Segregation Laws in the South

Jim Crow Laws

Segregation laws in the South
Were state and local laws enforcing racial segregation in the Southern United States
Enacted after the Reconstruction period, these laws continued in force until 1965
Separate bathrooms for whites and blacks
Separate water fountains, separate schools, etc.
“Although important strides were made, Reconstruction failed to provide lasting guarantees of the civil rights of the freedmen.” – Jim Crow Laws exemplify the failure of Reconstruction

Booker T. Washington

He was born into slavery
He founded the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama.
He wrote Up From Slavery, an autobiography.
Believed that African Americans should first concentrate their efforts on trying to achieve economic independence before seeking full social equality
Believed economic prosperity could best be achieved by vocational training or job-related education
He wanted young African Americans to develop skills and attitudes that would help them to survive in an environment of increasing violence and discrimination

W.E.B. Du Bois

He was the first African American to obtain a Ph.D. from Harvard University and became a notable historian and writer
Unlike Booker T. Washington, DuBois urged the next generation of African Americans to move in a new direction
DuBois believed African Americans should agitate for full social and political equality immediately and not rest content with an inferior social and economic status
In his writings, DuBois encouraged African Americans not to define themselves as whites saw them, but to take pride in their dual heritages – as both Africans and Americans
In 1909, he helped form the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (N.A.A.C.P.) – to win rights through the courts

Poll Taxes, Literacy Tests, and Grandfather Clauses

The Fifteenth Amendment gave African American males the right to vote
Poll taxes, literacy tests, and grandfather clauses took that right away
A poll tax was a tax for voting – newly freed slaves could not afford to pay the tax
A literacy test is a difficult test to pass in order to vote – newly freed slaves were often illiterate and could not pass the test
A grandfather clause stated that if a man’s ancestor voted before the Civil War, he could vote and not pay the tax – the ancestors of newly freed slaves could not vote and so newly freed slaves, unlike poor whites, had to pay the poll tax and pass the literacy test in order to vote
Thus, poll taxes, literacy tests, and grandfather clauses kept African Americans from exercising their right to vote

Plessy v. Ferguson

Plessy, a racially mixed man, sat in a railroad car where only whites were permitted
He was arrested for violating a state law that provided “separate but equal” facilities for non-whites
Plessy said this law violated his “equal protection” rights under the 14th Amendment
The Supreme Court held that so long as a state provided “equal” facilities, it could legally separate African Americans from whites
The decision allowed the continuation of “separate but equal” facilities – resulting in whites and African Americans attending different schools, using different water fountains, and bathing in different public beaches
State and local governments restricted the freedoms of African Americans

President Abraham Lincoln’s Goals for Reconstruction

President Abraham Lincoln and his successor, President Andrew Johnson, wanted to restore the Union quickly and heal the nation’s wounds
Lincoln and Johnson wanted a fair and generous peace; they did not want harsh punishments
This, unfortunately, allowed white Southerners to create societies that were still racist and unjust for African Americans
But for Lincoln, the Union should be restored as quickly as possible

Reason for Impeachment of President Andrew Johnson

The underlying reason for the impeachment of President Andrew Johnson wasa power struggle with Congress over Reconstruction
The Radical Republicans in Congress accused President Andrew Johnson of blocking their Reconstruction plan
The Radical Republicans wanted harsh punishments of Confederates and full political and social equality of African Americans
The Radical Republicans did not support Johnson’s plan for Reconstruction

Sharecropping in the South

Freed slaves were only given their freedom; they were not given land or money to start their new lives
As many freed slaves were illiterate and needed to work, they found employment with their former masters as sharecroppers
Sharecroppers farmed for a rich landowner and paid rents to farm the land
The rents, however, were high and sharecroppers were often in debt to the rich landowners
The effect of sharecropping in the South after the Civil War was that it kept formerly enslaved persons economically dependent
In order to survive, sharecroppers needed to farm but without their own lands, they were forced to depend on former masters for their survival

13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution

Formally abolished slavery
“Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.”

