Ironclad Oath

E735339

Ironclad Oath was a stringent loyalty oath used during the American Civil War and Reconstruction that required individuals to swear they had never previously supported the Confederacy.

All labels observed (1)

Label Occurrences
Ironclad Oath canonical 1

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (39)

Predicate Object
instanceOf United States historical concept ⓘ
loyalty oath ⓘ
appliedInJurisdiction United States ⓘ
appliedTo clergy in some contexts ⓘ
jurors ⓘ
lawyers ⓘ
officeholders ⓘ
voters in some Union and reconstructed states ⓘ
graduallyWeakenedBy Supreme Court decisions limiting retrospective loyalty requirements ⓘ
amnesty acts ⓘ
hasAlternativeName iron‑clad test oath ⓘ
test oath ⓘ
hasConsequence contributed to political dominance of loyal Unionists in some Southern states during early Reconstruction ⓘ
hasEffect barred many ex-Confederates from holding office ⓘ
disenfranchised many white Southerners ⓘ
limited the practice of law by former Confederates ⓘ
hasPurpose to ensure loyalty to the Union ⓘ
to exclude former Confederates from public life ⓘ
influencedBy Union concerns about loyalty after secession ⓘ
isCharacterizedAs punitive toward ex-Confederates ⓘ
retrospective ⓘ
stringent ⓘ
legalBasis federal legislation during the Civil War and Reconstruction ⓘ
state constitutions and statutes in reconstructed states ⓘ
notableRelatedCase Cummings v. Missouri ⓘ
Ex parte Garland ⓘ
opposedBy former Confederates ⓘ
many Democrats ⓘ
relatedTo amnesty policies for former Confederates ⓘ
oath of allegiance ⓘ
requiresStatement that the oath-taker had never given aid or comfort to enemies of the United States ⓘ
that the oath-taker had never supported the Confederacy ⓘ
that the oath-taker had never voluntarily borne arms against the United States ⓘ
supportedBy Radical Republicans ⓘ
timePeriod 1860s ⓘ
early 1870s ⓘ
usedIn American Civil War ⓘ
Reconstruction era ⓘ
wasPartOf Radical Republican Reconstruction policies ⓘ

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (1)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Wade–Davis Bill → requiredOathType → Ironclad Oath ⓘ