Reconstruction

1863-1877

Who Should Control Reconstruction—Congress or President/VP?

* Lincoln favored “lenient” Reconstruction.

* Proclamation of Amnesty & Reconstruction-10% Plan: pardon all Confederates who would swear allegiance to Union

* As soon as 10% pledged, state could create new state gov’t and send congressmen to Washington D.C.

* Assassination of Lincoln left lots of issues unresolved

Freedman’s Bureau

The Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Land, often referred to as the Freedmen's Bureau, was established in the War Department on March 3, 1865. The Bureau supervised all relief and educational activities relating to refugees (poor whites) and freedmen (former slaves), including issuing rations, clothing and medicine

Built Schools—many of whom were forerunners of the “Historically Black Colleges” in the South.

Freedman’s Bureau Schools

RADICAL REPUBLICANS

** Unhappy with Lincoln’s leniency

**Wanted to destroy political power of former slave owners

**Grant African Americans FULL citizenship and the right to vote

Thaddeus Stevens, Charles Sumner, Ben Wade

Andrew Johnson-Lincoln’s VP and NOW the President

• Reconstruction Plan similar to Lincoln’s but wanted to break planters’/wealthy landowner’s power

• Pardoned 13,000 former Confederates: “white men alone should manage the South”

• Vetoed Civil Rights Act of 1866-full citizenship for African Americans and prevented states from passing

discriminatory laws—black codes’

Andrew Johnson

Radicals Respond

• Impeached President Johnson-feared he was blocking Reconstruction—one vote shy of removing him from office

• Ratified 14th and 15th amendment

• Republican Party in South becomes dissected:– Scalawags: white southerners– Carpetbaggers: Northerners who moved south after the

war

-African Americans: largest group

Major Achievements of Reconstruction

• 13th, 14th and 15th Amendments—laid foundation for Civil Rights Legislation

• African American participation in public life-Hiram Revels (1st African American Senator)

• First public school systems in South

• Readmission of Southern States

Failure of Reconstruction

• Many whites refused to fundamentally change their attitude and accept free blacks

• Southern whites were violently opposed to black rights; many in north were indifferent

• Rise of KKK

• Land Reform—blacks (and poor whites) left to farm tenancy, sharecroppers…No 40 acres and a mule

“Boy, You ain’t a votin’ here”!

WHITE SUPREMACY

1876 Presidential Election

• Disputed results between Rutherford B. Hayes and Samuel Tilden…Democratic candidate Tilden won popular vote/1 vote short in electoral, but South agreed to allow Hayes presidency if federal troops withdrew from South…Reconstruction had ended.

What role did African Americans play in Reconstruction?

• Registered to vote & became politically involved-community leaders

• Supported Republicans for a ‘voice’ in the South

• Worked hard to improve life

• Founded churches/schools