Reconstruction to the Gilded Age: Key Historical Developments

What was the primary goal of Reconstruction after the Civil War?

To integrate freed slaves into society.

What significant legislation did Congress pass in 1865-66 to assist newly freed African Americans?

The Freedmen's Bureau and the Civil Rights Act of 1866.

What did the Civil Rights Act of 1866 declare regarding citizenship?

It declared all persons born in the U.S. (except Indians not taxed) to be citizens with 'full and equal benefit of all laws'.

What were Black Codes, and what was their impact?

Black Codes restricted Black rights and exploited them as a labor source.

What actions did Radical Republicans take in response to Black Codes?

They passed the Reconstruction Acts of 1867 and the 14th and 15th Amendments, enfranchising Black men and dividing the South into military districts.

What violent group emerged in the South to resist Reconstruction efforts?

The Ku Klux Klan.

What was the Compromise of 1877, and what did it signify for Reconstruction?

It was an informal agreement that allowed Rutherford Hayes to become president in exchange for the removal of federal troops from the South, marking the end of Reconstruction.

What laws did Southern states enact after Reconstruction to disenfranchise Blacks?

Jim Crow laws, which included poll taxes and literacy tests.

How did the end of Reconstruction affect African Americans politically?

They lost the political gains made between 1867 and 1875 as white Southern Democrats imposed segregation and voter suppression.

What was the significance of the Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890?

It was Congress's attempt to curb monopolies by outlawing contracts and combinations that restrained trade.

What was the outcome of the United States v. E. C. Knight Co. case in 1895?

The case narrowed the scope of the Sherman Antitrust Act.

What was the Interstate Commerce Act of 1887?

It created the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) to ban railroad rate discrimination.

What economic ideology prevailed among elites during the Gilded Age?

Laissez-faire ideology.

How did Social Darwinism justify economic inequality?

It argued that the 'survival of the fittest' meant that the wealthy deserved success while the poor were seen as inferior.

What was Andrew Carnegie's 'Gospel of Wealth'?

It argued that the wealthy had a duty to use their fortunes for the public good while advocating for free accumulation and distribution of wealth.

What technological advancements fueled the second Industrial Revolution?

Innovations like the telegraph and Bessemer steel process.

Who were some of the key industrialists during the Gilded Age?

Carnegie, Rockefeller, J.P. Morgan, and Vanderbilt.

What was the impact of public pressure on federal regulation during the Gilded Age?

It led to the creation of the ICC to regulate railroad rates.

What was the societal attitude towards inequality during the Gilded Age?

Great inequality was accepted as normal.

What did the Radical Republicans aim to achieve through the Reconstruction Acts?

To enforce civil rights and protect Black voting in the South.

What was one consequence of the withdrawal of federal troops from the South?

It set the stage for the Jim Crow era.

What did the term 'Redeemers' refer to in the context of post-Reconstruction?

White Southern Democrats who sought to restore white supremacy and segregation.

How did the continuity of racial hierarchies manifest after the end of Reconstruction?

Although slavery had legally ended, new laws continued to enforce racial discrimination and inequality.

How did industrialists view their role in society according to Carnegie's words?

They saw themselves as benevolent overseers of social progress.

What did other magnates like Rockefeller celebrate as natural?

Hard work and competition.

What was a key consequence of urbanization in the late 19th century?

It spurred migration into cities, leading to overcrowded tenements and ethnic enclaves.

Who famously exposed the conditions of overcrowded tenements?

Jacob Riis.

Which industries were dominated by trusts during this period?

Oil (Standard Oil), steel, and railroads.

What did J.P. Morgan exemplify in the context of corporate consolidation?

Banking mergers.

What was the purpose of the Sherman Act of 1890?

To outlaw monopolies.

How did courts typically interpret the Sherman Act?

Narrowly.

What did the Interstate Commerce Act of 1887 initiate?

Federal regulation of commerce.

What were the conditions that led to labor unrest during rapid industrial growth?

Harsh working conditions, long hours, and low pay.

What was the Knights of Labor and when was it founded?

A labor organization founded in 1869 that grew to encompass hundreds of thousands of workers.

What were some goals of the Knights of Labor?

Support for an 8-hour workday, public land for settlers, and immigration restrictions.

