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History Block II Review Information Westward Expansion after the Revolution Review from prior block: 13 original colonies: Maine, New York, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia. Won independence from England in 1781. The Treaty of Paris of 1783 formally ended the American Revolution. England ceded all lands west of the original colonies to the Mississippi River (except Florida) to the new United States of America: Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, West VA, Kentucky, Vermont, New Hampshire, Mississippi, Alabama. Louisiana Purchase from France (1803) – France owned Louisiana (everything west of 13 colonies to Rocky Mountains) Bought from France for $15 million ($219 million today). Doubled the size of the U.S. Purchasing new lands was not in constitution, but Jefferson thought it was too important and bought territory for $15 million doubling the size of the country (800K sq miles and 200K people). Sent James Monroe to France to do negotiating. Originally wanted to purchase New Orleans for $2 million. Were surprised when Napoleon offered the entire territory. New Material: Thomas Jefferson, president, sent Lewis and Clark to scout west of the Mississippi River ( Montana, N Dakota, S Dakota, Minnesota, Wyoming, Nebraska, Iowa, Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, Arkansas, Oklahoma. Meriwether Lewis and William Clark Expedition – 1804-1806. Started in St. Louis on Mississippi River. Indian Guide was a 17-year-old Shoshone Indian guide named Sacagawea. Returned after two years after many thought were dead (only 1 person died). Made it to the Pacific Ocean via the Missouri and Columbia Rivers. Ceded - To take land by “treaty” Annexed - To take land by “force” Territory - Land before it becomes a formal state Monroe Doctrine - 1823 Written by John Quincy Adams when he was Secretary of State. New attempts to colonize Americas (entire Western Hemisphere) are seen as acts of aggression. Existing European colonies were not included in this. 1 The idea of Manifest Destiny was that the United States was destined to expand across the continent from the Atlantic seaboard to the Pacific Ocean. Advocates believed that this expansion was not only wise, but that it was obvious (manifest) and unchangeable (destiny). Term used by congressman and newspaper editors in mid 1800’s that the US was destined (by God) to expand coast to coast. Treaty with Spain in 1819 – got Florida.. Ceded by formal treaty for $5M. Western boundary in dispute between Spain and US. Dispute over Spain’s claim to Oregon Territory was also resolved by Florida treaty of 1819. Texas was an Independent Republic (country) in 1836 “Lone Star State”. Annexed to U.S. in 1845 becoming 28th state. Pressure to make it a slave state to maintain balance of power. (“Texas or Disunion” was campaign slogan in the south). Many bloody battles, including the Alamo. Texas was admitted without the formality of a treaty. It added 376,000 square miles to the territory of the United States. Treaty with Great Britain for the Oregon Country in 1846 – U.S. got Idaho, Washington, Oregon. Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo 1848 – ended Mexican-American war (184648). Received Alta California, Nevada, Utah, New Mexico, Arizona. Discovery of gold in California create rush that increased population enough to apply or statehood in 1849. As it was a free state, it tipped the balance of in favor of the union, reigniting the slavery issue. Gadsden Purchase - In 1853 the United States bought from Mexico a strip of land for $10M, now forming that part of Arizona and New Mexico lying south of the Gila River and extending from the Rio Grande, near El Paso, on the east, to the Colorado River on the west. GEN. JAMES GADSDEN was at that time ambassador to Mexico and negotiated the transfer, and this territory, 45,000 square miles, has always borne his name. It was needed for southern route of Transcontinental Railroad. Alaska - This valuable fur and mineral producing country was first claimed by Russia by right of discovery. By treaty of March 30, 1867, ratified by the Senate in special session, June 20, 1867, Russia ceded the whole of the territory, 557,390 square miles in extent, to the United States for $7,200,000. Hawaii – Annexed 1898. Trails of the American West Be familiar and be able to identify the following Trails: Lewis and Clark 2 Overland/Pioneer Trails Transcontinental Railroad (Union and Central Pacific) Trail of Tears (Indian Removal) Plight of Native Americans 1823 – Supreme Court decision that NA could occupy but not own land in US. “No Title/No Land” 1830 – President Andrew Jackson’s “Indian Removal Act”. By 1837, the Jackson administration had removed most Native American people from their land east of the Mississippi and had secured 94 treaties. Most members of the five southeastern nations (Choctaw, Chickasaw, Creek, Cherokee, Seminole) had been relocated west, opening 25 million acres of land to white settlement and to slavery. Early Pioneers: Overland Trail The Mormon Trail or Mormon Pioneer Trail is the 1,300 miles route that members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints traveled from 1846 to 1868. The Mormon Trail extends from Nauvoo, Illinois, principal settlement of the Latter Day Saints from 1839 to 1846, to Salt Lake City, Utah, which