FCPS U.S./Virginia History SOL Standards: VUS 7a, 7d, 7e, and 7f

Reconstruction (1865-1877)You mean bringing the country back together wasn’t easy?What was Reconstruction?The U.S. Civil War was a very difficult time in U.S. history. More than 600,000 soldiers died and many people lost everything they owned. The economy and social system of the South were destroyed. When the conflict ended in 1865, the question was what to do with the states that broke away. Reconstruction was the name given to the efforts by the government to change, rebuild, and reunite the Confederate states with the United States of America. Because the U.S. Civil War had been so costly and divisive, the government could not agree on how to rebuild the nation. Between April 1865 and March of 1877, there were four different plans for Reconstruction:

FCPS HS Social Studies © 2012

South’s perception of a carpetbagger: “Helping the former slaves and taking our land and money.”Source: http://lcweb2.loc.gov/service/pnp/cph/3b20000/3b24000/3b24900/3b24917r.jpg

How did Reconstruction help freed African Americans?When President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, he freed the slaves in the rebellious Confederate states. Freedom did not apply to Border States that remained loyal to the Union. Freed African Americans took up weapons and fought to help the Union win the war. When the Civil War was over, the 13th Amendment to the U. S. Constitution was passed, officially freeing all slaves. Later, the 14th Amendment gave citizenship to former slaves, and the 15th Amendment gave African Americans the right to vote.

After African Americans were freed, the question was, how could they be assisted? The federal government created the Freedmen’s Bureau to help former slaves find jobs, education, health care, food and housing. Northerners who traveled to the Southern states to help ex-slaves were called carpetbaggers. Southerners did not like the Freedmen’s Bureau and used the word carpetbagger in a derogatory way.

10% of the voters in a Confederate state took an oath of loyalty to the United States in order to re-join the Union

Provided an amnesty for most Confederate soldiers, but did not pardon high ranking Confederate officers

Considered lenient on the South because it did not take away land or wealth from plantation owners

50% of the voters in a Confederate state had to take an oath of loyalty to re-join the Union

States forced to create new governments and include ex-slaves in the process

Lincoln rejected the Wade-Davis Bill

Pardoned most Confederate officers

New southern state governments required to accept 13th amendment (outlawing slavery)

Johnson and Congress disagreed on Reconstruction. Congress impeached Andrew Johnson. Although he was acquitted, he had little power

Divided the South into five districts, with a Union military officer to oversee the southern state governments

States had to allow black suffrage by ratifying the 14th and 15th amendments

Republicans wanted to maintain political control of South

Lincoln’s Plan: President Lincoln proposed a way for the Confederate states to re-enter

the Union even as the War was being fought

Wade-Davis Bill:Republicans in the Congress disagreed with Lincoln and

Johnson’s Plan: After Lincoln’s assassination, President Andrew Johnson made his

own proposal, but it was not approved by Congress

Radical Reconstruction: After Johnson’s impeachment, the so-called Radical Republicans in Congress imposed a harsh punishment on the South

proposed a much harsher punishment for the South

Reconstruction (1865-1877) (cont.) FCPS U.S./Virginia History SOL Standards: VUS 7a, 7d, 7e, and 7f

FCPS HS Social Studies © 2012

Discrimination against African AmericansMany Americans, Northerners and Southerners, discriminated against African Americans. In the south, laws were passed in an effort to keep former slaves in a lower political, social and economic class. Southerners used Black Codes and share cropping against African Americans. Black Codes were laws to deny election rights or restrict economic rights of ex-slaves. Share cropping was a system where African Americans would rent a piece of land from a white farmer at a high price. When the harvest came, African Americans would have to pay not only for the land rent but also for the use of housing on the land and food the former slaves consumed. Many African Americans were unable to pay their debts to the white farmers so they could not progress or move away. Groups, such as the Ku Klux Klan (or KKK), used violence to keep African Americans from voting in elections.

Literacy tests were used to keep African Americans from voting.Source: Wikimedia Commons; http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File: The_color_line_still_exists%E2%80%94in_this_case_cph.3b29638.jpg

Key VocabularyDivisive: causing disagreement or hostility

Oath: a formal, legal promise

Amnesty: to forgive people who committed crimes, usually crimes against the nation

Pardon: to forgive a guilty person

Impeach: to charge a government official with crimes or incorrect action and seek to remove him from office

Acquit: to declare someone not guilty

Radical: wanting extreme change; during Reconstruction, the Republicans who wanted to punish the South

Suffrage: right to vote

Ratify: pass or agree to a law

Border States: states which remained loyal to the Union but allowed slavery; Missouri, Kentucky, Maryland and Delaware

Literacy: the ability to read

Carpetbagger: Northerners who moved to the South to help freed slaves during Reconstruction

Jim Crow: a fictional character used as an offensive term for an African American; the laws used to discriminate against African Americans

Grandfather clause: a law used to keep ex-slaves from voting; the law said that if you were able to vote if your grandfather voted. Since the grandfather of an ex-slave had not voted, then the ex-slave was not permitted to vote

Quick Review2. Congress opposed Lincoln’s Reconstruction

plan because –A. it allowed slavery to continue.B. it did not punish all Southerners.C. it took away land from white farmers.D. it was too hard for Confederate states to re-enter the Union.

3. What was the purpose of Black Codes and Jim Crow laws?A. Help African Americans get jobsB. Restrict political rights of African AmericansC. Permit African Americans to run for political officeD. Allow African Americans to vote.

1. Match the Amendments

13th Amendment ___African American men can vote

14th Amendment ___Freed the slaves

15th Amendment ___Gave citizenship to ex-slaves

End of Reconstruction – The Compromise of 1877Reconstruction was costly and by the 1870’s, the United States government was tired of Reconstruction. Reconstruction was a major topic of the presidential election of 1876. The Democratic candidate, Samuel Tilden, won the popular vote over the Republican candidate, Rutherford Hayes, but neither had a majority of the electoral votes. A special commission was formed to determine the winner. In exchange for the Democrats supporting Hayes, the Republicans agreed to end Reconstruction. This had a long lasting negative effect on freed African Americans. Following Reconstruction, Jim Crow laws (such as the grandfather clause or literacy tests) were used to prevent African Americans from advancing politically and economically. This discrimination would last for almost another 100 years.