What significant event began the Great Railroad Strike of 1877?

Wage cuts.

What was the outcome of the Great Railroad Strike of 1877?

It was put down by federal troops, indicating government support for business.

What incident led to public backlash against the Knights of Labor?

The Haymarket Affair in 1886.

What was the focus of the American Federation of Labor (AFL) formed in 1886?

Organizing skilled craft unions and collective bargaining for higher wages and shorter hours.

What was the Homestead Strike of 1892 about?

Workers at Carnegie Steel protested wage cuts, leading to violent clashes.

What happened during the Pullman Strike of 1894?

It began with layoffs and wage cuts, spread nationwide, and ended violently with federal intervention.

What did the failures of 19th-century strikes set the stage for?

Later reforms, including laws limiting child labor and establishing an eight-hour workday.

What demographic change occurred in U.S. cities between 1860 and 1900?

The urban population increased about six-fold.

Which groups of immigrants arrived in the U.S. during the 1880s and 90s?

Southern and Eastern Europeans, including Italians, Slavs, and Jews.

What did Jacob Riis's book 'How the Other Half Lives' reveal?

The harsh realities of tenement life and social inequality.

What phrase did Jacob Riis use to describe the disconnect between social classes?

"One half of the world does not know how the other half lives."

What was the increase in the number of tenements in New York from 15,000 to 37,000 indicative of?

It indicated a significant rise in urban housing, accommodating over a million people.

Who was Jacob Riis and what reforms did he advocate for?

Jacob Riis was a Danish immigrant-journalist who urged reforms in housing, sanitation, and child welfare.

What was the purpose of Jacob Riis's work?

His purpose was to arouse the conscience of wealthier classes regarding urban poverty.

Who was William 'Boss' Tweed and what was his role in New York City politics?

William 'Boss' Tweed was a notorious political boss who ran Tammany Hall in the 1870s, exchanging patronage for votes.

What role did Thomas Nast play in exposing political corruption?

Thomas Nast used political cartoons in Harper's Weekly to expose graft and corruption in politics.

What significant legislation culminated from reformers pressing for civil service exams?

The Pendleton Act of 1883.

How did immigration contribute to nativism in the United States?

Competition for jobs led some labor leaders to blame immigrants for job scarcity.

What was the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882?

It was the first major federal law to discriminate by nationality, barring Chinese labor immigration.

What was the vision of the 'New South' promoted by Henry Grady?

Grady's vision included industrial development alongside the maintenance of white supremacy.

What was the underlying message of the 'New South' vision regarding African Americans?

It conceded that African Americans would remain marginalized in society.

What system trapped many Black individuals in debt after the Civil War?

Sharecropping and tenant farming.

What were Jim Crow laws?

They enforced racial segregation and disenfranchisement in the Southern states.

What was the significance of the Supreme Court ruling in Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)?

It endorsed 'separate but equal' facilities, legalizing segregation nationwide.

What was Justice Harlan's dissent in Plessy v. Ferguson about?

He warned that the Constitution is 'color-blind,' but his dissent did not carry majority weight.

What legal barriers to Black voting were upheld in Williams v. Mississippi (1898)?

The Court accepted poll taxes, literacy tests, and grandfather clauses as seemingly race-neutral.

What was the effect of the laws from this era on Black voter registration by 1910?

Registered Black voters had fallen to only 15% in Virginia and under 2% in Mississippi and Alabama.

What marked the end of active Native American resistance in the late 19th century?

Conflicts like Custer's defeat at Little Bighorn and the Wounded Knee Massacre.

What happened at Wounded Knee on December 29, 1890?

U.S. troops killed 150-300 Lakota Sioux, effectively ending organized Plains Indian opposition.

What was the Dawes (General Allotment) Act of 1887?

It broke up tribal lands into individual family plots, aiming to assimilate Native Americans into Euro-American culture.

What was the new goal of federal policy towards Native Americans after the Dawes Act?

To treat Native Americans as individuals rather than as members of tribes.

What was the belief behind the assimilation of Native Americans into 'White' ways?

The belief was that adopting 'White' ways would gradually erase 'Indian-ness'.

What was the impact of the Dawes Act on Native American land ownership?