was settled by Brigham Young and his followers beginning in 1847. Transcontinental Railroad The First Transcontinental RR in the United States was built in the 1860s, considered to be one of the greatest technological feats of the 19th century. One of the crowning achievements of the presidency of Abraham Lincoln, completed four years after his death. Lincoln signed into law the Pacific Railway act on July 1, 1862 an act establishing two main Rail lines -- the Central Pacific from the west and the Union Pacific from the east. Completed on May 10, 1869, it gave America a nation-wide transportation network, forever changing the American West. Motivated in part to bind California to the Union during the American Civil War. It accelerated the populating of the West by white homesteaders and freed slaves Slavery in the U.S. Before the American Revolution, slavery existed in all 13 colonies. It had begun in the earliest days of the English colonies as a means of cheap labor, and filled a void when indentured servants from England became harder to come by. From the beginnings of slavery in British North America around 1619, when a Dutch ship ran aground near Jamestown and brought 20 enslaved Africans to the Virginia colony, nearly 240 years 3 passed until the Thirteenth Amendment to the U. S. Constitution officially ended slavery in 1865. This means that about 12 generations of blacks survived and lived in America as enslaved people-direct descendants of the nearly 500,000 enslaved Africans imported into North America by European slave traders. After the Revolution the new Northern states--those of New England along with New York, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey--came to see slavery as contradictory to the ideals of the Revolution and instituted programs of gradual emancipation. By 1820 there were only about 3,000 slaves in the North, they were not a vital part of Northern economies. There were plenty of free white men to do the sort of labor slaves performed. Circumstances in the newly formed Southern states were quite different. The African American population, both slave and free, was much larger. Southern whites were convinced that free blacks would be savages--a threat to white survival. So Southerners believed that slavery was necessary as a means of race control. Of equal importance in the Southern states was the economic role that slaves played. These states were much more dependent on the agricultural sector of their economies than were Northern ones. Northeastern economy consisted of industries and factories building trains, canons, stoves, steel mills, railroad ties and track, building braces, furnaces, steel bridges, carriages, cooking pots, utensils, farm equipment. There were small farms and homesteads, but mostly bustling cities with little need for slavery. The southern economy depended on large farms (plantations) growing cotton, tobacco, sugar, corn, and potatoes. They needed workers to harvest their crops. Their solution was to kidnap and buy huge numbers of Africans and ship them to America. A man’s wealth was counted in the number of slaves he owned. Most Southerners did not own large numbers of slaves, only large plantation owners. Two initially unrelated events caused slavery to become entrenched in the Southern States. They were the invention of the cotton gin by Eli Whitney of Connecticut in 1793 and the closing of the international slave trade in 1808. Along with this expansion in cotton growing came a restriction on the supply of slaves needed to grow it. The transatlantic slave trade was one of the most savage and inhumane practices in which people have ever engaged. The writers of the Constitution had recognized its evil, but to accommodate the demands of slave owners in the lower South, they had agreed to permit the transatlantic slave trade 4 to continue for twenty years (The Great Silence) after the Constitution was ratified. Thus, it was not until 1808 that Congress passed legislation ending the transatlantic trade. This caused slaves to be in high demand, and expensive to replace. The numbers of slaves increased naturally after this point, not from an increase in importation of new slaves from Africa. As a result, the vast majority of African Americans in slavery in the United States after 1810 were not African captives, but native-born Americans, some of whose ancestors had been in this country nearly as long as the oldest white families. Timeline of Events leading to the Civil War 1784 Abolition Effort. Congress narrowly defeats Thomas Jefferson’s proposal to ban slavery in new territories after 1800. (from prior block) 1787 Northwest Ordinance bans slavery in the Northwest Territory; makes Ohio River the boundary between free and slave territory between the Appalachian Mountains and the Mississippi River. Mason and Dixon line remains the dividing line in east. (from prior block) 1790—First United States Census. Nearly 700,000 slaves live and toil in a nation of 3.9 million people. 1793 Fugitive Slave Act The United States outlaws any efforts to impede the capture of runaway slaves. 1794—Cotton Gin Eli Whitney patents his device for pulling seeds from cotton. The invention turns cotton into the cash crop of the American South—and creates a huge demand for slave labor. 1808 United States Bans Slave Trade. Importing African slaves is outlawed, but smuggling continues. 