Reconstruction Reconstruction followed the Civil War To reconstruct

Reconstruction

Reconstruction followed the Civil War. To “reconstruct” means to rebuild. Imagine you had to rebuild the Union after the war. How would you handle these issues? 1) How should Southern states be re-admitted to the Union? 2) Was it the President or Congress that had the power to set conditions for their re-admission? 3)Should former Confederate leaders be permitted to participate in public life, or should they be excluded or punished? 4) What will the position of the millions of former slaves or freedmen be? 5)How can you rebuild the Southern economy?

Learning Objectives Students will… ◦ Relate to the struggles of the Reconstruction-era government and predict its actions. ◦ Compare and contrast the different plans for Reconstruction. ◦ Analyze the effects of the Reconstruction amendments.

Challenges of Reconstruction South destroyed – farms burned, railroads ruined Confederate money no longer held value ALL OF THE QUESTIONS FROM YOUR BELLRINGER

Plans for Reconstruction 1865 – Freedmen’s Bureau established ◦ Meant to help former slaves adjust to freedom 10% Plan ◦ Endorsed by Lincoln – “with malice toward none, with charity for all” ◦ 10% of a state’s voters must pledge allegiance to the Union and accept the Emancipation Proclamation ◦ Rejected by Congress

13 th Amendment, 1865 Banned slavery throughout the US!! (amendment = change to the Constitution)

Black Codes Under Johnson, white Southerners became more daring – voted for many former Confederate leaders ◦ Began to withhold rights to freedmen Prevented freedmen from… ◦ ◦ ◦ ◦ Voting Serving on juries Testifying in court against whites Holding office Serving in state militias Traveling freely Leaving their jobs Regulated marriage of freedmen

Florida Black Code Section 2. In all criminal proceedings founded upon injury to a colored person, and in all cases affecting the rights and remedies of colored persons, no person shall be incompetent to testify as a witness on account of color; in all other cases, the testimony of colored persons shall be excluded, unless made competent by future legislation. The jury shall judge the credibility of the testimony. Section 3. The Jurors of this State shall be white men, possessed of such qualifications as may be prescribed by law.

Black Codes Freedmen simply stayed at their plantations because they weren’t allowed to leave Could still be whipped for being disrespectful to plantation owners Essentially preserved the pre-Civil War Southern society!

Congressional Reaction People in the North were furious because of the Black Codes and the representatives Southerners had elected Congress refused to accept the new Southern reps Radical Republicans ◦ Believed the South should be punished for their actions ◦ Wanted African Americans to have complete and total equality

Civil Rights Act Radical Republicans and moderate Republicans in Congress succeeded in passing a Civil Rights Act ◦ Prohibited discrimination based on race ◦ Overturned Black Codes ◦ Made all people born in US citizens, INCLUDING FREEDMEN

14 th Amendment Afraid that the Supreme Court would get rid of the Civil Rights Act, Congress made it into an amendment Prohibits states from denying African Americans and other minorities the rights and privileges of citizens ◦ Includes a fair trial and equal protection under the laws In order to be accepted back into the Union, ALL Southern states had to ratify it ◦ Effect – shifted balance of power in Southern governments

Radical Republicans Johnson didn’t like Congress’ Reconstruction plan, but most Northerners voted for Radical Republicans got more seats in Congress and got the majority ◦ Made easier because many Southern states were still not being represented ◦ Were able to pass their own legislation Decided they were going to divide South into five districts, each occupied by the Union army and placed under martial law

Bellringer 9/11 On your index card, write a one-paragraph letter to a friend or family member. You are a freedman. Express your emotions. What do you feel? What do you think will happen? Will your situation change? What are your plans on how to live?

Unit 1 Test Tuesday 9/22

Impeachment of Andrew Johnson Radical Republicans also passed Tenure of Office Act – made it so that Johnson wasn’t allowed to fire his cabinet members (advisors) But…then he did anyway Johnson was impeached – put on trial for disobeying the law ◦ Successfully impeached in the House but Senate only kept him in office by one vote

15 th Amendment Banned states from denying the right to vote to anyone based on race or previous situation (slavery)

President vs. Republicans vs. Congress https: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=nows. S 7 p. MAp. I (first two minutes) President Johnson Who should control the readmission of Southern states? When should Southern states be readmitted? Should Southern leaders be punished? Should the freed slaves be entitled to vote? Southern states Radical Republicans

“All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws” – excerpt of 14 th amendment 1. What is meant by “due process of the law? ” 2. What is meant by the “equal protection of the laws? ” 3. How do these concepts differ? 4. How did this amendment overturn the earlier Dred Scott Supreme Court decision?

Reconstruction South New Southern governments were elected Carpetbaggers – poor Northern whites able to put all of their belongings in a single bag ◦ Southerners disliked this group and believed they came to take advantage of the South ◦ In reality, most of them wanted to help the freedmen Scalawags – Southern whites who support Reconstruction New African American voters! ◦ Some even held office

Reconstruction South Hiram Rhodes Revels – first African American Congressman Greatest accomplishments – public schools, laws against racial discrimination, and investment in railroads Greatest difficulties – not a lot of money ◦ Corruption ◦ Most white Southerners never came around, resented Northern interference, didn’t see freedmen as equals ◦ …could Reconstruction continue once the North withdrew?

