APUSH Chapter 23 (Birth of Jim Crow) Flashcards

Study Notes

South vs. Blacks

Following the end of Reconstruction, white Democrats in the South regained political power through fraud and intimidation.
Increased abuse of authority led to heightened discrimination against African Americans.

Sharecropping

Black individuals were coerced into a system of sharecropping and tenant farming, resembling a cycle of servitude.
The crop-lien system kept black farmers in perpetual debt by tying credit to their harvest sales.

Jim Crow Laws

The 1890s saw the formalization of racial separation across the South through Jim Crow laws.
Implemented laws included literacy tests, poll taxes, and voter registration requirements, effectively disenfranchising black voters.
The legality of segregation was upheld in the Plessy vs. Ferguson Supreme Court decision.

Plessy vs. Ferguson

This landmark Supreme Court case established the principle of "separate but equal" accommodations as constitutional under the 14th Amendment.

Separate but Equal

The reality of "separate but equal" was a façade, with African Americans subjected to inferior resources and services.
Severe punishments, including lynching, were common for blacks asserting their equality, emphasizing white supremacy.

Class Conflicts

The conclusion of the Civil War shifted focus to class conflicts in America, exacerbated by the economic panic of 1873.
Economic depression and job scarcity created tension and conflict among different social classes.

Rail Road Strike

Workers, already struggling post-Civil War, faced wage cuts imposed by railroad companies, leading to widespread strikes.
Federal troops were deployed to suppress the strikes, resulting in over 100 fatalities and highlighting labor movement vulnerabilities.

Rail Road Workers

Racial tensions were prominent among railroad workers, particularly between Chinese and Irish laborers in California.

Chinese Immigrants

Primarily poor, uneducated men, many Chinese immigrants arrived in the U.S. seeking wealth but remained in low-paying jobs post-construction of the railroads.
Denis Kearny, an Irish immigrant leader, incited violence against Chinese workers, blaming them for job shortages faced by the Irish.

Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882

This act effectively barred nearly all Chinese immigration to the United States.
A legal attempt to deny Chinese citizens their rights was countered by the U.S. vs. Wong Kim Ark ruling in favor of citizenship.

U.S. vs. Wong Kim Ark

The 1898 Supreme Court decision declared that the 14th Amendment guaranteed citizenship to all individuals born on U.S. soil, bolstering rights for American-born children of immigrants.

Garfield's Death

The assassination of President Garfield spurred political reforms and a shift in Republican attitudes toward government reform.
This event led to the enactment of the Pendleton Act of 1883.

Pendleton Act of 1883

Established a merit-based system for government employment, making it illegal for federal employees to contribute to political campaigns.
Created a civil service commission to oversee competitive exams for government positions, reducing reliance on political patronage.

Description

Explore key concepts from APUSH Chapter 23, focusing on the Birth of Jim Crow. This quiz covers important terms and definitions related to the political and social struggles faced by African Americans in the post-Reconstruction South. Test your knowledge of sharecropping and the dynamics of race relations during this era.