U.S. History II - American Society and Culture, 1865–1900

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Study GuideU.S. History IIAmerican Society and Culture, 186519001.AfricanAmericans after ReconstructionAfter Reconstruction ended, African-Americans in the South facedsystematic discriminationandloss of political and civil rights, despite the promises of the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments.1.1Social and Economic ConditionsAfrican-Americans were largelytied to the landassharecroppersortenant farmers.Industrial jobs were mostly denied:oExcluded fromtextile mills(major Southern industry)oOnly a small number worked iniron foundriesorsteel millsSouthern whites promoted racist stereotypes portraying blacks aslazy, ignorant, andshiftless.By1900,segregation was institutionalizedand African-Americans’ civil rights were sharplycurtailed.1.2Jim Crow Laws and SegregationCivil Rights Act of 1875prohibited discrimination in public accommodations, but theSupreme Court struck it down in1883.oCourt ruled the14th Amendmentonly protected againststate violations, notindividual discrimination.Southern states responded by passingJim Crow laws, enforcing segregation in:oSchools, hospitals, theaters, trains, and public spacesPlessy v. Ferguson (1896)established“separate but equal”, legally justifying segregation.In reality, facilities for blacks werefar inferiorto those for whites.Segregation reinforced ideas ofwhite superiorityand encouragedracial violence, includinga rise inlynchings.

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Study Guide1.3Voting RestrictionsDespite the15th Amendment, Southern states disenfranchised African-Americans through:oPoll taxesoLiteracy testsoResidency requirementsoCriminal disenfranchisementoGrandfather clauses(e.g., Louisiana) favoring whitesBy1900, African-Americans were largelyprevented from votingin the South, even whereloopholes existed.1.4African-American ResponsesGreat Migrationbegan in the 1890s: blacks moved from rural South to urban NorthSmall emigration to Africa occurredAll-black towns established inTennessee, Kansas, and Oklahoma TerritoryEarly civil rights organizations:oCitizens Equal Rights Association (1887)oAfro-American League (1890)Leadership and Philosophies1.Booker T. Washington(Tuskegee Institute, 1882)oAdvocatedeconomic self-improvementfirstoPromoted vocational and agricultural educationoSupported accommodation with segregation (Atlanta Compromise, 1895)2.W. E. B. Du Bois(Harvard,The Souls of Black Folks, 1903)oRejected Washington’s philosophyoAdvocatedhigher educationfor African-AmericansoBelieved ineducated elite leading equalityvia:Voting where possible,Protest and agitation where voting was denied

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Study Guide2.Everyday Life in America2.1Shopping and Mass ProductionAfter the Civil War,mass productionchanged how Americans bought clothes, food, and householdgoods. Handmade clothing was replaced byready-to-wear clothessold in stores. People in smalltowns and farms could also shop without traveling far thanks tomail-order catalogs.Aaron Montgomery Wardstarted the first mail-order business in 1872 with a one-pagecatalog of 150 items. By 1884, his catalog had over 10,000 items.Sears, Roebuck and Companybecame even more successful, offering clothing, tools, andfarm equipment.In 1896, thefirst Rural Free Delivery (RFD)service made catalog shopping even easier forpeople outside cities.Food also became more widely available. Easterners could buyCalifornia oranges, Wyoming beef,and fresh milkshipped by refrigerated rail cars. Famous brands likeCampbell’s Soup, Nabiscocrackers, and Coca-Colaappeared in the 1890s. Chain stores such asA & Pand thefive-and-dimestoreslikeWoolworth’sgrew because of mass buying and advertising.2.2Education ExpandsEducation grew rapidly after the Civil War:Public schoolsdoubled enrollment between 1870 and 1900, with high school attendanceincreasing sharply. Immigrant families sent children to school to learn English and Americanculture, while middle-class families expanded secondary education.Schools introduced new subjects: American history, science, andmanual arts.Vocationalhigh schoolsappeared by the end of the century.Higher educationalso expanded:Colleges and universities grew to nearly 250,000 students by 1900, four times more than 30years earlier.TheMorrill Act (1862)created land-grant colleges for agriculture and mechanical arts; theSecond Morrill Act (1890)expanded funding, including support for black colleges.
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