1820—Missouri Compromise Missouri is admitted to the Union as a slave state, Maine as a free state. Slavery is forbidden in any subsequent territories north of latitude 36°30´. Slave population in Census: 1,538,000 1822 Slave Revolt: South Carolina Freed slave Denmark Vesey attempts a rebellion in Charleston. Thirty-five participants in the ill-fated uprising are hanged. (Not in laminates/keynote) 1829 David Walker publishes Appeal to the Colored Citizens of the World calling on slaves to revolt. (Not in laminates/keynote) 1831 Slave Revolt: Virginia Slave preacher Nat Turner leads a two-day uprising against whites, killing about 60. Militiamen crush the revolt then spend two months searching for Turner, who is eventually caught and hanged. Enraged Southerners impose harsher restrictions on their slaves. William Lloyd Garrison begins publishing The Liberator. 1835 Censorship: Southern states expel abolitionists and forbid the mailing of antislavery propaganda. 1846-48 Mexican-American War. Defeated, Mexico yields an enormous amount of territory to the United States. Americans then wrestle with a 5 controversial topic: Is slavery permitted in the new lands? 1847 Frederick Douglass’s Newspaper. Escaped slave Frederick Douglass begins publishing the North Star in Rochester, New York. 1849 Harriet Tubman. Escapes After fleeing slavery, Tubman returns south at least 15 times to help rescue several hundred others. 1850 Compromise of 1850 In exchange for California’s entering the Union as a free state, northern congressmen accept a harsher Fugitive Slave Act. 1852 Uncle Tom’s Cabin Published Harriet Beecher Stowe’s novel about the horrors of slavery sells 300,000 copies within a year of publication. 1854 Kansas-Nebraska Act Setting aside the Missouri Compromise of 1820, Congress allows these two new territories to choose whether to allow slavery. Violent clashes erupt. In uproar against Kansas-Nebraska Act, new Republican party is formed with anti-slavery base across North. Abraham Lincoln emerges as Republican leader in West. The Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854 created the territories of Kansas and Nebraska, opened new lands, repealed the Missouri Compromise of 1820, and allowed settlers in those territories to determine if they would allow slavery within their boundaries. The act was designed by Democratic Senator Stephen A. Douglas of Illinois. 1857 Dred Scott Decision The United States Supreme Court decides, seven to two, that blacks can never be citizens and that Congress has no authority to outlaw slavery in any federal territory. The Court also ruled that because slaves were not citizens, they could not sue in court. Lastly, the Court ruled that slaves—as chattel or private property—could not be taken away from their owners without due process. 1858 Lincoln and Douglas debate; Lincoln emerges as nationally known moderate spokesman for Republicans. He loses senate bid to Douglas – but edits and publishes transcripts from debates into book. 1859 John Brown attempts to ignite slave rebellion in Virginia by attack on federal armory at Harper's Ferry; no rebellion; captured, tried for treason to state of Virginia, and hung; becomes martyr to North; alarms South as exemplar of fanatical Yankee abolitionist trying to start bloody race war; Republican Party disavows Brown, who had financial support from Boston abolitionists. 1860 Slave population in Census: 3,954,000 1860 Abraham Lincoln Elected Abraham Lincoln of Illinois becomes the first Republican to win the United States Presidency. Biography of Frederick Douglass 1817(8)-1895 A mostly self-taught, fugitive slave who was a crusader for the abolition of slavery and women’s rights. He became a publisher, author, and orator as well as an advisor to President Lincoln during the Civil War, helping to 6 recruit black soldiers for the Union. He was the first black to serve officially in the US Government. Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad Harriet Tubman was a fugitive slave, who after achieving freedom became a conductor on the “Underground Railroad”. She led 19 trips, freeing over 300 slaves without ever being caught or losing a slave. At one point there was a $40,000 reward for her capture. Later during the Civil War, she served as a nurse and spy for the union. During this time there were states in the northern United States where slavery was outlawed. Slaves would try to escape to the north using the Underground Railroad. This wasn't a real railroad. It was a number of safe homes (called stations) that hid slaves as they traveled north. The people that helped the slaves were called conductors. Slaves would move from station to station at night, hiding in the woods or sneaking onto trains until they finally reached the north and freedom. Compromise of 1850 1850 – California applies for statehood. Threatened the balance of power in the Senate. Compromise of 1850 – Henry Clay wrote the deal in the Senate: California would be admitted as a free state. To pacify slavestate politicians, who would have objected to the imbalance created by adding another free state, the Fugitive Slave Act was passed. Of all the bills that made up the Compromise of 1850, the Fugitive Slave Act was the most controversial. It required citizens to assist in the recovery of fugitive slaves. It denied a fugitive's right to a jury trial. Also, according to the act, there would be more federal officials responsible for enforcing the law. For slaves attempting to build lives in the North, the new law was disaster. Many left their homes and fled to Canada. During the next ten years, an estimated 20,000 blacks moved to the neighboring country. many were captured and returned to slavery. Free blacks, too, were captured and sent to the South. With no legal right to plead their cases, they were completely defenseless. Anyone caught helping a fugitive slave would be fined $1000 or be imprisoned. The South Secedes Secede: withdraw formally from membership in a federal union, an alliance, or a political or religious organization. 