The Civil War, Reconstruction, and the Jim Crow Era

These flashcards cover key concepts and individuals related to the Civil War, Reconstruction, and the Jim Crow Era, providing a comprehensive overview of important historical events, legislation, and influential figures.

Suffrage

The right to vote, particularly for women and African Americans.

Seneca Falls Convention (1848)

The first women's rights convention in the United States, held in New York, where activists gathered to discuss and promote women's suffrage and other rights.

The Declaration of Sentiments

A document issued at the Seneca Falls Convention, outlining grievances and demands for women's rights, including the right to vote.

Nat Turner’s Rebellion (1831)

A violent uprising in 1831 in Virginia, aimed at ending slavery by attacking slaveholders and sparking a wider rebellion.

Abolition

The movement to end slavery and emancipate enslaved people in the United States.

Frederick Douglass

A prominent African American abolitionist, writer, and orator who escaped from slavery and became a leading voice in the fight for emancipation and equality.

Lynching

The unlawful execution of individuals, often by a mob, typically targeting African Americans and used as a tool of racial terror in the post-Civil War era.

Sojourner Truth

An African American abolitionist and women's rights activist who was born into slavery and became famous for her speeches and advocacy for both causes.

Missouri Compromise (1820)

A legislative agreement passed to maintain the balance of free and slave states, admitting Missouri as a slave state and Maine as a free state.

Fugitive Slave Act (1850)

Legislation that required the return of escaped slaves to their owners, enforcing stricter penalties for aiding fugitives.

Uncle Tom’s Cabin (1852)

A novel by Harriet Beecher Stowe that depicted the harsh realities of slavery and contributed to the anti-slavery movement in the United States.

Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854)

A controversial law that created the territories of Kansas and Nebraska, allowing settlers to decide on the legality of slavery through popular sovereignty.

Bleeding Kansas (1854-61)

A series of violent confrontations between pro-slavery and anti-slavery factions in Kansas, sparked by the Kansas-Nebraska Act.

Dred Scott Decision (1857)

A landmark Supreme Court ruling that denied citizenship and rights to African American slaves.

Harriet Tubman

An African American abolitionist and political activist who escaped slavery and helped others escape via the Underground Railroad.

The Underground Railroad

A secret network of routes and safe houses used to assist enslaved African Americans in fleeing to free states and Canada.

John Brown

An American abolitionist known for his raid on Harpers Ferry and his belief in armed insurrection against slavery.

Harper’s Ferry Raid (1859)

An attempted slave revolt led by John Brown, aiming to arm enslaved people.

Emancipation Proclamation (1863)

A presidential decree by Abraham Lincoln declaring the freedom of all enslaved people in Confederate states.

Gettysburg Address (1863)

A speech delivered by Abraham Lincoln emphasizing the principles of liberty and equality during the Civil War.

13th Amendment (1865)

The constitutional amendment that abolished slavery in the United States.

14th Amendment (1868)

The constitutional amendment that granted citizenship to all persons born or naturalized in the United States.

15th Amendment (1870)

The constitutional amendment that granted African American men the right to vote.

Freedmen’s Bureau (1865)

A federal agency created to assist freed slaves during the Reconstruction era.

Jim Crow Laws

State and local laws enforcing racial segregation in the Southern United States.

Poll Tax

A fee required to vote, often used to disenfranchise poor and minority voters.

Literacy Test

A requirement for voters to demonstrate reading and writing skills, often disenfranchising African Americans.

Grandfather Clause

A provision allowing individuals to bypass literacy tests and poll taxes if their grandfathers had been eligible to vote before the Civil War.

Ku Klux Klan

A white supremacist hate group known for using intimidation and violence to maintain white dominance.

Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)

A Supreme Court case that upheld racial segregation under the 'separate but equal' doctrine.

“Ain’t I A Woman”

A famous speech delivered by Sojourner Truth advocating for the rights of women.

Abraham Lincoln

The 16th President of the United States who led the country during the Civil War and worked to end slavery.

Abraham Lincoln’s Assassination

The assassination of Abraham Lincoln by John Wilkes Booth in 1865, impacting the Reconstruction era.

End of Reconstruction

The removal of federal troops from the South, leading to the disenfranchisement of African Americans.