Reconstruction
Dec 25, 2015
Starter Jim Crow laws, which were passed in
Southern states following Reconstruction, were intended to– A. support the goals of the 13th, 14th, and
15th Amendments– B. encourage African Americans to buy their
own farms– C. provide basic education to former slaves– D. institute racial segregation
BIG IDEA
At the end of the Civil War, Reconstruction helped shape the United States for years to come.
I Can Statements...
1. Explain how President Lincoln’s assassination furthered the struggle over control of Reconstruction.
2. Explain how President Johnson’s impeachment impacted Reconstruction.
3. Explain the major policies that came out of Reconstruction including, the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments.
4. Explain the impact of the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) and the creation of the black codes during and after Reconstruction.
Lincoln’s Plan
Offered pardons to Southerners who took an oath of loyalty and abolished slavery
Denied pardons to Confederate military and government officials who killed African American war prisoners
Continued
Could hold a constitutional convention when 10% of the state had taken the oath– to create a state constitution
After all of this the state could hold elections and join the Union again
Radical Republicans
Republicans in Congress opposed Lincoln’s plan
Wanted to prevent Confederate leaders from returning to power after the war
Wanted to guarantee African Americans the right to vote and equality
Starter Part of President Lincoln’s plan for
Reconstruction was to offer _____ to Southerners who would take an oath of loyalty to the United States.
– A. imprisonment– B. pardon– C. debt peonage– D. exile
Bill Continued
Bill– Majority of while males had to take the oath– Could hold a convention to create a new state government– “iron-clad” oath- taken by those at the convention
• never fought against the Union or supported the Confederacy
– State Constitution had to:• abolish slavery
• reject debts the state had as part of the Confederacy
• No former Confederate officials could hold office in new government
Veto
Lincoln blocked Wade-Davis Bill with a pocket veto– indirectly vetoing a bill by letting a session
of Congress expire without signing the bill
– Didn’t want a harsh peace– Feared it would alienate whites in the
South
Freedmen’s Bureau
Freedmen: newly freed African Americans
Bureau established in 1865 by Congress– feeding and clothing war refugees in the
South using surplus Army supplies– helped them find work on plantations
Johnson Takes Office Democrat from Tennessee Supported a moderate Reconstruction
policy His Plan:
– pardon to all with an oath of loyalty and return of property
– excluded the same people Lincoln excluded– Southern states had to ratify the 13th
Amendment
Aftermath
By December 1865 Johnson’s plan was working
Many Confederate leaders were elected to Congress– angered many
Black Codes Passed by Southern legislatures Required African Americans to:
– Sign annual labor contracts– Vagrancy Laws- for those who didn’t follow
codes• could be whipped, beaten, or forced into servitude
– Curfews– Land Restrictions
• could only rent houses or land in rural areas
Radical Reconstruction
Election of Confederates and Black Codes caused more Republicans to join radicals
1865 House and Senate leaders created a Joint Committee on Reconstruction to make their own plan
Civil Rights Act of 1866
Civil Rights Act of 1866– granted citizenship to all persons born in the
United States, except Native Americans– African Americans could own property– Everyone treated equally in court– Could sue anyone who violated those rights
– Johnson vetoed it, but radicals were able to override it
14th Amendment
Granted citizenship to all persons born or naturalized in the United States and declared the no state could deprive any person of life, liberty, or property “without due process of law”
also, no state could deny any person “equal protection of the laws”
ratified in 1868
Johnson did not support the 14th Amendment
In 1868 congressional elections he hoped Northerners would vote out Radical Republicans
Republicans won and had enough to override any presidential veto
Military Reconstruction Act
Passed in 1867 Divided south into 5 military districts Union general put in charge of each Each former Confederate state had to
hold another constitutional convention – had to give the right to vote to ALL male
citizens– had to ratify the 14th Amend.
Johnson’s Impeachment
Congress passes the Tenure in Office Act– Senate must approve removal of official
that had been approved by the Senate Johnson fired Secretary of War,
supported Radical Republicans In May the Senate voted
– 1 vote shy of removing him from office
Election of Grant
Johnson does not run for re-election Ulysses S. Grant wins Republicans remain in control of
Congress
15th Amendment
The right to vote “shall not be denied…on account of race, color, or previous servitude”
Ratified by March 1870
By 1870 all former Confederate states had rejoined the union
There were still problems between the North and South
Carpetbags
Carpetbaggers:– Name given to Northerners who traveled to
the South during Reconstruction and supported the Republicans
– arrived with belongings in suitcases made of carpet
Scalawags
Scalawags:– Name given to Southerners who supported
Republican Reconstruction of the South
– Old Scots-Irish term for weak, underfed, worthless animals
African Americans
Many men entered politics elected to many positions at all levels of
government
14 elected to the House of Representatives and 2 elected to the Senate
The Freedman’s Bureau helped establish schools in the South
By 1876 about 40% of African American children attended school
Also began building churches that became the center of communities
Republican Reforms
Instituted the following reforms:– Repealed the Black Codes– Created state hospitals and institutions for
orphans– Rebuilt roads, railways, and bridges– Funded new construction
Many white Southerners disliked the reforms
States increased taxes and borrowed money to pay for reforms– lead many landowners to lose land
Southern Resistance
Largest Group was the Ku Klux Klan– started in 1866 by former Confederate
soldiers in Tennessee– Dressed in hoods and white robes and
terrorized African Americans and their supporters at night
Congress Responds to the KKK– Enforcement Acts in 1870 and 1871
• outlawed the activities of the Klan
• not very successful in stopping the Klan
President Grant
Left policy-making up to Congress Radical Republicans became strong,
but left the President weak– lost public support for Reconstruction
Party Splits
Critics in the Republican Party split to become Liberal Republicans– nominated their own candidate for
president– Grant wins again anyway
Problems
Economy suffers Panic of 1873 set off depression Scandals in Grant administration
In 1874 elections the Democrats win control of House of Representatives
Compromise of 1877
Changes and problems made continuing Reconstruction difficult
Northerners especially were more concerned about the economy than the South
Continued
1876 Election– Rutherford B. Hayes (Rep.) versus Samuel
Tilden (Dem.)– Disputed electoral votes
Solved with the Compromise of 1877– Not sure about what happened– Promise of Republicans to pull troops out
of the South if Hayes was elected
– a month later troops were removed
A “New South” Arises
Believed they had to develop a strong industrial economy
Could not have an agricultural economy dominated by elite
North worked with the South to build:– railroads– iron and steel industry– tobacco processing– cotton mills
For many the end of Reconstruction meant a return to the “Old South”– little political power– forced to labor under difficult conditions
– African Americans would not get their own land
Many returned to plantations owned by whites– worked for wages– or become tenant farmers and rented land
– Sharecroppers:• paid a share of crops to rent the land, and pay
for tools, seed, and supplies
• Local suppliers provided things on credit, but if they were unable to pay they could be imprisoned or had to do forced labor
Starter
After the Civil War, many formerly enslaved African Americans earned a living by becoming– A. railroad workers in the West– B. sharecroppers on Southern farms– C. workers in Northern factories– D. gold miners in California