7 When Abraham Lincoln, a known opponent of slavery, was elected president in November 1860, along with Republican Party majorities in the House of Representative and Senate, the South Carolina legislature perceived a threat. Calling a state convention in December 1860, the delegates voted to remove the state of South Carolina from the union known as the United States of America. The secession of South Carolina was followed by the secession of six more states a month later -Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, and Texas -- and the threat of secession by four more -- Virginia, Arkansas, Tennessee, and North Carolina. These eleven states eventually formed the Confederate States of America. February 1861 -- The South Creates a Government. At a convention in Montgomery, Alabama, the seven seceding states created the Confederate Constitution, a document similar to the United States Constitution, but with greater stress on the autonomy of each state. Slavery is permitted in the constitution, but it is still illegal to import slaves. Jefferson Davis was named provisional president of the Confederacy until elections could be held. February 1861 -- The South Seizes Federal Forts. When President James Buchanan -- Lincoln's predecessor -- refused to surrender southern federal forts to the seceding states, southern state troops seized them. At Fort Sumter, South Carolina troops repulsed a supply ship trying to reach federal forces based in the fort. The ship was forced to return to New York, its supplies undelivered. March 1861 -- Lincoln's Inauguration. At Lincoln's inauguration on March 4, the new president said he had no plans to end slavery in those states where it already existed, but he also said he would not accept secession. He hoped to resolve the national crisis without warfare. April 1861 -- Attack on Fort Sumter. When President Lincoln planned to send supplies to Fort Sumter, he alerted the state in advance, in an attempt to avoid hostilities. South Carolina, however, feared a trick; the commander of the fort, Robert Anderson, was asked to surrender immediately. Anderson offered to surrender, but only after he had exhausted his supplies. His offer was rejected, and on April 12, the Civil War began with shots fired on the fort. Fort Sumter eventually was surrendered to South Carolina. April 1861 -- Four More States Join the Confederacy. The attack on Fort Sumter prompted four more states to join the Confederacy: North Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee, and Arkansas. With 8 Virginia's secession, Richmond was named the Confederate capitol. June 1861 -- West Virginia Is Born. Residents of the western counties of Virginia did not wish to secede along with the rest of the state. This section of Virginia was admitted into the Union as the state of West Virginia on June 20, 1863. June 1861 -- Four Slave States Stay in the Union. Despite their acceptance of slavery, Delaware, Kentucky, Maryland, and Missouri did not join the Confederacy. Although divided in their loyalties, a combination of political maneuvering and Union military pressure kept these states from seceding. Biography of Abraham Lincoln Summary - Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president of the U.S., guided his country through the most devastating experience in its national history – the Civil War. He is considered by many historians to have been the greatest American president and is largely responsible for the emancipation of slaves and the Transcontinental Railroad. The Civil War Most people in the North and the South thought the war would last only a few months. Southerners liked soldiering – they were adventurous and heroic. The southern generals were distinguished graduates of West Point. They were sure the Yankees were cowards. They waited eagerly to meet them on the battlefield – they’d scare the Yankees to death! Or so they boasted to their wives and girlfriends. The northern men were just as confident. They thought there would be one big battle, and the war would be over. They believed in the North’s advantages: more men, more industry, more money. They were sure the Southerners were lazy – after all, didn’t they have slaves to do all their work for them? They’d run for the hills in the face of an attack by the North! Or so they boasted to their wives and girlfriends. Both sides believed in their own superiority, but they both had advantages and disadvantages: Strengths Population North Industry Weaknesses Had to invade and hold the South Goals Blockade southern ports Always on the Control the 9 Resources offensive Navy Capture the CSA capital, Richmond, Virginia Railroad system South Lincoln – intelligent