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Missouri Compromise

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an effort by Congress to defuse the sectional and political rivalries triggered by the request of Missouri late in 1819 for admission as a state in which slavery would be permitted. At the time, the United States contained twenty-two states, evenly divided between slave and free.

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Zachary Taylor

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Whig slave holder. general that was a military leader in mexican-american war and 12th president of the united states. sent by president polk to lead the american army against mexico at rio grande, but defeated.

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Wilmot Proviso

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Proposal to prohibit slavery in any land acquired in the Mexican War, but southern senators, led by John C. Calhoun of South Carolina, defeated the measure in 1846 and 1847. It Failed

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Popular Sovereignty

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notion that the sovereign people of a given territory should decide whether to allow slavery. Seemingly a compromise, it was largely opposed by Northern abolitionists who feared it would promote the spread of slavery to the territories.

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Compromise of 1850

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Slavery becomes outlawed in Washington D.C., California is admitted as a free state, and Utah and New Mexico will determine whether slavery is allowed through popular sovereignty. Also, the Fugitive Slave Law is passed.

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Millard Filmore

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helped pass the compromise of 1850 by gaining the support of northern whigs for the compromise. became the 13th president when taylor died. he was largely self-educated, he had made his own way in the profession of a law and the rough-and-tumble world of ny politics, he was ready to make peace and used extreme caution, he support the compromise of 1850 and helped it pass.

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Fugitive Slave Act of 1852

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these laws provided for the return of escaped slaves to their owners. The North was lax about enforcing the 1793 law, which irritated the South to no end. The 1850 law was tougher and was aimed at eliminating the underground railroad.

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Franklin Pierce

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Democrat who won the election of 1852 over the Whigs and the Free Soilers. Devoted himself to avoid offending either of the sections of the nation, the slavery issue in particular. Instead, he was committed to expanding American interests with hawaii and Cuba, although this offended many northerners for fear that slavery would spread to those islands.

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Stephen Douglas

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Senator from Illinois who ran for president against Abraham Lincoln. Wrote the Kansas-Nebreaska Act and the Freeport Doctrine

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Kansas-Nebraska Act

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a compromise law in 1854 that suspended the Missouri Compromise and left it to voters in Kansas and Nebraska to determine whether they would be slave or free states. the law exacerbated sectional tensions when voters can to blows over the question of slavery in Kansas. It was very controversial, supported by President Pierce and not supported by Douglass

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Pottawatomie Massacre

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When John Brown (abolitionist) and followers murdered 5 pro-slavery settlers in Kansas then mutilated their bodies to scare other slave supporters and to keep slavery supporters from moving into Kansas.

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Bleeding Kansas

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A sequence of violent events involving abolitionists and pro-Slavery elements that took place in Kansas-Nebraska Territory. The dispute further strained the relations of the North and South, making civil war imminent.

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Abraham Lincoln

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honest frontiersman from IL; the "rail-splitter" officially joined politics after the KS-NE act; challenged Douglas for the IL senate seat and although he put up a good fight, lost; won the election of 1860 as 1st successful Republican -president thru civil war

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Republican Party

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organized in 1854 by antislavery Whigs, Democrats, and Free Soilers in response to the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act; nominated John C. Frémont for president in 1856 and Abraham Lincoln in 1860

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Know-Nothing Party

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aka the American Party; major political force from 1854-1855; objective: to extend period of naturalization, undercut immigrant voting strengths, and keep aliens in their place

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Free Soil Party

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was against slavery in the new territories. They also advocated federal aid for internal improvements and urged free government homesteads for settlers.

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James Buchanan

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For popular sovereignty. the 15th president of the united states (1857-1861). he tried to maintain a balance between proslavery and antislavery factions, but his moderate views angered radicals in both north and south, and he was unable to forestall the secession of south carolina on december 20, 1860.

