midterm 1 review
1. Civil War (American Yawp - Chapter 14)
How did policymakers compromise over the question of slavery in the West?
Missouri Compromise (1820): This compromise aimed to balance the number of free and slave states by admitting Missouri as a slave state and Maine as a free state. It also drew a line (36°30' parallel) across the Louisiana Territory to limit slavery's expansion northward.
Compromise of 1850: To avoid conflict over slavery in newly acquired territories after the Mexican-American War, this compromise admitted California as a free state, implemented a stricter Fugitive Slave Law, and allowed popular sovereignty (states could decide for themselves) in territories like Utah and New Mexico.
How did conflict over states' rights contribute to sectional conflict?
Southern states argued that they had the right to govern themselves and resist federal laws they opposed (e.g., slavery). The Nullification Crisis (1832) is an example, where South Carolina opposed tariffs. This belief led to the idea of secession, as many Southern states believed they could leave the Union over issues like slavery, which became the key factor that started the Civil War.
How and why did slavery end in the United States?
Emancipation Proclamation (1863): Issued by President Abraham Lincoln, it declared freedom for slaves in Confederate-held territory. It didn’t immediately free all slaves but redefined the Civil War as a fight against slavery.
13th Amendment (1865): Officially abolished slavery throughout the entire United States.
How did the Civil War transform American government?
The Civil War significantly strengthened the power of the federal government. The conflict led to the first income tax, the expansion of federal infrastructure (railroads), and the reassertion of federal power over states. It also set precedents for civil rights protections, with the Reconstruction Amendments (13th, 14th, 15th Amendments).
2. Reconstruction (Foner, Chapter 15)
In what sense did the Reconstruction amendments mark a second founding of the United States?
The 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments fundamentally transformed the American political system by abolishing slavery (13th), granting citizenship and equal protection under the law (14th), and securing voting rights for African American men (15th). Together, these amendments established a new, inclusive foundation for American democracy.
How did Black families, churches, schools, and other institutions contribute to the development of African-American culture and political activism during Reconstruction?
Black families played a central role in creating stability and independence after emancipation.
Black churches were key in fostering a sense of community, political organizing, and education.
Black schools emerged as vital institutions for African Americans to gain education, as the Freedmen's Bureau helped establish schools for formerly enslaved people.
How did the failure of land reform and continued poverty lead to new forms of servitude for both Blacks and whites?
Sharecropping emerged as a new system where African Americans worked land in exchange for a share of the crop. It became a cycle of debt, as workers often owed more than they earned. This system essentially replaced slavery with another form of economic servitude.
3. Reconstruction and the “New South” (Foner, Chapter 17)
Who were the redeemers and how did they change society and politics in the New South?
Redeemers were Southern Democrats who sought to "redeem" the South from Republican rule and the influence of Reconstruction. They implemented policies that restored white supremacy through violence, disenfranchisement of African Americans, and the establishment of Jim Crow laws.
How did changes in politics, economics, social factors, and violence interact to affect the situation of African-Americans in the New South?
Politics: Redeemers restored Democratic control, implementing policies that excluded Black people from political participation.
Economics: Sharecropping and tenant farming kept many African Americans in poverty and debt.
Social Factors: Racial segregation was legally codified through Jim Crow laws.
Violence: The rise of groups like the Ku Klux Klan and racial terrorism intimidated African Americans and suppressed their political and social mobility.
4. Supplemental Readings and Lectures
Compromise of 1820 and 1850
Both were efforts to maintain a balance between slave and free states. The Compromise of 1820 set the precedent with the Missouri Compromise Line, while the Compromise of 1850 aimed to address the sectional conflicts that arose from the Mexican-American War. The latter included the controversial Fugitive Slave Act and gave new territories the option of popular sovereignty.
Trail of Tears and Indian Removal
The Indian Removal Act (1830) authorized the forced relocation of Native Americans from their ancestral lands in the Southeastern U.S. to lands west of the Mississippi River. The Trail of Tears refers to the forced march that resulted in the deaths of thousands of Cherokee people as they were relocated.
Fugitive Slave Law and “Contraband” Policies
The Fugitive Slave Law (1850) required that escaped slaves be returned to their owners, even from free states. In contrast, during the Civil War, “contraband” referred to escaped slaves who were considered enemy property by Union forces and were therefore not returned to their masters.
John Brown and Bleeding Kansas
John Brown was an abolitionist who believed in using violence to overthrow slavery. His actions in Bleeding Kansas (1855-1856), where he led raids against pro-slavery settlers, escalated tensions that contributed to the outbreak of the Civil War.
The Second Middle Passage
This term refers to the internal slave trade that developed after the Atlantic slave trade was banned in 1808. Enslaved individuals were sold within the U.S., often from the Upper South to the Deep South.
Black Social and Political Networks during Reconstruction
The Freedmen’s Bureau was pivotal in helping former slaves transition to freedom by providing education, legal aid, and support. African Americans built strong social and political networks, which became the foundation for later civil rights movements.
Colfax Massacre and United States v. Cruikshank
The Colfax Massacre (1873) was a violent attack by white supremacists on a predominantly Black town in Louisiana, killing at least 150 Black people. The United States v. Cruikshank Supreme Court case in 1876 ruled that the federal government could not protect individuals from private acts of violence, weakening civil rights protections for African Americans.
Compromise of 1877
This compromise ended Reconstruction by withdrawing federal troops from the South. In exchange, Rutherford B. Hayes became president. This marked the end of federal efforts to protect African Americans' rights in the South.
Racial Terrorism and Ida B. Wells
Ida B. Wells was an African-American journalist and activist who campaigned against lynching. Her writings exposed the widespread racial violence against Black people in the South, and her efforts were key in the anti-lynching movement.
The “Lost Cause” and Confederate Monuments
The Lost Cause narrative sought to romanticize the Confederacy and downplay the role of slavery in the Civil War. After Reconstruction, Confederate monuments were erected to symbolize this idealized version of the South.
5. Primary Sources
Declarations of Causes of Secession and Cornerstone Speech (Alexander Stephens)
These documents reflect the South’s reasons for seceding, with Stephens’s speech explicitly stating that slavery was the foundation of the Confederacy.
Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation
The Emancipation Proclamation (1863) declared that all slaves in Confederate states were free. It was a war measure to weaken the Confederacy and align the Union cause with abolition.
Petition of the Black Residents of Nashville (1865)
This petition outlined the political and social demands of African Americans after the Civil War, focusing on civil rights and the need for federal protection.
Sharecropping Contract
This contract demonstrated the economic dependence created by sharecropping, where Black families worked land in exchange for a portion of the crop, often leading to debt.
Mississippi Black Code
The Black Codes were laws passed in the South to limit the rights of freedmen. The Mississippi Black Code severely restricted African Americans’ movements, employment, and legal rights.
The Reconstruction Amendments (13th, 14th, 15th)
These amendments abolished slavery (13th), granted citizenship and equal protection (14th), and secured voting rights for African American men (15th).
Frederick Douglass’s “Composite Nation”
Douglass argued for a multi-racial American identity, advocating for equality and the integration of African Americans into the broader national community.
Ida B. Wells, “Lynch Law in Georgia”
This powerful work condemned the widespread practice of lynching in the South, urging for social change and justice for Black victims.