Why Southern Voters Supported the Democrats in the late 1800s

White Southern voters usually hated the Republican Party in the late 1800s
For white Southerners, the Republican Party was the party of Lincoln, the Union, and the defeat of the Confederacy
For nearly one hundred years after the Civil War, white Southerners voted for the Democrats
The South was even referred to as the “Solid South” in that it solidly or always voted for the Democrats
Poll taxes, literacy tests, and grandfather clauses prevented African Americans from voting – so, it really was only white Southerners in this “Solid South” and that was unjust
So, during the late 1800s, Southern voters solidly supported the Democratic Party primarily because Democratsdisliked the Reconstruction programs of the Republicans

Black Codes

Under the lenient Reconstruction policies of President Andrew Johnson, white southerners reestablished civil authority in the former Confederate states in 1865 and 1866
White Southerners enacted a series of restrictive laws known as “black codes,” which were designed to restrict freed blacks’ activity and ensure their availability as a labor force now that slavery had been abolished
“Black Codes” restricted the rights of formerly enslaved persons

Radical Republicans’ Plan for Reconstruction

Radical Republicans believed freed slaves were entitled to the same political rights and opportunities as whites
Radical Republicans also believed that the Confederate leaders should be punished for their roles in the Civil War
The provision of the Radical Republicans’ plan for Reconstruction that Southern States found most objectionable was that a former Confederate State could not be readmitted to the Union unless that State ratified the 14th amendment
The 14th amendment gives equal rights to all citizens

The Fourteenth Amendment

Granted citizenship to “all persons born or naturalized in the United States,” which included former slaves recently freed
In addition, it forbids states from denying any person “life, liberty or property, without due process of law” or to “deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws”
It really is the equal rights amendment but it only formally referred to the equal rights of male citizens

Why Southern States Had to Ratify the 14th Amendment

A former Confederate State could not be readmitted to the Union unless that State ratified the 14th amendment

An Experience Shared by most Native Americans in the period from 1860 to 1890

In the period from 1860 to 1890, which experience was shared by most Native Americans living in western states, they were forced to live on reservations
Manifest Destiny may have meant that the United States should stretch from the Atlantic to the Pacific but for Native American Indians, it meant that there lands were being settled by Americans and that their way of life was being destroyed
As more and more Americans moved West onto the Great Plains and beyond, Native American Indians were forced off their lands and onto reservations further west on often undesirable lands

Homestead Act

Passed on May 20, 1862, the Homestead Act accelerated the settlement of the western territory by granting adult heads of families 160 acres of surveyed public land for a minimal filing fee and 5 years of continuous residence on that land
The Homestead Act, enacted during the Civil War in 1862, provided that any adult citizen, or intended citizen, who had never borne arms against the U.S. government could claim 160 acres of surveyed government land
Claimants were required to “improve” the plot by building a dwelling and cultivating the land
After 5 years on the land, the original filer was entitled to the property, free and clear, except for a small registration fee
Title could also be acquired after only a 6-month residency and trivial improvements, provided the claimant paid the government $1.25 per acre
After the Civil War, Union soldiers could deduct the time they had served from the residency requirements
The passage of the Homestead Act and the completion of the transcontinental railroad helped to fulfill the United States commitment to Manifest Destiny but at the expense of the Native American Indians

Manifest Destiny

Manifest Destiny is a term for the attitude prevalent during the 19th century period of American expansion that the United States not only could, but was destined to, stretch from coast to coast
This attitude helped fuel western settlement, Native American removal and war with Mexico
The phrase was first employed by John L. O’Sullivan in an article on the annexation of Texas which he edited
Encouraged westward expansion
The idea that God had destined for the United States to expand from the Atlantic coast to the Pacific coast

Reason for Indian Wars from 1860 to 1890

The Indian Wars that occurred between 1860 and 1890 were mainly the result ofthe movement of settlers onto the Great Plains
As Manifest Destiny fueled westward expansion and the Gold Rush also fueled westward expansion, more and more settlers settled in the West
Native American Indians fought to preserve their lands and way of life but the weapons of the settlers overpowered them
With the destruction of the buffalo by buffalo hunters and settlers, Native American Indians were unable to continue their cultural ways
The U.S. Government relocated the Native American Indians in the West on reservations of undesirable lands

The Dawes Act of 1887

The Dawes Act split up reservations held communally by Native American tribes into smaller units and distributed these units to individuals within the tribe
Also called the General Allotment Act, the law changed the legal status of Native Americans from tribal members to individuals subject to federal laws and dissolved many tribal affiliations
The Dawes Act’s goal was to encourage Native Americans to integrate into American agrarian culture
The passage of the Dawes Act in 1887 was primarily an attempt by the United States government to encourage Native American Indians to give up their traditional cultures and assimilate

