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Chapter 12: Reconstruction
American History
Plans begin to unfoldThe president and Congress grappled with the difficult
tasks of Reconstruction, or rebuilding the country after the Civil Warplans began right after the Civil War began
In 1863, Lincoln issued the Proclamation of Amnesty and Reconstructionoffered general amnesty, or pardon for all Southerners
who took loyalty to the U.S. and accepted Union proclamation on slavery
The Radical Republicans, in opposition to Lincoln’s policies, had three goals:prevent leaders of Confederacy from returning to powerwanted Republican Party to be an institution in the SouthHelp African Americans gain the right to vote
Wade-Davis BillModerate Republicans caught in the mix between the
radicals and Lincoln came up with a plan that supported both sidesWade-Davis Bill
Required majority of white male Southerners to swear allegiance to the Union
Confederate state would then hold a constitutional convention to establish a new state government
Each convention would then abolish slavery, reject all debts, and deprive all Confederate officials and military leaders of the right to vote or hold office
Lincoln blocked the bill with a pocket veto, or waiting until the session of Congress expired without signing the bill felt bill was counterproductive
Freedman’s BureauLincoln realized that the South was in chaos from the
thousands of homeless, unemployed, and hungry
Lincoln also realized that thousands of freedmen, or freed slaves, were coming into the North
During the war, General Sherman used all abandoned plantations to help freed African AmericansRefugee crisis led to the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen,
and Abandoned Lands, or the Freedman’s Bureau
Bureaus helped feed and clothe refugees of the war, find employment for African Americans on plantations, negotiate pay wages with Southern employers, and educated former slaves in the North
Johnson’s Plans for Reconstruction
Johnson took over as President when Lincoln was assassinated was hot tempered, but believed in
moderate principles
In 1865, Johnson implemented his own restoration plan Offered pardon to all Confederates
excluded former military officials and Confederates with property valuing more than $20,000
Those who were excluded from the pardon had to apply directly to Johnson for a pardon, for he believed these people caused the war
Each state had to revoke its secession and ratify the Thirteenth Amendment
Black Codes
New Southern legislatives passed a series of laws known as black codes severely limited African rights
in the SouthAfricans were required to enter
into an annual working contract
African children had to join apprenticeships and could be subjected to beating during these apprenticeships
Set specific work hours and required Africans to get licenses for non-agricultural jobs
Radicals take control
Many moderates joined the radicals and developed the Joint Committee on Reconstruction, developing their own plan for rebuilding the Unionpassed the Civil Rights Act of 1866, granting all Americans,
except Native Americans, citizenship, and gave Africans the right to own land
passed the Fourteenth Amendment, granting citizenship to all people born and naturalized in the United States and that no person should be deprived of “life, liberty, and property”, or “equal protection of the laws”
passed the Military Reconstruction Act, dividing the South into five military districts and had to hold another constitutional convention to ratify a constitution deemed acceptable by Congress
Johnson impeachedBy preventing Johnsons from bypassing Grant or firing
Secretary of War Edwin Stanton, both supporters of Republican ideals, Congress passed these two acts:Command of Army Act: all orders of the president had to go
through headquarters of the general of the armyTenure of Office Act: Senate had to approve any removal of
office who appointment required Senate consent
Johnson fired Stanton anyway, and was impeached, or charged with high crimes and misdemeanors for not abiding by the Tenure of Office Actwas put on trial, but was acquitted and kept his place in
office, but had little power due to the impeachment
Election of 1868
Johnson finished his term and did not seek re-election
Republicans nominated Ulysses S. Grant for Presidentwon elected, and gained major
support from Africans in the South
With the President on their side, Congress passed the Fifteenth AmendmentDeclared the right to vote shall
not be denied by any “race, color, or previous conditions of servitude”
Carpetbaggers and Scalawags
Many Northerners moved to the South and were elected into government positions Carpetbaggers were seen as intruders trying to
exploit the South some wanted to help, while others