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Sumner-Brooks Incident

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1856 - Charles Sumner gave a two day speech on the Senate floor. He denounced the South for crimes against Kansas and singled out Senator Andrew Brooks of South Carolina for extra abuse. Brooks beat Sumner over the head with his cane, severely crippling him.

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Dred Scott Decision

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Supreme Court decision that stated three things: Blacks were not citizens and therefore could not sue in federal courts; Because a slave is their master's property, they can be taken into any territory and held there in slavery; Congress had no power to ban slavery from the territories

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Panic of 1857

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An economic crash that arose due to the inflation caused by inpouring California gold. The demands of the Crimean War over-stimulated grain growth and land speculation, and when the collapse came over five thousand businesses failed. Northern farmers were hard-hit by the panic, while the South basically went untouched. Also the panic created a clamor of higher tariff rates.

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LeCompton Constitution

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pro-slavery constitution written for Kansas' admission to the union in opposition to the anti-slavery Topeka Constitution; it was eventually rejected and Kansas became a free state in 1861

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"A House Divided"

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Famous speech by Lincoln before the Civil War about the economy. "This country cannot be half slave and half free...."

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Lincoln-Douglas Debates

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A series of seven debates. The two argued the important issues of the day like popular sovereignty, the Lecompton Constitution and the Dred Scott decision. One of the two won these debates, but the other's position in these debates helped him win in the 1860 presidential election.

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Freeport Doctrine

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Stated that exclusion of slavery in a territory (where it was legal) could be determined by the refusal of the voters to enact any laws that would protect slave property. Stated by Stephen Douglass during the Lincoln-Douglass debates, eventually led to his loss in the 1860 presidential election

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John Brown's Raid

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In 1859, the militant abolitionist John Brown seized the U.S. arsenal at Harper's Ferry. He planned to end slavery by massacring slave owners and freeing their slaves. He was captured and executed.

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Election of 1860

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Lincoln represented the Republicans. Stephen Douglas represented Northern Democrats, and John Breckinridge represented Southern Democrats. John Bell represented the Constitutional Party who wanted to heal the split between the North and South. Lincoln was not on the ballot in most southern states. It was primarily a sectional election (north v. south). Lincoln received the most popular votes (40%) and won the election with the electoral vote.

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Secession Winter

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Secession winter was the winter of 1860-1861, when 7 southern states (South Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Louisiana, and Texas) seceded in rapid succession.

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Fort Sumter

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A fort in SE South Carolina, guarding Charleston Harbour. Its capture by Confederate forces (1861) was the first action of the Civil War.

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Robert E. Lee

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The General of the Confederate troops; he was prosperous in many battles; was defeated at Antietam in 1862 when he retreated across the Potomac; this halt of Lee's troops justified Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation; he was defeated at Gettysburg by General Mead's Union troops; surrendered to General Grant at Appomattox Court House on April 9, 1865.

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Ulysses S. Grant

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A general and political leader of the nineteenth century. He became commanding general of the Union army during the Civil War. He accepted the unconditional surrender of the commanding general of the main Confederate army, Robert E. Lee, at Appomattox Court House. A Republican, he later became president.

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Peninsular Campaign

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Botched Union attempt to capture the capital Richmond by circumventing the Confederate army by sea, McClellan responsible for Union failure, also Seven Days Battle

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Jefferson Davis

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Jefferson Davis was the President of the Southern Confederate States from 1860 to 1865 after their succession from the Union. During this time, Davis struggled to form a solid government for the states to be governed by. Jefferson Davis worked hard with solidating the civil government and carrying out military operations.

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Anaconda Plan

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Plan for civil war proposed by general-in-chief Winfield Scott, which emphasized the blockade of Southern ports and called for an advance down the Mississippi River the cut the South in two, the plan would suffocate the South

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Bull Run / Manassas

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first major battle of the war that happened outside of Washington; people went with picnic baskets to watch the South come out victorious against the North; frenzied retreat proved the war would be longer than everyone thought

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Antietam

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It was fought at a creek in Maryland. It was the turning point of the war, which allowed President Lincoln to sign the Emancipation Proclamation. It was the bloodiest single-day battle in American history, with about 23,000 casualties. Also, it prevented the British and French governments from a diplomatic mediation.

