All Flashcards
What was the impact of the 13th Amendment?
Abolished slavery and involuntary servitude, except as punishment for a crime.
What was the impact of the 14th Amendment?
Granted citizenship to all persons born or naturalized in the U.S., including former slaves, and guaranteed equal protection under the law.
What was the impact of the 15th Amendment?
Prohibited the denial of the right to vote based on race, color, or previous condition of servitude.
How did Southern states use constitutional changes post-1876 to undermine Black rights?
They established de jure segregation, mandating racial segregation in public spaces.
How did segregation laws affect Black schools?
Black schools received far fewer resources, leading to overcrowding, dilapidated buildings, and outdated textbooks.
What was the effect of Jim Crow laws on Black citizenship?
They relegated Black people to second-class citizenship and limited their ability to succeed.
How did the dismantling of Reconstruction affect the enforcement of the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments?
It undermined the amendments, allowing for systematic disenfranchisement and segregation.
What was the legal basis for segregation before the Civil Rights Movement?
Plessy v. Ferguson provided the legal basis through the 'separate but equal' doctrine.
How did white supremacist groups use extralegal means to enforce their policies?
Through violence, intimidation, and terrorism, such as lynching and KKK activities.
What was the impact of the failure to enforce equal protection under the 14th Amendment during the Jim Crow era?
It perpetuated systemic racism and inequality, hindering African Americans' progress.
What was the ruling in Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)?
The Supreme Court upheld a Louisiana law mandating segregated railroad passenger coaches and established the 'separate but equal' doctrine.
What was the impact of Plessy v. Ferguson on the Jim Crow Era?
It ushered in the Jim Crow era, codifying and expanding segregation throughout the country, especially in the South.
What was the setback for civil rights caused by Plessy v. Ferguson?
It endorsed the idea that racial discrimination was valid under the law and perpetuated inequality for over half a century.
What was the reality of 'separate but equal' after Plessy v. Ferguson?
Segregated facilities for African Americans were consistently inferior and underfunded.
What was the significance of Brown v. Board of Education?
It overturned Plessy v. Ferguson, declaring that 'separate educational facilities are inherently unequal'.
What was the long-term legacy of Plessy v. Ferguson?
It shaped racial inequities long after the ruling was overturned, with discriminatory policies and attitudes persisting.
What was the central question in Plessy v. Ferguson?
Whether state-imposed segregation violated the 14th Amendment's guarantee of equal protection.
What was the dissenting opinion in Plessy v. Ferguson?
Justice Harlan argued that the Constitution is color-blind and does not permit class-based legislation.
How did Plessy v. Ferguson affect public accommodations?
It allowed for segregation in public accommodations like transportation, schools, and restaurants.
What legal precedent did Plessy v. Ferguson establish?
It established the legal precedent that 'separate but equal' facilities were constitutional, thus legalizing segregation.
Define de jure segregation.
Segregation enforced by law.
What is a poll tax?
A fee required to vote, used to disenfranchise poor African Americans.
Define literacy test.
A test requiring voters to read and interpret complex passages, used to disenfranchise African Americans.
What were grandfather clauses?
Laws allowing people to vote only if their grandfather was eligible before the Civil War, excluding most Black people.
Define lynching.
Brutal killings without trial, often public spectacles, used to terrorize the Black community.
What is white supremacy?
The belief that white people are inherently superior and should dominate society.
Define the 'separate but equal' doctrine.
The principle established in Plessy v. Ferguson that segregation is constitutional if facilities are equal in quality.
What was the Jim Crow Era?
A period of state and local laws that enforced racial segregation in the Southern United States.
What is disenfranchisement?
The denial of the right to vote to a person or group of people.
Define Reconstruction.
The period after the Civil War focused on rebuilding the South and securing rights for African Americans.