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Reconstruction & Its Aftermath. 1865 - 1896. Reconstruction Plans. Chapter 17 – Section 1. Reconstruction Debate. Although the Union was saved, the nation shook in its roots There were many difficult questions to answer: Should the slaveholding Southerners be punished or forgiven? - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
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Reconstruction & Its Aftermath
1865 - 1896
Reconstruction PlansChapter 17 – Section 1
Reconstruction Debate
Although the Union was saved, the nation shook in its roots
There were many difficult questions to answer: Should the slaveholding Southerners be punished or
forgiven? What rights should be granted to the free African
Americans? How could the nation be brought back together?
Reconstruction Debate
Most of the fighting took place in the south therefore towns, cities, plantations, roads, bridges, and railroads had been destroyed
More than 258,000 Confederate soldiers had died while families had to rebuild their lives with very few resources
Everyone agreed that these problems needed to be fixed but they could not agree on how to fix it
This was known as the period of Reconstruction
Lincoln’s Plan
December 1863 he announced the 10 Percent Plan
10% of voters of a state took an oath of loyalty to the Union, the state could form a new government and adopt a new constitution (banning slavery)
Punishing the south would serve no useful purpose and only delay the healing process
He also offered amnesty – a pardon – to all white southerners, except Confederate leaders, who swore loyalty to the Union
He also supported granting the right to vote to A.A. that were educated or had served in the Union army
However did did not force southerners to give these “white” rights to A.A.
Rival Plan
One group of Republicans in Congress considered the Lincoln Plan to be too mild; not harsh enough
They said: Congress should control the Reconstruction policy, not the president
They held a radical (extreme) viewpoint and were known as Radical Republicans
A leading figure of that party was Thaddeus Stevens
Wade-Davis Bill
This was much harsher than Lincoln’s Plan A majority of white males in a state had to swear
loyalty to the Union A state constitutional convention could be held but
only white males who had never taken up arms against the Union could vote for delegates to this convention
The convention had to adopt a new state constitution that abolished slavery
Freedmen’s Bureau
This was the other issue of Reconstruction – helping African Americans freed from slavery
The Freedmen’s Bureau was created and helped distribute food and clothing, and provide medical services
It also established schools and gave aid to new A.A institutions of higher learning
They also helped people acquire land, offered free transportation, and helped obtain fair wages
The Assassination…• Night of April 14, 1864 President and Mrs. Lincoln attended the play
“Our American Cousin” at Ford’s Theater in Washington D.C.• This was only 5 days after the surrender of Lee’s army• John Wilkes Booth (an actor and Confederate sympathizer) enters
the box without anyone seeing him
The Assassination…• Wilkes Booth shoots the president in the back of the head• He the leaped to the stage and escaped during the chaos that
unfolded• Lincoln was carried to a nearby house but died a few hours later
The Assassination
…• Booth fled on horseback to
Virginia as he was being tracked by Union troops
• April 26: the troops cornered Booth in a barn near Port Royal, Virginia
• He refused to surrender and was shot to death
New President• Vice President Andrew
Johnson took the post after Lincoln’s death
• He also revealed his own plan for Reconstruction
• He resented the slaveholders and wished to punish them
• Radical Republicans thought he’d create a very harsh plan which they could accept
• Johnson believes giving the states control over many decisions and he had no desire to help the African Americans
“Restoration”
He preferred to call the Reconstruction, a period of Restoration
Under this plan: most southerners would be granted amnesty once they swore an oath of loyalty to the Union
High-ranking Confederate officials and wealthy landowners could be pardoned
He appointed governors to southern states and required them to hold elections for state constitutional conventions
Only whites who had sworn loyalty and pardoned could be allowed to vote
He opposed granting all freed A.A equal rights or letting them vote
“white men alone should manage the south”
The 13th Amendment
Before states could reenter the Union they had to denounce slavery at their constitutional conventions
They had to ratify the 13th Amendment End of 1865: all former Confederate states
except Texas had formed new governments and were ready to rejoin the Union
“Restoration” was almost complete
Radicals in ControlChapter 17 – Section 2
Southerners in Congress
Southerners made their way to Congress as they sent their representatives there
When they got to Washington DC many Republicans refused to seat them or acknowledge them
They believed that these southerners had been let off loosely by President Johnson
Black Codes
Between 1865 & 1866: new Southern states passed a series of laws called the black codes
They were aimed to control freed men and women and to enable plantation owners to exploit African American workers
These laws were terrible; they arrested and fined any A.A who was unemployed
Then forced him/her to work to pay off their fines
Black Codes
In other cases A.A were banned from owning or renting farms
Whites were allowed to take orphaned A.A children as unpaid apprentices
These Black Codes were reestablished slavery in disguise
Challenging Black Codes
1866: the Freedmen’s Bureau was granted more power to set up special courts to prosecute individuals charged with violating A.A rights
A.A were provided with a form of justice where they could serve on juries
Civil Rights Act of 1866
It granted full citizenship to A.A and gave the federal government the power to intervene in state affairs to protect their rights
It overturned Black Codes and also contradicted the Dred Scott decision
Johnson’s Reaction
Johnson vetoed both bills because he felt the federal government was overstepping its boundaries
He also said that they were unconstitutional because they were passed by a Congress who did not include representatives from all the states
Republican’s Reaction
They enough votes to override (defeat) both vetoes set by Johnson
The bills became law It also split Congress and the President
possibly threatening the relationship in the future
14th Amendment
In 1866: Congress passed a new amendment to make sure no one took the rights of A.A
The 14th Amendment granted full citizenship to all individuals born in the US
It also stated that no state could take away a citizen’s life, liberty and property “without due process”
Everyone is entitled to “equal protection of the laws” Whoever refused to follow would lose their
representatives in Congress
Interpretation of the Amendment
It did not include Natives Americans and it wouldn’t until 1924
It barred former Confederates from holding national or state office unless they were pardoned
To be readmitted to the Union the states had to ratify the amendment
Tennessee was the first and only to ratify until 1866
Johnson’s Reaction to Am.
