Coxey, demanding government jobs.

What was the McKinley Tariff Act (1890)?

A law that raised tariffs to protect U.S. industries.

What was patronage?

A political practice where government jobs were given to supporters.

Who were the Populist Party?

A political party representing farmers and laborers.

What was the Omaha Platform (1892)?

The Populist Party’s statement of principles calling for economic reforms.

What was Panic of 1893?

A severe economic depression that intensified calls for economic reform.

What are political machines?

Powerful urban political organizations that controlled votes.

What was Tammany Hall?

A notorious political machine in New York City.

What were the Progressive Goals?

The central goals were curbing corporate power, improving conditions, expansion of democracy, and promotion of social justice.

What was Pure Food & Drug Act (1906)?

Act was in place to set standards for food and medicine safety.