leadership Fought on their own soil, defending their homes Superior military leaders Mississippi River and cut the South in two Small population of soldiers Few weapons factories Few food farms Win recognition as an independent nation Defend their homeland Fewer trains for transport Leadership - South As soon as the South seceded, President Lincoln summoned Robert E. Lee to the White House and offered him the command of the Union army. Lee thought hard about this choice, but could not accept. He said, “ I oppose secession and I deprecate war, yet I can take no part in an invasion of the Southern states.” Later that day he resigned his command in the army of the United States. Within a few months, President Jefferson Davis of the CSA offered Lee the command of the Confederate army. He accepted. Leadership – North There were numerous Generals in the North and President Lincoln was often dissatisfied with their performance and fired several of them. North Union – General Winfield Scott lead Mexican American war. “Old fuss and feathers”. To obese to mount his horse – out of shape. Great mind – thought war would last 2-3 years. Developed Anaconda Plan (strangle – slow death) – eventually what happened. People thought he was crazy – war would only last a few weeks. Lincoln fired him. Lincoln hired George Brinton McClellan. Go for heart – attach capital (Richmond) and end war quickly. 35 years old – posed like Napoleon. Strong-Handsome looking. Very good organizational skills. One problem – he didn’t like to fight. Always thought he was outnumbered. Eventually 10 blew attack on Richmond – major setback. Lincoln “If you are not using the Army, can I borrow them for a few days?” Lincoln went though other generals – none of them fought how he wanted. Lincoln eventually found someone he liked, Ulysses S. Grant, or U.S. Grant. He was winning battles out west. He trapped a whole confederate army and took them all prisoner. Lincoln called him “the quietest little fellow you ever saw”. Went to West Point. Average student – but too small to excel in any sports except horse riding. Fought in Mexican American war – there he met once met General Robert E. Lee. Grant would eventually win the war and become so famous he would become president. Warfare There was very little preparation before the was on either side – a lot was learned as the war progressed and there was a lot of disorganization Many battles had different names by the Confederates and Union troops. For example: the confederate name was “Manassas”, named for a railroad depot nearby, and the Union name was “Bull Run” for a nearby stream. Over 620,000 Americans died in battle or from disease. This is more than all wars combined in US History. Battle of Gettysburg had almost as many deaths as entire Vietnam War and was bloodiest battle overall Battle of Antietam was bloodiest single day in US History. South was left in ruins – way worse than Europe after WWII. North left in debt. Southern soldiers had to steal boots and clothes off of dead union soldiers after battles. North wore blue uniforms, South wore grey. Reconstruction Just six days after Lee’s surrender to Grant, Presidential Lincoln was dead, killed by an assassin’s bullet. The man who wanted to be lenient to the South with “malice toward none” was now gone. All across the South, everything was collapsed and in disarray. There was no government, no courts, no post offices, no sheriffs, no police. There were 4 million free slaves who couldn’t read or write, who wanted to learn, but had no chance. Lincoln was “moderate republican” – another group called the “Radical Republicans” wanted to move more aggressively to deal with confederates and abolish slavery. Lincoln was for a quicker and easier 11 solution to reconstruction. Lincoln stated that confederates must first surrender and accept Emancipation Proclamation (later becomes 13th Amendment to the constitution in December 1965) and 10% of voting population must take oath of allegiance to Union. Even radical republicans feared what would happen in 1870 when census took place. They were concerned the south would regain power just due to added population. Should former slaves be counted more than 3/5ths? One Illinois Republican expressed a common fear that if the South were allowed to simply restore its previous established powers, that the "reward of treason will be an increased representation" Lincoln’s assassination in 1865 changed the political environment. Andrew Johnson Era began. Andrew Johnson, VP took over presidency. He was a southerner from Tennessee and a democrat. How did that happen? Explanation – only southern senator to remain loyal to union. Lincoln appointed him military governor of Tennessee during war. Lincoln new he needed someone like Johnson for reconstruction –and added him to the ticket in the election of 1864. Today that would be unheard of – but the country was in unique circumstances and Lincoln was an “out of the box” political thinker. As VP, Andrew Johnson had taken a hard line and spoke of hanging rebel Confederates, but when he succeeded Lincoln as President, Johnson took a much softer line, pardoning many Confederate leaders and former Confederates. Jefferson Davis was held in prison for two years and later fled the country for several years, but other Confederate leaders were not. There was another conflict. While Johnson supported