Reconstruction After the War When the Civil War

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Reconstruction

Reconstruction

After the War ● When the Civil War ended, parts of the South laid

After the War ● When the Civil War ended, parts of the South laid in ruins. ● African Americans, though emancipated, lacked full citizenship and the means to make a living. ● The era of Reconstruction (1865 - 1877) was focused on the federal government struggling with how they would return the eleven southern states to the Union, rebuild the South’s ruined economy, and promote the rights of former slaves.

After the War How to Reunite the Union How to Rebuild the Southern Economy

After the War How to Reunite the Union How to Rebuild the Southern Economy ● The Constitution provided no guidance on secession or readmission of state. ● Some argued that states should be allowed to rejoin the Union quickly with frew conditions. ● Many claimed that the defeated states should first satisfy certain stipulations. ○ Ex: swearing loyalty to the federal government, adopting state constitutions that guaranteed freedmen’s rights, etc. ● Between the 1860 s to 1870 s, the South’s share of the nation’s total wealth declined from more than 30% to 12%. ● The Union army had destroyed factories, plantations, and railroads. ● More than 3 million newly freed African Americans were now without homes or jobs. ● Some people proposed using the land to benefit former slaves. ○ Ex: abandoned acres should be given to former slaves; “forty acres and a mule” to support every family ● Southern landowners rejected the idea that the government could give away land.

The Issue of Citizenship ● The Thirteenth Amendment freed African Americans from slavery, but

The Issue of Citizenship ● The Thirteenth Amendment freed African Americans from slavery, but it did not grant them the privileges of full citizenship. ○ Former slaves hoped that they would gain voting rights and access to education. ● Most leaders of the Republican Party, which was dominating the federal government, supported programs to extend full citizenship. ● White southerners feared that it would undermine their own power

Reconstruction Plans ● President Lincoln’s main goals was to reunify the nation. ● During

Reconstruction Plans ● President Lincoln’s main goals was to reunify the nation. ● During the war, Lincoln felt some sympathy for the South and hoped that southern states might easily rejoin the Union after the war. ● In 1863, he issued a Proclamation of Amnesty and Reconstruction (The Ten Percent Plan). ○ As soon as ten percent of a state’s voters took a loyalty oath to the Union, the state could set up a new government. ○ If the state’s constitution abolished slavery and provide education for African Americans, the stat would regain representation in Congress. ● He was willing to grant pardons to former Confederates and did not require a guarantee of social or political equality for African Americans. ○ He recognized pro-Union governments even though they denied African

Radical Republicans ● Some members of Lincoln’s own party did not think that Lincoln

Radical Republicans ● Some members of Lincoln’s own party did not think that Lincoln was hard enough on the Confederates. ● Radical Republicans in congress insisted that the Confederates had committed crimes - by enslaving african Americans and by entangling the nation in war. ○ The advocated for full citizenship and voting rights ○ Favored punishment and harsh terms for the South ● Rejecting Lincoln’s Ten Percent Plan, Congress passed the Wade-Davis Bill in 1864. ○ Required that a majority of a state’s

The Freedmen’s Bureau ● One of the Radical Republican plans did receive the President’s

The Freedmen’s Bureau ● One of the Radical Republican plans did receive the President’s support. This was the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands: a. k. a. Freedmen’s Bureau. ○ This was established a fews days before Lincoln’s death. ○ Goal was to provide food, clothing, healthcare, and education for African Americans AND white refugees in the South. ● It helped reunite families that had been separated by slavery and war.

The Johnson Presidency and Reconstruction ● Lincoln was assassinated in April 1865, just weeks

The Johnson Presidency and Reconstruction ● Lincoln was assassinated in April 1865, just weeks after his second inauguration. ● His VP, Andrew Johnson took over. ● Johnson wanted to restore the political status of the southern states as quickly as possible. ● He offered pardons and the restoration of land to almost any Confederate who swore allegiance to the Union and the Constitution.

The Johnson Presidency and Reconstruction ● His main requirement was that each state ratified

The Johnson Presidency and Reconstruction ● His main requirement was that each state ratified the Thirteenth Amendment and draft a constitution that abolished slavery. ● Johnson resented wealthy planters and required that they, and other confederate leaders, personally write to him and apply for a pardon from him, not the government. ● Johnson expected the United States to have a “government of white men” and did not want African Americans to have the right to vote; he had little sympathy for African Americans. ● He supported states’ rights that allowed laws and customs of the state to outweigh federal regulations.

