Vocabulary

Agricultural Wheel-National farmers' political organization. Barricade-Physical obstacle thrown up as a defense against attack; to keep people from crossing a boundary. Brindletails- followers of Joseph Brooks in the gubernatorial campaign of 1872 and subsequent Brooks Baxter War. Brooks-Baxter War- armed conflict following when the results were deemed unfair. Carpetbaggers-northerners who moved south after the Civil War, presumably to get rich. Conservatives-name adopted by the Democrats to distinguish themselves from the “radical” Republicans during and after Reconstruction. Fiscal-relating to money. Grangers- another name for the Patrons of Husbandry; each chapter is know as a “grange” (the word is an old-fashioned word for granary or barn.) Greenback Party- political party formed among farmers to support increased paper money supply.\ iron-clad oath- sworn loyalty to the United States both prior to the was and following the war; effectively excluded all ex-Confederates from voting during Reconstruction. Jim Crow- the name given to the system of laws and social practices which intimidated, disenfranchised, and oppressed black citizens in America for ninety years. Ku Klux Klan- secret terrorist group organized to harass and harm black citizens to obstuct their participation in society. Lynching- acts of mob violence against black people; most often associated with illegal hangings. Minstrels- followers of Elisha Baxter in the gubernatorial election of 1872 and subsequent Brooks-Baxter Wars; a blackface song-and-dance show. Patrons of Husbandry- farmers' self-help improvement organization. Plessy vs. Ferguson- the U.S. Supreme Court Decision in 1896 that accepted the principle of “separate but equal” the legal foundation for all the laws and practices of segregation. Populist Party- political party formed by joining many farmers' and working men's organizations together nationwide to fight big business on behalf of the common man. Radical Reconstruction- harsh measures imposed by the U.S. Congress upon the South following Lincoln and Johnson's unsuccessful “soft” presidential approach. Redeemers- name taken by the Democrats who came to power following the Brooks-Baxter War and who ended Reconstruction. Scalawags- native southerners who supported the Reconstruction governments. Segregation- the deliberate and forced separation of one group of people from another (black and whites) resulting in unfair and unfavorable discrimination against black citizens. Skirmish- Small, armed battle.