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Emancipation Proclamation
aka the 13th amendment.
- all slaves were formally freed and were no longer property
- African Americans could legally marry, own property, and travel -
KKK formation
pattern:
↑ civil rights, ↑ KKK membership and activity.
↓ civil rights, ↓ KKK membership and activity. -
'40 Acres and a Mule' introduced
Largely unsuccessful due a lack of farming equipment available. 40,000 African Americans received this land. -
Period: to
Reconstruction
aimed to bring the Southern states into the Union. -
Civil Rights Act
all Americans (apart from Natives) had their civil rights protected by the government. -
Military Reconstruction Act
Southern rebel states were to be divided into five military districts.
- required to create a new state constitution that included equal rights for black Americans -
14th amendment passed
citizenship was granted to all born in the US and had equal protection under the law. -
15th amendment passed
voting rights of black men were to be protected. -
Slaughterhouse Cases
14th amendment protected federal citizenship and did not extend to civil rights granted by states.
- stripped back what it protected to basic things that were likely already going to be protected by states anyways
- states could impose discriminatory laws without violating the constitution
- made the 14th amendment almost redundant -
US vs Cruikshank
the Supreme Court ruled that the federal government didn't have the constitutional power to prosecute individuals who attempted to impair the civil rights of other citizens.
- began after a riot in which 70 African Americans were murdered by white Democrats who some were criminally charged. -
Compromise of 1877
resolved the presidential debate between Hayes (R) and Tilden (D)
- Hayes could become president if he agreed to remove federal troops from the South and give Southerners home rule (more independence) ended the reconstruction era
- signified the end of the Republicans' federal support for African American civil rights as they were no longer enforcing racial equality, letting Southern states rapidly disadvantage them. -
Plessy vs Ferguson
The SC ruled that racial segregation laws were constitutional so long as facilities were 'separate but equal'. -
Mississippi vs Williams
The SC ruled that voter registration requirements (like Poll tax and literacy tests) were not discriminatory because they applied to all voters. By de facto, they didn't; white people could bypass them leaving them as barriers to African Americans. -
Niagara Movement formation
They were a group of intellectuals who called for political change. However, their reach was limited due to a lack of funding and were poorly perceived because they were too confrontational. -
Springfield Race Riots
A white mob of 5,000 attacked Black Americans in Springfield. Very few were convicted due to all-white juries supporting white supremacy. -
NAACP formation
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People aimed to ensure political and educational equality as well as eliminate racial prejudice. -
US vs Guinn
All Grandfather clauses were revoked after being deemed unconstitutional for violating the 15th amendment