Black Codes in the South ● Southern leaders proceeded to rebuild their prewar world.

Black Codes in the South ● Southern leaders proceeded to rebuild their prewar world. ○ Many states specifically limited the vote to white men. ● All of the states instituted black codes- laws that sought to limit the rights of African Americans and keep them as landless workers. ○ The codes required African Americans to work in only a limited number of occupations, most often as servants or farm laborers. ○ Some states prohibited African Americans from owning land. ● Even though the South remained under Union military occupation, white southerners openly used violence and intimidation to enforce the black codes.

Conflict between Johnson and Congress ● Both Radical and moderate Republicans were infuriated and

Conflict between Johnson and Congress ● Both Radical and moderate Republicans were infuriated and frustrated with the South’s disregard for Reconstruction. ● Through the spring of 1866, the political situation grew worse. ● When Congress passes a bill to allow the Freedmen’s Bureau to continue its work and to provide it with authority to punish state officials who failed to extend civil rights to African Americans, Johnson vetoed it. ○ Why…. ?

Congress vs. Johnson ● As violence against African Americans increased, moderate and Radical Republicans

Congress vs. Johnson ● As violence against African Americans increased, moderate and Radical Republicans blamed the rising tide of lawlessness on Johnson’s lenient policies. ● For the first time ever, Congress passed a major legislation over the President’s veto: the Civil Rights Act of 1866 ○ created federal guarantees of civil rights and superseded any state laws that limited them. ● They continued on the role by adopting and passing the 14 th and 15 th Amendment.

Lincoln Johnson Radical Republican ● Required 10 percent of a state’s voters to take

Lincoln Johnson Radical Republican ● Required 10 percent of a state’s voters to take an oath of loyalty to the Union in order to form a new government and rejoin the Union ● Required states to accept emancipation of slaves ● Offered full pardons to all former Confederates ● Required former Confederates with property worth $20, 000 or more to obtain presidential pardon in order to vote or hold office; gave full pardon to others. ● Required ratification of the Thirteenth Amendment ● Required 50 percent of a state’s voters to take an oath of loyalty to the Union in order to call a constitutional convention and elect a new government. ● Divided South into five military districts. ● Required state legislatures to adopt new constitutions guaranteeing African American suffrage. ● Required states to ratify the Fourteenth Amendment in order to seat representatives in Congress. WHO DO YOU AGREE WITH THE MOST? ! WHY?

Johnson’s Impeachment ● The power struggle between Congress and the President reached a crisis

Johnson’s Impeachment ● The power struggle between Congress and the President reached a crisis in 1867. ● Johnson tried to get rid of every Radical Republican in his cabinet. ● Angrily, the House of Representatives voted to impeach Johnson. ○ Accusation against a public official of wrongdoing in office ● The trial in the Senate lasted through the spring of 1868, but in the end the Radicals could not win the

Congress Passes a Plan for Reconstruction Analyze Information Which president came closer to being

Congress Passes a Plan for Reconstruction Analyze Information Which president came closer to being removed from office? How can you tell?

African Americans at the Polls ● Almost 1, 500 African American men (some born

African Americans at the Polls ● Almost 1, 500 African American men (some born free some recently released from slavery) helped usher the Republican party into the South by taking on roles in state and local governments. ● These new citizens served the South as school superintendents, sheriffs, mayors, etc. ● By 1868, many southern states had both African Americanelected officials and a strong Republican Party. ● Ironically, South Carolina became the one state where an African American majority ruled the legislature.

African Americans and Life ● For the first time, many African Americans men and

African Americans and Life ● For the first time, many African Americans men and women could legalize and celebrate their marriages, build homes for their families, and make choices about where they would reside. ○ These choices were restricted by black codes limiting what work they might do. ● Many African Americans headed for southern cities, where they could develop churches, schools, and other social institutions. ● Most often though, African American workers had to settle for what they had under slavery: substandard housing and poor food in return for hard labor. ○ The majority stayed in rural

Women and Reconstruction ● The Republican Party did not support women’s suffrage, arguing that

Women and Reconstruction ● The Republican Party did not support women’s suffrage, arguing that they could not rally national support behind the essential goal of African American suffrage if they tried to include women too. ● The Reconstruction South offered northern women opportunities to leave their domestic lives. ○ Single women created new roles for themselves in medical facilities, orphanages, and other relief agencies. ○ Participated in shaping the public school system.