the abolition of slavery, he, like many southerners, did not really believe in equality so he tried to veto many actions by the radical republicans to establish rights for the newly freedmen. In March 1865, Congress had established the Freedmen's Bureau. The Bureau provided food, clothing, and fuel to destitute former slaves and white refugees, as well as advice on negotiating labor contracts. It attempted to oversee new relations between freedmen and their former masters. Many northerners came south to help the F.B. – including former slave and teachers. Freed slaves were hungry for education. In December 1865, the 13th Amendment was passed abolishing slavery and indentured servitude. Southern states regained their voting rights through series of compromises with Johnson and Radical Republicans. Approximately 10-15K 12 confederates lost their voting rights, but far less than what the Radical Republicans wanted. Southern state governments quickly enacted the restrictive "black codes". The Black Codes indicated the plans of the southern whites for the former slaves. The freedmen would have more rights than did free blacks before the war, but they still had only a limited set of second-class civil rights, no voting rights, and, since they were not citizens, they could not own firearms, serve on a jury in a lawsuit involving whites or move about without employment. The Black Codes would limit blacks' ability to control their own employment. The Black Codes outraged the Radical Republicans. They tried to overthrow them, but Johnson vetoed them, saying they violate states rights. In 1866 elections, the Radical Republicans gained enough control of congress to override a presidential veto. Black codes were overthrown by the Civil Rights Act of 1866 that gave the Freedmen full legal equality (except for the right to vote). Democratic party emerged in south became the “white” party. Blacks in south began to be terrorized by whites. A group that wore masks emerged, eventually becoming the KKK or Klu Klux Klan. None of the killings or crimes against blacks seemed to be brought to justice. The last moderate proposal was the Fourteenth Amendment. It was designed to put the key provisions of the Civil Rights Act into the Constitution, but it went much further. It extended citizenship to everyone born in the United States (except visitors and Indians on reservations), penalized states that did not give the vote to Freedmen, and most importantly, created new federal civil rights that could be protected by federal courts. Johnson used his influence to block the amendment in the states since three-fourths of the states were required for ratification (the amendment was later ratified in July 1968.). More political tension with Johnson ensued. Congress took control of reconstruction in 1866. This period is often referred to as congressional reconstruction. 5 Military Districts were formed in the south placing the south under military control. Tennessee was excluded as it was already readmitted to the union. Military rule allowed close supervision of policies and voting. Along with the13th amendment, the 14th and 15th amendments were ratified. These are often referred to as the Reconstruction Amendments. The 14th Amendment was proposed in 1866 and ratified in 1868, guaranteeing United States citizenship to all persons born or naturalized in the United States (except Native Americans), and granting them federal civil rights. The 15th Amendment, proposed in late February 1869 and passed in early February 1870, decreeing that the right to vote could not be denied because of "race, color, or previous condition of servitude". 13 Many blacks were entered into politics including 2 senators (Blanche Bruce, and Hiram Revels). Revels took Jefferson Davis’s old seat. In total, about 1500 Blacks entered local, state, and federal politics during reconstruction. Grant won presidential elections in 1868 and 1872 – but proved a better military leader than a politician. He did attempt to suppress the KKK. Economy faltered in 1873 – cotton dropped in half and Railroad investments went bad. Republicans lose power during his reign. Southern Democrats begin to reemerge. The elections of 1876 were accompanied by heightened violence across the Deep South. A combination of ballot stuffing and intimidating blacks suppressed their vote even in majority black counties. After Republican Rutherford Hayes won the disputed U.S. Presidential election of 1876, the national Compromise of 1877 was reached. The white Democrats in the South agreed to accept Hayes's victory if he withdrew the last Federal troops. By this point, the North was weary of insurgency. The removal of federal troops was considered the end of the Reconstruction periods. Racial Segregation and The Civil Rights Movement Civil disobedience is the active, professed refusal to obey certain laws, demands, or commands of a government. Civil disobedience is commonly defined as nonviolent resistance. It is one form of civil resistance, another is that of peaceful protest. In India, known as ahimsa or satyagraha, it is said that it is compassion in the form of respectful disagreement. Ghandi, a peace leader from India, influenced 20th century peace leaders, including Martin Luther King, Jr. Women’s Suffrage Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton drafted the amendment and first introduced