did want to take advantage of the war-torn South
Southerners also hated scalawags, or white Southerners working with Republicans and supported Reconstruction some were farmers, some were
Democrats, and most were businessmen
Republican Reforms
African Americans begin to take government positions held different types of positions in all facets of government angered Southerners, claiming “Black Republicanism” was
taking over the South
Republicans made reforms in the South repelled all black code laws established state hospitals and institutes for orphans, the
mentally ill, and the hearing and visually disabled established a system of public schools rebuilt roads, railways, and bridges
Reforms cost money, however officials implemented heavy taxes corrupt officials committed grafts, or illegally gaining money
through politics
African American communities
Once freed, African Americans desired to get an education incorporated African Americans in
public schools built schools for African American
children institutions offered advanced
academics for African Americans
African Americans also established their own churches housed social gatherings, events,
and schools
African Americans began several organizations established to help communities
Resistance from the South
Organizations began to erupt to counteract the Black RepublicansKu Klux Klan
started by former Confederate soldiers
Goal was to drive out the Union and carpetbaggers and regain the South for the Democratic Party
terrorized African American and Republican communities
Republicans and African Americans formed groups to protect themselves from these organizationsconfrontations all turned out violent
Enforcement Acts
To combat the violence in the South, Grant and Congress passed three Enforcement ActsOne made it a federal crime
to interfere with a person’s right to vote
Two made federal marshals in charge of federal elections
Three was the Klu Klux Klan Act, outlawed the activities of the Klan
Republican Party splits
Republican-controlled Congress continued to enforce Reconstruction and expanded on programs it introduced during the Civil Warkept tariffs high, tightened banking regulations, repaid
debts with gold, and increased federal spending on railways, port facilities, and the postal service
Kept in place taxes on alcohol and tobacco: sin taxes
Democrats and Liberal Republicans disagreed with these motions, stating they were used only to make the wealthy more richnominated Horace Greeley for president, promising to
remove Union troops from the South and pardon nearly all Confederates still lost to Grant
Scandals and Panics rock the White House
Grant’s second term was plagued with scandals and a financial panic One scandal involved Secretary of
War William Belknap, who accepted bribes from merchants operating in army posts in the West
Another, called the “Whiskey Ring” scandal, a group of government officials and distillers cheated the government by filing false tax reports
Panic of 1873: when large banking firm of Jay Cooke & Company declared bankruptcy, smaller banks closed and the stock market plummeted
Democrats take control, but illegally
In the mid-term elections in 1873, Democrats took much of the seats in Congress, giving them powercommitted election frauds and
appealed to Southern farmers, stating that the South had a struggle between African Americans and whites
From Grant’s damaged reputation, the Republicans nominated Rutherford B. Hayes, while Democrats nominated Samuel Tilton for president
Compromise of 1877From the election, Tilton won the
majority of votes, but 20 electoral votes could not be accounted for came from three states that Republicans
controlled: Louisiana, South Carolina, and Florida
Had been so much election fraud on both sides, no one could tell who the votes went to
To help solve this issue, Congress appointed a 15 man panel 8 were Republican, who voted for Hayes
to have the votes Southern Democrats sided with the
Republicans, stating they helped Hayes win and the Democrats accepted this vote Compromise of 1877
The New South emergesSouthern leaders called for the creation of the “New South”,
since the South could not be like it was before the war
With deals from Northerner financiers, portions of the South’s economy became industrial
African Americans began to return to plantations to either work for wages or become tenant farmers, or work for rent some tenant farmers became sharecroppers, or people who
paid rent using the crops they grew got equipment from furnishing merchants, or country stores,
who supplied credit and issued crop liens, or taking of crops to pay for debts acquired by credit
the crop liens system led many to debt peonage, or inability to move off of land due to the debts they had acquired could not pay off debt or declare bankruptcy