Public School System ● Mandated by Reconstruction state constitutions, public schools grew slowly. ●

Public School System ● Mandated by Reconstruction state constitutions, public schools grew slowly. ● Establishing new school systems was expensive and especially since southerners opted for segregations (separation of the races). ● Operating two school systems severely strained the southern economy. A few of the most radical white Republicans suggested integration (combining the schools) but the idea was unpopular with most.

Land Distribution in the South ● Many of the South’s problems resulted from the

Land Distribution in the South ● Many of the South’s problems resulted from the uneven land distribution. ○ The South’s wealth was defined by land ownership. ● More than 90 percent of southern land was owned by only 50 percent of the people in 1860. ○ This meant that even before the war, the South had a large number of white citizens with little or no land. ● By 1880, about 7 percent of the South’s land was owned by African Americans.

Agricultural Systems After the Civil War Sharecropping Share-tenancy ● Definition: system in which a

Agricultural Systems After the Civil War Sharecropping Share-tenancy ● Definition: system in which a farmer tended a portion of a planter’s land in return for a share of the crop ● Landowners supplied tenants with food, shelter, tools, and supplies. ● Sharecroppers gave a portion of their crop to the landowner as payment and kept the rest. ● Sharecroppers did not own the crops or land. ● Sharecroppers often became indebted to landowners. ● Definition: similar to sharecropping except that the farmer chose what crop he would plant and bought his own supplies. ● Tenants purchased most of their own tools and supplies. ● Tenants kept a share of the crop for themselves and gave one quarter or one third of their crop to the landowner. ● tenants owned the crops but not the land. ● Tenants were able to save money to purchase their own tools and supplies. Tenant Farming ● Definition: system in which a farmer paid rent to a landowner for the use of the land ● Tenants purchased and used their own farm tools and supplies. ● Tenants paid the landowner in cash for rights to work the land. ● Tenants owned the crops but not the land. ● Tenants were able to save money to purchase their own land.

Violence in the South ● The struggle to make a living in a region

Violence in the South ● The struggle to make a living in a region devastated by war led to fierce economic competition. ● Already resentful of the Republican takeover of local politics and of occupation by federal troops, white southerners were united in their insistence that African Americans not have full citizenship. ● The more hostile white southerners tried to keep freedmen in a subservient role. ○ Dozens of loosely organized groups of white southerners emerged to terrorize African Americans.

The KKK ● Formed in Tennessee in 1866 ● Members roamed the countryside, especially

The KKK ● Formed in Tennessee in 1866 ● Members roamed the countryside, especially at night, burning homes, schools, churches, and beating, maiming, or killing African Americans and their white allies. ● Dressed in white robes and hoods they would ride their horses to scare freed people away from voting. ● Klan took special aim at the symbols of African American freedom: African American teachers and schools, churches and ministers, politicians, and anyone who encouraged African Americans to vote. ● Their tactics often succeeded.

Reconstruction Comes to an End Analyze Information: Based on this timeline, which event marked

Reconstruction Comes to an End Analyze Information: Based on this timeline, which event marked the last major success in protecting civil rights during the Reconstruction era?

The Disputed Election of 1876 Ends Reconstruction ● Slowly, the Radical Republicans begin losing

The Disputed Election of 1876 Ends Reconstruction ● Slowly, the Radical Republicans begin losing power and the stage was set to end northern domination of the South. ● The 1876 election pitted Ohio Republican Rutherford B. Hayes against New York Democrat Samuel Tilden. ● Hayes was a respected Union general who served in the House of Representatives in 1866. ● Tilden received 51% of the popular vote and carried all of the southern states. ● Republicans claimed that the votes had been miscounted in three southern states, which happened to be states where Republicans controlled the reporting of ballots. ○ The Republicans found enough mistakes to swing the election to Hayes by one electoral vote.

The Compromise of 1877 ● Southern Democrats protested the results of this vote, congress

The Compromise of 1877 ● Southern Democrats protested the results of this vote, congress was charged with mediating the crisis. ● It formed a commission of five senators (chosen by the republican-dominated Senate), five representatives (chosen by the Democratic House of Representatives) and five Supreme Court Justices. ● President Rutherford B. Hayes was elected President through the compromise of 1877. ○ An agreement by which Rutherford B. Hayes won the 1876 presidential election and in exchange agreed to remove the remaining federal troops from the South.

Reconstruction Comes to an End Analyze Information: Why was the outcome of the election

Reconstruction Comes to an End Analyze Information: Why was the outcome of the election of 1876 so controversial?