it in 1878. It was forty-one years later, in 1919, when the Congress submitted the amendment to the states for ratification. A year later, it was ratified by the requisite number of states, becoming the 19th Amendment to the Constitution. Many historians consider the reconstruction a failure, because the time period that followed saw the decline of conditions for black Americans . It was followed in the South by the dominance of the Democratic Party at the state and local level, which would persist as late as the 1970s By 1900 there was a complete system of racial segregation in our country that kept apart the two races, white and black, in schools, restaurants, restrooms, and even drinking fountains. In the South, African Americans 14 were ordered by law to ride in the back of buses, use separate entrances to restaurants, go to schools for blacks only, and use separate public bathrooms. In the North, there were unwritten rules about where African Americans could live, work, and play. Two things kept segregation alive in the US: (1) a constant threat of violence against African Americans and (2) the southern states’ practice of keeping African Americans from voting. Despite the 13th, 14th, 15th amendments to the Constitution, the laws were ignored as segregation took hold and became commonplace in both the North and the South. White supremacist groups and racial terrorists were responsible for killing and terrorizing thousands of AAs. The Jim Crow laws were state and local laws in the United States enacted between 1876 and 1965. They mandated racial segregation in all public facilities, with a supposedly "separate but equal" status for black Americans. In reality, this led to treatment and accommodations that were usually inferior to those provided for white Americans, systematizing a number of economic, educational and social disadvantages. AA leaders had opposing ideas about segregation. Booker T. Washington, (1858-1915) born into slavery, founded Tuskegee U. in Alabama. Believed AAs should try to make the best of segregation and accept it. W.E.B. DuBois (1868-1963) fought for equality for AAs in all aspects of life. He formed the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People), one of the first civil rights organizations. Protests against segregation increased after WWII when thousands of AA soldiers fought bravely to protect their country, yet came home to inferior jobs and lower pay than white men received. Civll Rights Movement In the 1950’s the civil rights movement began to change some of the racist practices against AAs. In 1954, the Supreme Court ruled against segregation for the first time. In the case of Brown v. the Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas, the Court ruled that separate schools for AAs were illegal. However, it would take years for the ruling to be put into action. In 1955, Rosa Parks, an AA woman, boarded a bus in downtown Montgomery, Alabama. By law, she was supposed to sit in the back of the bus, but she couldn’t find a seat, so she sat in the front. The driver asked her to give up her seat to a white man. She refused and was arrested. Within a few days, the AA population of Montgomery staged a bus boycott, refusing to ride the buses. For over a year, they and people who 15 agreed with their protest, walked, rode bicycles, and carpooled rather than give their money to the bus system. In 1956, the S.Court ruled that the Montgomery bus system must desegregate. The yearlong protest showed the AAs were well organized and willing to endure hardships to peacefully protest segregation. The young minister who organized this protest was named Martin Luther King, Jr. Inspired by Gandhi, King visited the Gandhi family in India in 1959. The trip to India affected King in a profound way, deepening his understanding of non-violent resistance and his commitment to America's struggle for civil rights. In the 1960’s the Civil Rights Movement saw bitter and violent opposition from whites who believed AAs should not have equal rights. AAs and fairminded whites who protested segregation were often ridiculed, beaten, and even killed for expressing their opposition to racist policies. In August of 1963, 250,000 demonstrators of all races came together in the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. It was there that MLK gave his famous “I have a dream” speech when he said, “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character. I have a dream today!” In 1964, President Lyndon Johnson signed into law the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which was initiated by the late President John F. Kennedy in 1963, ensuring equal treatment of all races. That year, King became the youngest person to win the Nobel Peace Prize. Sadly, five years later, Dr. King was shot and killed by a man named James Earl Ray. The end of legal segregation did not wipe out racism directed against AAs. Desegregation of both the North and the South took many, many years full of both violent and peaceful protests. AAs still earn less than whites, causing poverty, poor health, and other kinds of discrimination. AAs continue to be discriminated against in various parts of the same country that promises that “all men are created equal…endowed by their creator with certain unalienable (non- transferable) rights… among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” 16 17