CONTENT STATEMENT
Following Reconstruction, old political and social structures reemerged and racial discrimination was institutionalized.
CONTENT ELABORATION
The removal of federal troops from the South accompanied the end of Reconstruction and helped lead to the restoration of the Democratic Party’s control of state governments. Many reforms enacted by Reconstruction governments were repealed.
Racial discrimination was further institutionalized with the passage of Jim Crow Laws. These state laws and local ordinances enforced discriminatory policies that included:
- racial segregation;
- limited ballot access;
- prohibition of interracial marriage; and
- limited protection of civil rights for African Americans.
- The U.S. Supreme Court affirmed segregation in the Plessy v Ferguson decision.
- The rise of the Ku Klux Klan and other nativist organizations brought increased violence against African Americans.
EXPECTATIONS FOR LEARNING
Analyze the post-Reconstruction political and social developments that led to institutionalized racism in the United States.
Describe institutionalized racist practices in post-Reconstruction America.