Reasons for the Decline of the Plains Indians

Westward Expansion and Manifest Destiny led many Americans to settle on the Great Plains
As Americans settled, they farmed on the Great Plains but the Plains Indians were primarily nomadic hunters dependent on the buffalo and these new American farmers interfered with their way of life
In addition, American buffalo hunters killed many buffalo making it impossible for the Plains Indians to survive – the buffalo provided for all of their needs
The Homestead Act, the mass killing of buffalo, and the completion of the transcontinental railroad are most closely associated with the decline of the Plains Indians

Why the U.S. Government Granted Land to Railroad Companies from 1865 to 1900

In the period from 1865 to 1900, the United States Government aided the development of the West by granting land to railroad companies
Why would the U.S. government grant or essentially give free land to railroad companies during a time period when it advocated free-market capitalism or laissez-faire policies? The answer is to make it possible for these companies to create a transcontinental railroad or a railroad that connected the Atlantic coast to the Pacific coast
A transcontinental railroad benefitted all Americans as it connected Americans and increased trade and transportation
Of course, a transcontinental railroad harmed Native American Indians as it ensured that more Americans would settle in the West

Why Business Owners Formed Monopolies after the Civil War

What business owner would not like a monopoly?
A monopoly occurs when a single seller controls the market
A monopolist is the only seller of a particular product and therefore makes all the money possible from the sale of that good
In a monopoly, there is no competition; the monopolist or single seller never has to worry about other businesses or the quality of the competitor’s goods
After the Civil War, one way business leaders tried to eliminate competition was by forming monopolies
A monopoly is guaranteed to increase the profits of the monopolist
Monopolies, however, hurt consumers as consumers pay higher prices for poor quality goods
Competition is great for buyers but not great for sellers

Goals of Labor Unions in the 19th Century

A labor union is an organization of workers that promotes higher wages and safer working conditions
Unions formed in the 19th century because many workers worked long hours in unsafe conditions
A single worker is powerless against a powerful corporation but workers united have more power
The goals of labor unions in the 19th century was to increase wages, reduce working hours to an 8-hour day, and improve working conditions in factories
In the 19th century, the major national labor unions wanted to improve the position of workers mainly byobtaining the legal right to organize and bargain collectively
Collective bargaining means that the representatives of the union meet with the business owners to negotiate a new labor contract
Collective bargaining is very important to workers as it allows workers to participate in what the work environment and their wages will be

Nativism

Nativism is an anti-immigrant attitude
This hate-filled attitude views immigrants negatively
Nativism in the late 19th century was motivated primarily by hostility toward immigrant workers
Immigrant workers would often work for lower wages as they were desperate for employment
In addition, in the late 1800s, the “New Immigrants” arrived from southern and eastern Europe
These “New Immigrants” did not speak the English language and were often Catholics or Jews
The “Old Immigrants” had come from England and Northern Europe and were Protestants as well as English-speakers [although the Irish were Catholics and did face discrimination in the United States]
The “Old Immigrants” were often hostile to the “New Immigrants” and treated the “New Immigrants” poorly

Laissez-Faire Capitalism (1865-1900)

“Let them do [businesses] as they please” – this is what this French term means
Laissez-faire capitalism is free market capitalism
It means that government does not intervene in the market
Sellers are free to sell what they want with no government restrictions and buyers are free to buy what they can afford with no government restrictions
Laissez-faire capitalism best describes United States economic policy during the era of the rise of big business (1865-1900)
In this era, business owners could do what they want even when what they did lead to unsafe products being sold in the market
According to the theory of laissez faire, the economy functions best when the government does not interfere in business

Definition of Monopoly

The term business monopoly can best be described asa company that controls or dominates an industry
A monopoly is a single seller in the market
Monopolies lead to high prices and poor quality of goods
A monopoly eliminates competition; this is good for the single seller as his profits increase but bad for consumers

Social Darwinism

Social Darwinists misapplied Charles Darwin’s “Survival of the Fittest”
Social Darwinists believed that there were stronger races and thus stronger individuals
They believed that the strong should dominate the weak
The 19th-century philosophy of Social Darwinism maintained that economic success came to those who were the hardest working and most competent
Therefore, Social Darwinists believed that the poor were poor because they were lazy and not competent
Social Darwinists believed that the monopolist was simply the most fit individual and therefore was meant to be a monopolist
Fortunately, this idea has been challenged and is largely discredited today
Social Darwinism was also used to justify imperialism and poverty in the world
It categorized the individual as the superior individual or the inferior individual

Effects of Industrial Revolution