ReconstructionWhat were the S uccesses?What were the Failures?

Think About It…

• Why did the implementation of truly radical measures during Reconstruction fail to truly help southern Blacks while thoroughly angering and alienating southern whites?

• So…– Was Reconstruction a success or

was Reconstruction a failure??

Presidential ReconstructionSection 1

• Reconstruction was the federal government’s attempt to repair the damage to the South after the Civil War

• Occurred from 1865 to 1877• Controversial

– Had mixed results

Results of the Civil War • The entire country was impacted by

the war• The North

– Lost 364k Federal soldiers including 38k African Americans

• The South– Lost 260k Confederate soldiers– 1/5 of all white men in region

Southerners’ Hardships

1. Black Southerners• 4 million freed slaves with little or no skills or

education• Homeless and jobless

2. Plantation owners• Lost slave labor that amounted to $3 billion• Lost seized plantation land- $100 million

3. Poor white southerners• Could not find new jobs• Moved North if possible

Federal Government’s Dilemma

What to do About the South??• Lincoln's Plan

– Pardon any Southerner who pledged allegiance to the United States• But denied pardons to officials who had

killed African American war prisoners

– Permitted states to hold a new constitutional convention AFTER 10% of voters had sworn allegiance to the US• After state constitutions were accepted,

voting rights would be reestablished

The Radical Republicans• Most northerners in Congress were

Republicans and opposed to slavery– They now wanted to punish the South

• Saw Lincoln’s plan as too forgiving– Congress’ Plan was to totally reconstruct

southern society and guarantee southern blacks equality

– Passed own plan- The Wade- Davis Act• Lincoln used pocket-veto to kill bill

The Death of a President

• Did not live to see the peace he helped to create– Conspirators and

southern sympathizers plotted against the president

– Died in office on April 14, 1865

Lincoln - Kennedy

Coincidences 1) Lincoln was elected in 1860, Kennedy in

1960, 100 years apart 2) Both men were deeply involved in civil

rights for African Americans. 3) Both men were assassinated on a Friday,

in the presence of     their wives. 4) Each wife had lost a child while living at

the White House. 5) Both men were killed by a bullet that

entered the head from behind. 6) Lincoln was killed in Ford's Theater.

Kennedy met his death while      riding in a Lincoln convertible made by

the Ford Motor Company. 7) Both men were succeeded by vice-

presidents named Johnson who were      southern Democrats and former senators. 8) Andrew Johnson was born in 1808.

Lyndon Johnson was born in 1908,      exactly one hundred years later.

9) The first name of Lincoln's private secretary was John, the last      name of Kennedy's private secretary was Lincoln. 10) John Wilkes Booth was born in 1839 [according to some sources] Lee Harvey Oswald was born in 1939, one hundred years later. 11) Both assassins were Southerners who held extremist views. 12) Both assassins were murdered before they could be brought to trial. 13) Booth shot Lincoln in a theater and fled to a warehouse. Oswald        shot Kennedy from a warehouse and fled to a theater. 14) Lincoln and KENNEDY each has 7 letters. 15) ANDREW JOHNSON and LYNDON JOHNSON each has 13 letters. 16) JOHN Wilkes BOOTH and LEE HARVEY OSWALD each has 15 letters. 17) A Lincoln staffer Miss Kennedy told him not to go to the Theater.  A Kennedy       staffer Miss Lincoln, told him not to go to Dallas.

Strange….But True???

President Andrew Johnson• Not well liked by either side• Only Southern senator to remain in Congress

after Secession• Created own plan for Reconstructing the South

Political Cartoon, “Johnson

Antagonizes Washington”

Johnson’s Plan• Pardon all Southerner’s who swore

allegiance to US• Permitted each southern state to hold

a constitutional convention without Lincoln’s 10% requirement

• Former Confederate states had to void secession, abolish slavery, and ratify 13th Amendment – Then elections could be held and

statehood resumed

Like Adding Fuel to the Fire

• Johnson’s Plan vs. Lincoln's Plan– Johnson’s was more generous to the South– Created anger and resentment in Congress

• Congress decided to make own plan

• The Radical Republicans were born

Thank God Almighty I’m Free At Last!

• Southern blacks celebrated their freedom as the politicians decided how to proceed with punishing the South– Freedom of Movement– Freedom to Own Land– Freedom to Worship– Freedom to Learn

The Freedman’s Bureau• Created in March 1865 as a relief

agency for newly freed slaves or “Freedmen”

• Was intended to offer assistance in housing, education, and citizenship– Was not completely successfully in any

of these areas (due to corruption and mismanagement)

– Did issue twenty million rations of food, established 50 hospitals, set up 4,330 schools and helped establish the first Black colleges.

