Glossary
13th Amendment
An amendment to the U.S. Constitution ratified in 1865 that formally abolished slavery and involuntary servitude, except as punishment for a crime.
Example:
The 13th Amendment finally brought an end to the institution of chattel slavery in the United States, fulfilling a key promise of the Civil War.
14th Amendment
An amendment to the U.S. Constitution ratified in 1868 that granted citizenship to all persons born or naturalized in the United States, including formerly enslaved people, and guaranteed all citizens 'equal protection of the laws.'
Example:
The 14th Amendment was crucial for establishing the legal basis for civil rights, ensuring that states could not deny fundamental rights to any citizen.
15th Amendment
An amendment to the U.S. Constitution ratified in 1870 that prohibits states from denying a citizen the right to vote based on 'race, color, or previous condition of servitude.'
Example:
Despite the promise of the 15th Amendment, Southern states quickly devised methods like poll taxes and literacy tests to circumvent its intent and disenfranchise Black voters.
Brown v. Board of Education (1954)
A landmark Supreme Court case that declared state-sponsored segregation of public schools unconstitutional. This ruling effectively overturned the 'separate but equal' doctrine established by Plessy v. Ferguson.
Example:
The Brown v. Board of Education (1954) decision was a monumental victory for the Civil Rights Movement, signaling the beginning of the end for legal segregation in America.
Compromise of 1877
An informal agreement that effectively ended the Reconstruction Era. In exchange for Rutherford B. Hayes becoming president, federal troops were withdrawn from the South, leading to the collapse of Republican governments and the rise of Jim Crow.
Example:
The Compromise of 1877 marked a turning point, as the withdrawal of federal protection left African Americans vulnerable to renewed oppression and the systematic dismantling of their rights.
De jure segregation
Segregation that is enforced by law, often through explicit statutes or governmental policies. This form of segregation was a direct attack on the progress made during Reconstruction.
Example:
Southern states implemented de jure segregation by passing laws that mandated separate public facilities for Black and white citizens, such as segregated train cars.
Grandfather Clauses
Provisions that allowed individuals to vote only if their grandfathers had been eligible to vote before the Civil War (typically 1866 or 1867). This effectively excluded most Black people while allowing many whites to bypass literacy tests and poll taxes.
Example:
A white voter who couldn't read might still vote due to a grandfather clause, while a literate Black veteran was denied, illustrating the racial bias of the law.
Jim Crow Era
A system of state and local laws enacted primarily in the Southern and some border states of the United States from the late 19th to the mid-20th centuries. These laws enforced racial segregation and discrimination against African Americans.
Example:
The Jim Crow Era meant that Black individuals often had to use separate, inferior facilities, from water fountains to schools, simply because of their race.
KKK Terrorism
The use of threats, violence, and murder by white supremacist groups like the Ku Klux Klan to maintain racial hierarchy and suppress Black political and social advancement. Their tactics included cross burnings and assassinations.
Example:
The KKK Terrorism instilled fear in Black communities, preventing many from exercising their newly gained rights or speaking out against injustice.
Literacy Tests
Exams that required voters to read and interpret complex passages, often administered unfairly to deny suffrage to African Americans. These tests exploited the legacy of slavery and lack of educational opportunities.
Example:
Even educated African Americans were often failed on arbitrary literacy tests, while illiterate white voters were allowed to pass, highlighting the discriminatory intent.
Lynching
The extrajudicial killing of an individual by a mob, often by hanging, without legal trial. These brutal acts were used as a horrific form of racial violence and terror against the Black community.
Example:
The tragic act of lynching served as a public spectacle of terror, aiming to intimidate and control African Americans in the post-Reconstruction South.
Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)
A landmark Supreme Court case that upheld the constitutionality of racial segregation under the 'separate but equal' doctrine. This ruling provided the legal foundation for Jim Crow laws across the United States.
Example:
The decision in Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) meant that a Black man could be legally forced to sit in a separate, inferior train car, simply because of his race.
Poll Taxes
A fee required to be paid by voters before they could cast a ballot. This method disproportionately affected poor African Americans, effectively disenfranchising them.
Example:
Many African Americans were unable to vote because they could not afford the poll taxes imposed by Southern states, which were designed to suppress their political participation.
Reconstruction
The period following the Civil War (1865-1877) focused on rebuilding the Southern states and integrating newly freed African Americans into society, including securing their civil and political rights.
Example:
During Reconstruction, federal troops occupied the South to enforce new laws and protect the rights of Black citizens, leading to significant political participation by African Americans.
Separate but equal doctrine
A legal principle established by Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) stating that segregated facilities for different races were constitutional as long as they were ostensibly equal in quality. In reality, facilities for African Americans were consistently inferior.
Example:
The 'separate but equal' doctrine allowed for segregated schools, but in practice, Black schools received far less funding and resources than white schools, making them anything but equal.
White Supremacy
A racist ideology based on the belief that white people are inherently superior to people of other racial backgrounds and should therefore dominate society. This belief fueled and justified oppression and discrimination.
Example:
The pervasive ideology of white supremacy underpinned the entire Jim Crow system, asserting that racial segregation was a natural and necessary order.