Reconstruction South Plantation system couldn’t be maintained without slavery ◦ Some landowners even had to sell off their property Mostly, landowners began following a system of sharecropping ◦ Freedmen (newly freed slaves) had no resources to live on their own ◦ So landowners offered them a cabin, tools, and a plot of land ◦ In exchange, the sharecropper/freedmen would turn over a lot of their crop to the landowner ◦ Most freedmen entered into this system

Reconstruction South Other freedmen became tenant farmers ◦ Rented land from the landowner but provided their own tools and provisions Hardly any freedmen actually owned land themselves If a sharecropper or a tenant farmer owed any money to the landowner, they couldn’t leave until it was paid off – debt peonage ◦ Effectively, the freedmen could never pay off their debt and became stuck there

“The New South” Some Southerners began to think ending slavery was good because it would force their economy to diversify ◦ More manufacturing – railroads, cotton mills ◦ Different crops grown – vegetables, fruits (not just cotton!)

End of Reconstruction None of the state governments under Reconstruction lasted more than ten years New President Hayes withdraws Northern troops from Southern states ◦ Former Confederate leaders could now vote ◦ States quickly banned African Americans from voting or participating in politics

Exit Slip – 9/11 Rate yourself 0 -4 Burning Questions Define the following terms in your own words: Reconstruction Radical Republicans Sharecropping

Why did Reconstruction fail? Legacy of racism ◦ White people were not ready to recognize African Americans were their equals ◦ Centuries of prejudice both in the North and the South Economic dependence of African Americans ◦ Sharecroppers and tenant farmers were dependent on their former masters because they weren’t given their own land Freedmen lacked education and political experience White terrorism ◦ Ku Klux Klan (KKK) and other racist groups threatened African Americans who tried to get involved in politics and scared most away Loss of Northern interest in Southern Reconstruction

Aftermath Racial segregation and white supremacy became usual African Americans were deprived of their basic political and civil rights Period of racism and prejudice called the Nadir, or the low point, in American race relations

Aftermath 15 th amendment had guaranteed African Americans the right to vote…but the South slowly took these rights away Armed groups openly threated violence to African Americans who tried to vote Freedmen were stuck in the sharecropping system Lynching became common – public hanging by a local mob without trial ◦ All police, juries, and judges were white

Anti-African American Legislation White Southern legislators began passing laws that blocked African American rights without actually violating the 14 th and 15 th amendments Literacy tests – tests determined if someone could read and people had to pass to vote ◦ Very few African Americans could read because they had no education ◦ Many white Southerners didn’t have to take these tests even if they couldn’t read Poll taxes – special registration fees for voting ◦ Freedmen never really had money to spare Grandfather clauses – people who had been qualified to vote before 1867 and their descendents were allowed to vote without passing literacy tests or paying poll taxes ◦ Targeted freedmen because they couldn’t vote then ◦ White Southerners regained control of state governments and Congress representatives – Solid South

Jim Crow laws Segregation laws – separated African Americans from white people ◦ ◦ ◦ Attended different schools Rode on separate railroads Ate in different restaurants Used different bathrooms and water fountains Sat on different public benches Facilities given to African Americans were usually worse Reinforced white racism, denied black citizens their equal rights and opportunities White Southerners liked these laws because they were afraid of competition from black workers and believed these laws kept freedmen “in their place”

Plessy vs. Ferguson Homer Plessy, a black man, sat in a railroad car for white people Arrested and went to court Supreme Court found segregation LEGAL “We cannot say that a law which requires the separation of two races is unreasonable. We consider the error of Plessy’s argument to consist in the assumption that the enforced separation of the two races stamps the colored race with a badge of inferiority. ”

African American Response Almost 2 million migrated North where there was less segregation Stronger ties to community and church

Florida and Reconstruction Less emphasis on cotton after Civil War – more citrus, vegetables, cattle, and tourism Population was about half African Americans became very active in Florida government at first …but then Jim Crow appeared ◦ Literacy tests, poll taxes, violence ◦ Debt peonage

ESP Chart E – Economics ◦ Trade ◦ Industry ◦ Economic systems S – Social ◦ Culture ◦ Race relations P – Politics ◦ Legal system ◦ Laws ◦ government E S P

Bellringer 9/17 On the index card passed out to you, define the term you are assigned. Include: ◦ ◦ ◦ Date (if applicable) Significant people/groups of people involved (if applicable) Causes Definition/important events involved Effects Take out your ESP graphic organizer to be collected.

Announcements TEST NEXT CLASS Remember – turn in proof that you studied for 5 extra credit points (flashcards, study guide, etc) First Binder check will be Monday during your test ◦ You should have the following ◦ ◦ ◦ ◦ 6 bellringers (8/28, 9/1, 9/3, 9/8, 9/10, 9/15) T-chart on advantages and disadvantages of North and South Mind map on causes of the Civil War 2 pg notes on Civil War 3 pg notes on Reconstruction Graphic organizer on Reconstruction plans ESP graphic organizer on Reconstruction At least one map test

Living Timeline Using the vocab word you were given, put yourselves in CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER (in order of time – what happens first, next, last, etc. ) After you are all in the correct order, you will explain your event to the class.

Discussion Questions Can use bullet points 1. What do you believe was the most influential case of the Civil War? Why? Provide DETAILS that support your answer. Choose from one of the following: sectionalism, westward expansion, breakdown of compromise, states’ rights 2. Compare and contrast the following plans for Reconstruction: presidential plan, congressional plan.

Exit Slip 9/17 Based on today’s review, what grade do you think you will get on the test on Monday?