The Dawes Act stripped tribes of millions of acres, reducing the Sioux's Great Sioux Reservation from 60 million acres in 1868 to just 12.7 million by 1887.

What environmental factor contributed to the decline of Plains tribes?

White hunters decimated the buffalo, which was the economic base for the Plains tribes, killing over 4-5 million buffalo from 1867 to 1884.

How did the near-extermination of the buffalo affect Native Americans?

It starved Native Americans into compliance, as they relied on the buffalo for sustenance.

What were the three phases of Indian policy from early removal to the Dawes Act?

Early removal/conquest gave way to reservations by mid-century, and by the 1880s, to forced assimilation and cultural destruction.

What does the term 'Gilded Age' imply about the era?

It implies a thin layer of prosperity masking underlying corruption.

What characterized voter turnout during the Gilded Age?

Voter turnout was extremely high, often exceeding 80%.

Which political party generally dominated federal politics during the Gilded Age?

The Republican Party, claiming to be the party of Lincoln and industry.

What significant event in the 1880s highlighted the dangers of the spoils system?

The assassination of President Garfield in 1881 by a disgruntled office-seeker.

What was the purpose of the Pendleton Civil Service Act of 1883?

To create an exam-based merit system for federal jobs.

What was the Sherman Antitrust Act intended to do?

Outlaw monopolistic combinations in trade, although it was weak and often used against unions.

What was Tammany Hall, and who ran it in the early 1870s?

Tammany Hall was a political machine in New York run by Boss Tweed, known for graft and corruption.

What reforms emerged to combat electoral fraud during the Gilded Age?

The introduction of secret ballots and primary elections.

What stance did Grover Cleveland take on currency after the Civil War?

He opposed inflationary silver and maintained the gold standard.

What was the Interstate Commerce Commission, established in 1887?

It was a first step in federal oversight of industry.

What role did women play in reform movements after the Civil War?

Middle-class women joined club movements and charitable organizations, advocating for social reform.

What was the General Federation of Women's Clubs, and when was it formed?

It was formed in 1890 to uplift communities and advocate for reform courses.

What was the Woman's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU), and who led it?

Founded in 1874, it became a powerful national force under Frances Willard, focusing on temperance and broader social reforms.

What was the main focus of the WCTU under Frances Willard?

Temperance (alcohol prohibition), but it also championed labor laws, prison reform, and women's suffrage.

How did the WCTU connect women's domestic skills to public activism?

It transformed women's domestic roles into a broad movement advocating for various social reforms.

What was a significant outcome of the racial segregation in women's clubs?

Black women formed the National Association of Colored Women in 1896 due to white clubs barring their participation.

What major shift occurred in women's roles during the 1890s?

Women began to shift their focus outward from domestic roles to public activism through organized clubs.

What is a key comparison students should make regarding political corruption?

Compare Gilded Age political corruption to later Progressive reforms, noting how the Pendleton Act addressed patronage.

What was the primary argument women reformers made by linking alcohol to domestic abuse and poverty?

They argued for greater public influence.

Who founded Chicago's Hull House and in what year?

Jane Addams founded Hull House in 1889.

What significant amendment enfranchised Black men but not women, and in what year was it ratified?

The 15th Amendment was ratified in 1870.

What were the two factions that emerged from the National Woman Suffrage Association (NWSA) and what did they pursue?

Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony split off to fight for a federal suffrage amendment, while Lucy Stone's American Woman Suffrage Association (AWSA) pursued state-by-state campaigns.

What organization was formed in 1890 from the merger of the NWSA and AWSA?

The National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA).

What is a key historical consideration when analyzing period sources related to women's rights?

Consider the audience and purpose of the sources.

What is Social Darwinism and who is associated with this concept?

Social Darwinism is the idea of 'survival of the fittest' used to justify social inequality, associated with Herbert Spencer.

What movement emerged in the 1880s that called for addressing social ills caused by industrialization?

The Social Gospel movement.

Which novel by Mark Twain and Charles Warner satirized greed and corruption during the Gilded Age?

The Gilded Age.

What was the focus of Jacob Riis's photojournalism?

Urban reform and the conditions of the poor.

What was Upton Sinclair's novel 'The Jungle' about, and what tradition did it follow?

It exposed the harsh conditions of the meatpacking industry and followed the muckraking tradition.