1. AP U.S. Government & Politics
Wednesday, April 18, 2018

2. Warm-Up/HW Check: Practice MCQ
Following the Civil War the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution was designed, in part, to overturn the:
a. Dred Scott decision.
b. Plessy v. Ferguson ruling.
c. Emancipation Proclamation.
d. Civil Rights Act of 1866.
e. Slaughterhouse cases.

3. Civil Rights: From Reconstruction to Jim Crow

4. Reconstruction 3 Amendments to protect former slaves:
13th—End of Slavery
14th—Equal Protection of Civil Rights
15th—Voting rights for African-Americans
Military occupation of the Southern states
New state constitutions for former Confederate states;
Mandated ratification of the 14th Amendment
Strong enforcement of black voting rights:
Black turnout was consistent at 90% through Reconstruction
30-40 years later: no black voting in the South

5. Retreat of Reconstruction: Criminal Cases
U.S. v. Cruikshank (1876)
Massacre of 100 blacks in Louisiana, during political violence
Perpetrators go free
U.S. v. Harris (1876)
Lynching of blacks held by sheriff; perpetrators go free
U.S. v. Reese (1876)
Public officials deny blacks the opportunity to vote
Court disallows their criminal prosecutions

6. The Civil Rights Cases (1883)
Court strikes down the Equal Accommodations provision of the 1875 Civil Rights Act; finding No State Action
Court also says that the 13th Amendment’s ban on Badges and Incidents of Slavery is Not applicable
Interpretations
A. Conventional
A racist Supreme Court gutted the Reconstruction Amendments
B. Revisionist
Reconstruction amendments do expand the sphere of the federal gov’t
But—they did not Obliterate the general structure of Dual Federalism
Relationships b/n Private Individuals—still remain w/in the sphere of the states

7. Public Opinion and the End of Reconstruction
The country had Lost Interest in Reconstruction by the time the Supreme Court cases arose
1870/1—Enforcement Legislation; protecting against KKK intimidation
1871/2—Law is enforced to its Full Extent, with relative Success
1873/4—Federal gov’t loses enthusiasm; Klan prosecutions diminish and then disappear
Factors in the Loss of Interest:
1) Economic Depression of 1873
2) Change in Attorney General
3) Anti-Democratic implications of the enforcement methods
4) Commitment to black rights was Always shallow

8. Politics and the End of Reconstruction
1874 Election—Republicans go from 110-seat Majority in the U.S. House to 60-seat Deficit
Reconstruction and the 1875 CRA were major issues
1875—Mississippi institutes the “Mississippi Plan” in state elections
Doing Anything to recapture the state for Democrats; including large-scale political killings
President Grant refuses to intervene; because the cost would be the loss of Ohio to the Democrats
1876—Reconstruction ends due to the contested Presidential election
Troops removed from the South
Remaining Southern Republican governments Fall
Supreme Court decides Reconstruction criminal cases

9. Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)
Supreme Court upholds Louisiana’s law mandating racially separate facilities on trains
Constitutional text: “Equal Protection”
“Separate but equal” sounds like equality
Original intent: was focused on Civil Equality; not Social Equality
Common Law of Common Carriers—required to take All Comers; subject to “reasonable regulations”
Racial segregation was generally seen as Reasonable

10. From Plessy to Jim Crow
After the Plessy decision, racial segregation accelerated and became the norm throughout the South
Other forms of “Jim Crow” included various social norms and rules, limitations on blacks’ freedom of movement, and discriminatory voting practices
A more extreme practice was the arrest of African-Americans for minor offenses, and sentencing them to terms of hard labor (read: slavery) (see: The Thirteenth)
These were enforced by state authorities, as well as the Ku Klux Klan via violence and intimidation

11. Jim Crow Research Assignment
1) With a partner, research one of the following Jim Crow practices:
Anti miscegenation laws
Anti co-habitation laws
Segregation of restaurants
Segregation of recreation facilities
Segregation of public transportation
Restrictive housing covenants
Segregation of social activities (consuming alcohol, etc.)
Ban on inter-racial adoptions
Segregation of restrooms
Segregation of hospitals
Segregation of pool halls
When did this practice begin?
Where was it employed?
What was the justification?
2) Create a Political Cartoon, criticizing the particular Jim Crow policy
3) Write an FRQ based on the Political Cartoon

12. Homework
1) Textbook, p
2) Finish your Jim Crow cartoon and FRQ, if not completed in class