Glossary
13th Amendment (1865)
A constitutional amendment that formally abolished slavery and involuntary servitude throughout the United States, except as punishment for a crime.
Example:
The passage of the 13th Amendment marked the legal end of chattel slavery in America, though its loophole led to systems like convict leasing.
14th Amendment (1868)
A constitutional amendment that granted birthright citizenship to all persons born or naturalized in the U.S. and guaranteed equal protection and due process under the law.
Example:
The 14th Amendment was pivotal in overturning the Dred Scott decision, affirming that African Americans could be citizens.
15th Amendment (1870)
A constitutional amendment that prohibited the denial of voting rights based on race, color, or previous condition of servitude.
Example:
The 15th Amendment was a significant step towards political equality, though its impact was immediately challenged by various voter suppression tactics.
Black Codes
Restrictive laws passed by Southern states after the Civil War to control the labor and behavior of newly freed African Americans, often forcing them into exploitative labor arrangements.
Example:
Despite the 13th Amendment, Black Codes forced many African Americans into labor contracts that resembled slavery.
Black Representatives (during Reconstruction)
African American individuals who were elected or appointed to public office at local, state, and federal levels during the Reconstruction era.
Example:
The election of Black Representatives like Hiram Revels demonstrated the significant political gains made by African Americans after the Civil War.
Blanche K. Bruce
The second African American to serve in the U.S. Senate, also representing Mississippi during Reconstruction.
Example:
Along with Hiram Revels, Blanche K. Bruce exemplified the brief but impactful period of Black political representation in the U.S. Congress.
Convict Leasing System
A system in the post-Civil War South where states leased out prisoners, predominantly African Americans, to private companies for labor, often under brutal conditions.
Example:
The convict leasing system exploited the loophole in the 13th Amendment, effectively re-enslaving many African Americans for profit.
Dred Scott Decision
An 1857 Supreme Court ruling that declared African Americans, whether enslaved or free, were not citizens and had no standing to sue in federal court.
Example:
The Dred Scott Decision was a major setback for civil rights, asserting that Black people had 'no rights which the white man was bound to respect.'
Equal Protection Clause
A clause in the 14th Amendment that prohibits states from denying any person within their jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.
Example:
The Equal Protection Clause has been central to numerous civil rights cases, including those challenging segregation and discrimination.
Federal Government's Role (during Reconstruction)
The active involvement of the U.S. central government in rebuilding the South, protecting the rights of formerly enslaved people, and ensuring their political representation after the Civil War.
Example:
The federal government's role during Reconstruction was to enforce new laws like the Civil Rights Act of 1866, challenging state-level discrimination.
Hiram Revels
The first African American to serve in the U.S. Senate, representing Mississippi during Reconstruction.
Example:
Hiram Revels' election to the Senate was a powerful symbol of African American political progress in the post-Civil War South.
Jim Crow Laws
State and local statutes enacted in the Southern and some border states from the late 19th to mid-20th centuries that enforced racial segregation and discrimination.
Example:
Jim Crow Laws mandated separate facilities for Black and white people, from schools to restrooms, reinforcing racial hierarchy.
Joseph Rainey
The first African American member of the U.S. House of Representatives, representing South Carolina during Reconstruction.
Example:
Joseph Rainey's service in the House highlighted the active role African Americans played in shaping federal policy during Reconstruction.
Literacy Tests
Discriminatory tests administered to prospective voters, often used in the South to disenfranchise African Americans by requiring them to interpret complex texts.
Example:
Many African Americans were denied the right to vote because they failed arbitrary literacy tests designed to be impossible to pass.
Poll Taxes
Fees required to be paid by voters before they could cast a ballot, used in the South to disenfranchise poor African Americans and some poor whites.
Example:
The poll tax effectively barred many African Americans from voting, as they often lacked the financial means to pay the fee.
Reconstruction Amendments
A series of three constitutional amendments (13th, 14th, and 15th) passed after the Civil War, aimed at abolishing slavery, defining citizenship, and granting voting rights to African American men.
Example:
The Reconstruction Amendments fundamentally reshaped American law, laying the groundwork for future civil rights struggles.
Reconstruction Period (1865-1877)
The era following the American Civil War when the U.S. federal government worked to rebuild the Southern states and integrate newly freed African Americans into society.
Example:
During the Reconstruction Period, many African Americans were able to vote and hold political office for the first time.
Voting Rights Act of 1965
A landmark federal law that outlawed discriminatory voting practices adopted in many Southern states after the Civil War, including literacy tests and poll taxes.
Example:
The Voting Rights Act of 1965 finally provided federal enforcement to protect the voting rights promised by the 15th Amendment.