Reconstruction

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.

Definition

Rebuilding the nation after war (Civil War)

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

Wade-Davis Bill

Summer 1864 Compromise between moderates and

radicals

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

Republican Rule

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

Reconstruction Ends

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

Starter

How did the Democrats regain power in the South by the 1870s?– A. by appeals to white racism– B. by promising to build new railroads and

industry– C. by blaming Republicans for high taxes– D. by bringing in more federal troops