Congressional Reconstruction

Congress’ Plan1. Put the South under military rule2. Order southern states to hold new

elections for constitutional delegates3. Required all states to allow African-

Americans the right to vote4. Temporarily barred former Confederates

from voting5. Required southern states to guarantee

equal rights for all citizens6. Required all states ratify the 14th

Amendment

Black Codes• After Southern states met Johnson’s

requirements they one-by-one rolled back civil rights laws

• Many southern states instituted Black Codes as a way of getting around requirements– Set curfews, created vagrancy laws, set

year-long contract minimums, limited black women’s right to work, restricted renting to cities…

The 14th and 15th Amendments

• Congress was concerned about these abuses and decided to add civil rights to the US Constitution– 14th Amendment- Granted citizenship and

“equal protection” to all African Americans– 15th Amendment- Gave the right to vote to all

African American males over the age of 21

• Both amendments have had far reaching effects in the 19th-20th and 21st centuries

A Showdown Between Two Branches of Government!

• A constitutional crisis occurred when the Congress’ plan was pitted against the President’s plan

• Two powerful Senators led the charge against President Johnson– Charles Sumner- MA

senator and abolitionist– Thaddeus Stevens- PA

senator and power player

Executive versus Legislative

• President Johnson tried to fire Secretary of War Edwin Stanton

• The Radical Republicans tried to block the firing using the new Tenure of Office Act

• Provisions of the Act:– Took power away from the President– The hiring and firing of Cabinet secretaries

had to approved by Congress– The title of Commander-in-Chief was also

removed!

Andrew Johnson Cartoons

Johnson as Caesar: “Treason is a crime and must be punished"

The 1st Presidential Impeachment

• The House of Representatives filed charges of impeachment against Johnson

• The House voted ‘yes’• The Senate held a trial and Johnson

was found ‘not guilty’ by one vote– Was not convicted– Kept his office– Established the precedent that “high

crimes and misdemeanors” were needed to remove a president

The Republican South• Not everyone in the

South was a Democrat

• Northerners who moved South to take advantage of the situation for profit were called “carpetbaggers”

• Even more hated were the “Scalawags– Southerners who

joined the Republican party or who were former Whigs

• Political Cartoon-

“The Old South carries the Burden of

Reconstruction”

• Notice ‘AJ’ on top of the

Carpetbag!

Birth of the New South

The Life of a Freedman

• The South was desperate for workers– Most former slaves who could leave did

• Most who stayed in South became sharecroppers or tenant farmers– Worked another person’s land– Had free or reduced rent in exchange for

tending crops– Received part of profit- if any was made

Economic Effects on South• The labor force changed

– Cotton harvest changed from 90% slave labor to 40% white tenant farmers

• Emphasis now on cash crops– Cotton, tobacco, and sugar cane rather than food– The South became dependent upon imports of food

• Cycle of debt was established– Poverty in all classes and races

• Rise of merchant class in South– New stores sold goods on credit

Birth of Industrial South

• Growth of southern cities– Atlanta, Nashville, Memphis, Dallas,

Montgomery, Little Rock

• Some areas became industrial– Birmingham AL- steel production– However, the majority of Southerners

remained dependent upon agriculture for their livelihood

The End of Reconstruction

Terror Groups• White Southerners unhappy with their

new way of life created “political clubs” to complain about politics

• These soon evolved into terrorist groups– KKK, The Knights of the White Camilla…

• Used tactics such as intimidation, threats, and violence against freedmen, carpetbaggers, and scalawags

• Effective at stopping progression in South

Stopping the Klan

• President Grant requested that Congress pass a series of laws outlawing hate groups and their tactics– The Enforcement Act of 1870

• Used federal troops to stop the violence, but once the troops withdrew the terror started again

President Ulysses S.

Grant

The End of Reconstruction• Most Americans had become tired of

Reconstruction by the mid-1870’s- Why?– The country had gone into debt– Reconstruction programs became known for

greed and corruption– Southerners had gained back control in most

Southern states (it took longer in GA!)– Southern states began to block legislation in

Congress again– Many Northern voters’ did not support the

Radical Republican’s idea of full equality for blacks

– An economic recession turned public opinion away from the movement for equal rights

The Solid South is Born

• When the Southern states all were readmitted they began to vote in a Democratic block

• White Southern Democrats were elected who blocked new legislation

The Election of 1876

• Republican Rutherford B. Hayes lost the popular vote to Democrat Samuel Tilden

• Congress was forced to settle the election– The vote went to Hayes when he

promised to end Reconstruction

• The Compromise of 1877– Gave the South control of own states

“Compromise, Indeed!”- (Tilden or blood)

Successes of Reconstruction

1. Union was rebuilt and South was rebuilt

2. Economic growth was established in the South

3. The 14th and 15th Amendments granted rights to freedmen

4. The Freedman’s Bureau helped many newly freed slaves with a fresh start

5. Mandatory education was started in South

Failures of Reconstruction

1. Most blacks remained poor and uneducated

2. Terror groups were formed3. Racist attitudes continued in both the

North and South4. Southern infrastructure and economies

lagged far behind the North5. Many problems remained unaddressed

• Women, labor unions, and farmers fearful of the coming of the railroads

Think About It…Again!

• Why did the implementation of truly radical measures during Reconstruction fail to truly help southern Blacks while thoroughly angering and alienating southern whites?

• So…– Was Reconstruction a success or

was Reconstruction a failure??