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Emancipation Proclamation

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After victory of Antietam Lincoln announces on the first of 1863 all slaves in the rebelling states would be free. AIM: injure confederacy, threaten its property, heighten its dread, hurt its morale.

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NYC Draft Riots

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were a series of violent disturbances in New York City that were the culmination of discontent with new laws passed by Congress to draft men to fight in the ongoing American Civil War

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Battle of Gettysburg

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(July 1863) Civil War battle in Penn. that ended in Union victory, spelling doom for the Confederacy, which never again managed to invade the North.Site of General George Pickett's daring but doomed charge on the Northern lines.

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Copperheads

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Democrats who opposed the civil war

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Gettysburg Address

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(1863) Abraham Lincoln's oft-quoted speech, delivered at the dedication of the cemetery at Gettysburg battlefield. In the address, Lincoln framed the war as a means to uphold the values of liberty.

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Vicksburg

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Grant defeated two Confederate armies and destroyed the city, this was across the river near Vicksburg, Mississippi. Five days later they had complete control of the Mississippi.

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Total War

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Mobilized all of a society's resources--eco, pol, cultural--in support of the military effort. Armies grew dramatically in size and were composed of civilians rather than professional soldiers. The civilians and industries that supported the war effort increasingly became the object of enemy attack. i.e. Sherman's march through GA

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Sherman's March to the Sea

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Sherman's march from Atlanta to South Carolina, he and his army applied a total warfare, scorched earth policy that led over a million dollars in damage and crushed the south

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Election of 1864

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Lincoln vs. McClellan, Lincoln wants to unite North and South, McClellan wants war to end if he's elected, citizens of North are sick of war so many vote for McClellan, Lincoln wins

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Appomattox

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in April 1865, the end of the Civil War came suddenly when Northern troops cornered Lee here.

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John Wilkes Booth

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was an American stage actor who, as part of a conspiracy plot, assassinated Abraham Lincoln at Ford's Theatre in Washington, D.C. on April 14, 1865.

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Ten Percent Plan

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Former Confederate states would be readmitted to the Union if 10% of their citizens took a loyalty oath and the state agreed to ratify the 13th Amendment which outlawed slavery. Not put into effect because Lincoln was assassinated.

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Wade-Davis Bill

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required 50 percent of the voters in a state to take a loyalty oath and permitted only non-Confederates to vote for a new state constitution; Lincoln pocket vetoed the bill.

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Freedmen's Bureau

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1865, Congress created the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands; acted as an early welfare agency of sorts, providing food, shelter, and medical aid for those made destitute by the war, both blacks and homeless whites; led by General Oliver O. Howard

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13th Amendment

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This amendment freed all slaves without compensation to the slave owners. It legally forbade slavery in the United States.

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Andrew Johnson

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A Southerner form Tennessee, as V.P. when Lincoln was killed, he became president. He opposed radical Republicans who passed Reconstruction Acts over his veto. The first U.S. president to be impeached, he survived the Senate removal by only one vote. He was a very weak president.

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Civil Rights Act (1866)

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This act pronounced all African Americans to be US citizens (repudiated the Dred Scott decision), and also attempted to provide a legal shield against the operation of the southern states' Black Codes.

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Radical Republicans

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These were a small group of people in 1865 who supported black suffrage and believed the South should be harshly punished and thought that Lincoln was sometimes too compassionate towards the South. They were led by Senator Charles Sumner and Congressman Thaddeus Stevens. They supported the abolition of slavery and a demanding reconstruction policy during the war and after.

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Reconstruction Act (1867)

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divided the Confederate states except Tennessee into five military districts. Military commanders in the districts were appointed to oversee constitutional conventions in the districts and the creation of state constitutions. This military occupation would last until the states created new constitutions that included black suffrage, the permanent disfranchisement of Confederate leaders, and ratification of the 14th Amendment.

