Reconstruction

Reconstruction

1865-1877ReconstructionAftershock: Beyond the Civil WarPart 1 Violence & Lincolns AssassinationPart 2 Freedmans Bureau & Johnson*Part 3Part 4Part 5Part 6Part 7Part 8Part 9Effects of the Civil WarCreation of a single unified countryAbolition of slavery (13th Amendment)Increased power to federal government tried to kill the issue of states rights U.S. now an industrial nationA stronger sense of nationalismWestern lands increasingly opened to settlementSouth was economically and physically devastated, w/ the plantation system crippled...thus Reconstruction (rebuilding the U.S.) - but a deep hatred of the North remained...

ReconstructionFederal governments controversial effort to repair the damage to the South and restore southern states to the union4 Presidents were involved (1865-1877)Physical Toll2/3 shipping destroyed9,000 miles of railroad destroyed

Value of southern property plunged 70%

Human TollNorth 364,000South 260,000 (1/5 of adult white men)

Civilian deaths also occurred as the Northern troops moved through the SouthSouthern HardshipsFreed slaves had the freedom toMove freed slaves looked for loved ones and marriedOwn land provided some economic independenceWorship formed own churches, volunteer groups, trade associations, drama clubsTo learn 1860 90% illiterateSchools opened1865-1870 30 African American colleges opened

Issues facing Reconstruction2 issues to be resolved at the end of the Civil WarSeceded StatesFreed Slaves

None of these plans (so far) addressed issues facingfreed slavesBlack CodesKKKLynching

Questions after the Civil War1. How and when should Southern states be allowed to resume their role in the union?2. Should the South be punished for actions or be forgiven and recover quickly?3. Would races have equal rights?4. Should the federal government be stronger?

The Founding Fathers didnt foresee a Civil War, so there was no indication of which branch should handle the aftermath4 Reconstruction Plans were Developed1. Lincolns Plan2. Wade Davis Bill3. Johnsons Plan4. Congressional Plan of 1867Lincolns Plan (10% plan)He began working on the plan as early as December 1863He hoped to achieve unity without thoroughly punishing the SouthHe felt that the South did not legally secede from the unionMany felt his plan did not go far enough to support the rights, especially for voting, of African Americans

1.Lincolns PlanProclamation of Amnesty and ReconstructionTen-Percent PlanOffered forgiveness (PARDON) to all southerners who pledged loyalty to the Union and support for emancipationWith 10% of the population pledging this, the state could then form a government that banned slavery and be readmitted into the UnionArkansas, Louisiana, Tennessee, and VirginiaAngered Radical Republicans

Lincolns Second Inaugural Address March 1865with malice toward none; with charity for all; with firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in; to bind up the nations woundsto do all which may achieve and cherish a just, and a lasting peace, among ourselves, and with all nations.

Lincolns Plan upset CongressRe-admitting states to the Union was a power of Congress, not the presidentSince secession was against the law, Confederates had never legally left the UnionSo Congress responds withThe Wade Davis BillOnce a majority of a states white, male citizens pledged loyalty to the union, it would be readmitted into the UnionLincoln Pocket vetoed

2. Wade-Davis Bill (July, 1864)So Congress responds withThe Wade Davis BillOnce 50% of a states white, male citizens pledged loyalty to the union, it would be readmitted into the UnionLincoln Pocket vetoedMany members of Congress wanted to view the Southern states as reconquered provinces

Andrew Johnson Becomes President after Lincoln is assassinated in 1865One-time slave-ownerMoved from North Carolina to TennesseeWas the only southern member of Congress to side with the UnionHated rich planters; strong supporter of poor whites

DEMOCRATIn 1865, Congress took an 8 month break and Johnson pursued his plan3. Andrew Johnsons PlanSimilar to Lincolns PlanExceptWanted to break the planters power by excluding high-ranking Confederates and wealthy Southern landowners from votingPardoned more than 13,000 former Confederates so that white men alone must manage the SouthAll but Texas joined and sent Representatives to Congress, Congress refused to admit them

Freedmans BureauBegun in March 1865 (prior to Lincolns assassination)1st major federal relief agency in history1866 Congress voted to enlarge the Freedmens Bureau & forbid Southern states from passing black codesprovided food, clothing, hospitals, legal protection, and education to former slavesIt redistributed Johnson vetoed the Freedmens Bureau Act and the Civil Rights Act

What do you see (symbols, people, etc.)?What words are used?What can you infer from or about the cartoon?

Republicans in Congress wantedFavored tougher rules for restoring the states that had left the UnionWanted to truly give freed slaves freedomOverrode Johnsons veto of the Freedmans Bureau and drafted the 14th Amendment14th Amendment grants citizenship to all persons born or naturalized in the United States Reconstruction plan:Ratify the 14th and 15th AmendmentsWrite new state constitution that guaranteed freedmen the right to voteForm new governments to be elected by all male citizens including African Americans

4. Congress ReconstructionCongress drafted the Reconstruction Plan of 1867 Denied state governments formed under the Lincoln and Johnson plansDivided former Confederate states into 5 military districtsThis would force southern states to grant African-Americans the right to vote and pass the 14th amendment to reenter the union.Johnson vetoed Congress overrode Johnsons Presidential VetoCongress upset with Johnson, look for grounds to impeach him.Find it after he violates the Tenure of Office Act in 1868 by removing Secretary of War Edwin Stanton from officeSenate did not vote to convict so he remains in officePresidential Election of 1868Ulysses S. Grant wins the election by 306,000 votesOver 500,000 Southern African Americans had voted in which 9/10 voted for GrantRadical Republicans introduce the 15th Amendment after the election15th Amendment no person can be kept from voting based on race, color, or previous condition of servitude.Republicans in the Postwar SouthScalawags: white Southerners who joined the Republican PartyMainly small farmers wanting to improve their economic positionCarpetbaggers: Northerners who moved to the South after the warAfrican Americans

Discontinuity in Southern RepublicansScalawags and white Southerners resisted equal rights for African Americans

African Americans during Reconstruction95% of former slaves were illiterateFirst public schools established in the South by the new African American churchesVoted and held office in local, state, and federal governmentsMany forced into sharecropping because they were denied landSharecropping: landowners divided their land and assigned each head of household a few acres, along with seeds and tools.Sharecroppers kept a small share of their crops and gave the rest to the landownersReconstruction CollapsesRise of the Ku Klux Klan (KKK).Goal was to destroy the Republican Party, Reconstruction governments, aid the planter class, and keep Af. Am.s from engaging in politicsKilled approximately 20,000 men, women & childrenBoycotted Af. Am.s who voted RepublicanCongress passed a series of Enforcement Acts in 1870 and 1871 to try and block the KKKSupervision of elections in Southern statesGave President power to use fed. Troops where KKK was activeMay 1872 Congress passed the Amnesty Act allowing 150,000 former Confederates the right to vote and hold government officesAlso allowed the Freedmans Bureau to expire

What do you see (symbols, people, etc.)?What words are used?What can you infer from or about the cartoon?Reconstruction Collapses (Cont.)Panic of 1873 after a series of banks fail leads to a 5 year depressionSupreme Court undoes some of the social and political changes Radicals madeRepublicans retreat from Reconstruction policiesSouthern Democrats regain control of the SouthElection of 1876Samuel J. Tilden (D) vs. Rutherford B. Hayes (R)Tilden wins popular vote but misses by 1 electoral voteS. Democrats agree to accept Hayes if federal troops are withdrawn from the South