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Tenure of Office Act (1867)

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In 1867 this Act was passed which limited the President's power by prohibiting the President from removing civil officers w/o Senate consent. Goal was to bar Johnson from firing Secretary of War Stanton.

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Johnson's Impeachment

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result of Stanton's dismissal by the President, this was the last straw for the House Republicans. Johnson was just barely acquitted. As a result for the rest of his term he was powerless to alter the course of Reconstruction and the country.

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14th Amendment

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1) Citizenship for African Americans, 2) Repeal of 3/5 Compromise, 3) Denial of former confederate officials from holding national or state office, 4) Repudiate (reject) confederate debts

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Black Codes

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Laws or "codes" passed in the southern states during Reconstruction that greatly limited the freedom of former slaves.

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Sharecropping

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a system of work for freedmen who were employed in the cotton industry. This system traded a freedmen's labor for the use of a house, land, and sometimes further accommodations.They would usually give half or more of their grown crop to their landlords.

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Ku Klux Klan

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a group of mostly Southerners who were extremely racist against African Americans, and disliked all other cultures and races. They originated in Tennessee in 1865. General Forrest was in charge of this group. The members of this group dominated the democratic party. They also released a campaign that terrified the republicans. The Ku Klux Klan went around blackmailing many republican politicians and burned black schools and churches.

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Enforcement Acts

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Prohibited radical anti-black groups and protected the voting rights of African Americans

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The Slaughterhouse Cases

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A series of post-Civil War Supreme Court cases containing the first judicial pronouncements on the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments. The Court held that these amendments had been adopted solely to protect the rights of freed blacks, and could not be extended to guarantee the civil rights of other citizens against deprivations of due process by state governments. These rulings were disapproved by later decisions.

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15th Amendment

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1870 Suffrage given to black males. Congress has the power to enforce this via legislation.

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U.S. vs Cruikshank

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Following the Colfax Massacre, William Cruikshank argued that his conviction was unconstitutional because the his actions weren't under the authority of federal law. The Supreme Court overturned Cruikshank's conviction, saying that the federal government could only regulate the actions of states regarding civil rights, it was up to the states to regulate the actions of individuals. This limited the power of the 14th and 15th amendments, as well as the Civil Rights Acts.

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Plessy v Ferguson

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supreme court ruled that segregation public places facilities were legal as long as the facilites were equal

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Carpet Baggers

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displaced veterans who quickly becoming a drag on society. They carried around everything they owned in cheap suitcases called carpetbags. They were union army vets who were skilled.

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Scalawags

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ex-confederates who supported reconstruction. They were also former slaves, whigs, and democrats, who liked republicanism.

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Ulysses S Grant

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former head of the union army and president. He supported reconstruction, but when it failed he didn't pursue alternatives. He was part of a scandal that involved Whiskey Ring, which was a network of liquor distillers and treasury agents who defrauded the government. He was put in trial and almost thrown into jail until Orville Babcock defended him.

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Credit Mobiler Scandal

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a scandal that formed when a group of union pacific railroad insiders formed the credit mobilier construction company and then hired themselves to build the railroad with inflated wages. they bribed several congressmen and the vice president to keep the scandal from going public.

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Boss Tweed

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head of Tammany Hall, NYC's powerful democratic political machine in 1868. Between 1868 and 1869 he led the Tweed Reign, a group of corrupt politicians in defrauding the city. Example: Responsible for the construction of the NY court house; actual construction cost $3million. Project cost tax payers $13million.

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Rutherford B. Hayes

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19th president of the united states, was famous for being part of the Hayes-Tilden election in which electoral votes were contested in 4 states, most corrupt election in US history

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Compromise of 1877

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This settled the election of 1876, troops were removed from Louisiana and South Carolina and concessions for building a southern transcontinental railroad made

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