Johnson reaction harshly towards the 14th Amendment
He campaigned vigorously against Republican candidates
He even urged all the state legislatures to reject it
Republican Victory
People were worried what effects this would have between the races
There was fear that clashes would erupt such as in Memphis, TE & New Orleans, LA
Eventually the Republicans gained control of the governments in every northern state
This gave Congress the signal to take Reconstruction into its own hands
Radical Reconstruction
Reconstruction Act of 1867 called for the creation of new governments in the 10 southern states that did not ratify the 14th Am.
These 10 states were divided into 5 districts and placed under military authority
It guaranteed A.A males the right to vote in state elections and prevented former Confederate leaders from holding political office
Radical Reconstruction
The Second Reconstruction Act was passed a few weeks later and required the military commanders to being registering voters and to prepare for new state constitutional conventions
This was introduced to get southern states to regain admission into the Union
Readmission of States
1868: seven states were readmitted Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana,
North Carolina, and South Carolina 1870: Mississippi, Virginia, and Texas were
readmitted
Challenging Johnson
Congress had passed several laws to limit the powers of the president to prevent him from redirecting the military during their occupation of southern states
Tenure of Office Act prohibited the president from removing government officials, including members of his own cabinet, without the Senate’s approval
Impeachment
Conflict became worse 1867: while Congress wasn’t in session,
Johnson suspended Secretary of War Edwin Stanton without the Senate’s approval
The Senate came back and refused to obey Johnson’s decision, so he removes Stanton from office anyway
This violated the Tenure of Office Act
Impeachment
The House of Representatives were outraged so they voted to impeach – formally charge with wrongdoing – the president
They accused him of misconduct The trial began in March 1868 and lasted
almost 3 months
The Case
Johnson’s defenders claimed that the president was exercising his right to challenge laws
They also argued that the impeachment was politically motivated and contrary to the spirit of the Constitution
His accusers said that Congress should retain the supreme power to make the laws
Verdict
Senators casted 2 votes and in both cases the result was 35 to 19 to convict the president This was 1 vote short of 2/3 of the majority
required to convict the president Other Republicans casted a no vote because
they believed a president should be removed from office
Election of 1868
Republicans abandoned Johnson and chose General Ulysses S. Grant as their presidential candidate
Democrats chose Horatio Seymour of New York
Grant won with 214 of the 294 votes
15th Amendment
This was the last and major piece of Reconstruction
February 1869: Congress passed the 15th Amendment
It prohibited the state and federal governments from denying the right to vote to any male citizen because of “race, color, or previous condition of servitude”
The South During Reconstruction
Chapter 17 – Section 3
New Groups
Support for the Republican Part came from: African Americans White Southerners White Settlers from the North
African Americans
They played in important role as voters and elected officials
They did not control the government of any state but held important positions
At least 16 A.A served in the H.o.R and 2 in the Senate
Hiram Revels• Senator and ordained minister• He recruited A.A during the
Civil War• Started a school for freed A.A
in St. Louis• Served as chaplain of an A.A
regiment in Mississippi• Served a year in the Senate
and declared that he received “fair treatment”
Blanche K. Bruce
• Senator from Mississippi and former runaway slave
• Taught in a school for A.A in Missouri
• Entered politics and became a superintendent of schools
• Elected to the Senate and served for 6 years
Scalawags
These were southern whites who supported Republicans
They were nonslaveholding farmers or business leaders who opposed secession
They were called scalawags by Confederates It means “scoundrel” or “worthless rascal”
Carpetbaggers
These were northern whites who moved to the south after the war
They supporter Republicans and served as leaders during the Reconstruction
They were called carpetbaggers because when they moved they brought everything (all of their belongings) with them in cheap suitcases made of carpet fabris
Carpetbaggers
Most were greedy but some were not Most were former Union army soldiers or
members of the Freedmen’s Bureau Others were reformers from the north such as
lawyers, doctors, teachers
Corruption
Many southerners accused Reconstruction leaders as being corrupt – dishonest or illegal in action
Some official made money illegally but this practice was not widespread
Interestingly, there were less corrupt leaders in the south than in the north
Resistance to Reconstruction
Most southern whites opposed these efforts Plantation owners tried to maintain control over
freed people in away way Most whites refused to rent land to A.A Store owners refused them credit Employers refused to hire them Some whites used fear to keep freedmen in line
Ku Klux Klan• Much violence against A.A were carried out by secret societies organized to
prevent freed men from exercising their rights• The KKK was the most terrifying group who wore white sheets and hoods• Their members launched “midnight rides” burning homes, churches, and
schools• They murdered more than 150 people over a 3 year period
Action Against Violence
Those against violence appealed to the government to do something about it
Congress passed laws to try to stop the growing violence
However most white southerners refused to testify against those who attacked A.A
Improvements
Education improved for both A.A and whites A.A saw education as a step to a better life and in
many regions they created their own schools Northern women and free A.A came to teach in the
south More than half the teachers in these schools in
1870 were A.A There were 4,000 schools with 200,000 students
Public Schools
1870: Reconstruction governments began creating public school systems for both races which did not exist in the south before
More than 50% of white children and about 40% of A.A children in the south were enrolled in public schools
Missionary societies established academies such as Morehouse College & Atlanta University
Schools were starting to be integrated – include both races
Farming the Land
Most free people wanted land along with education Some were able to buy land because of the Freedman’s Bank But the most common form of farmwork was through
sharecropping This was a system where a landowner rented a plot of land to
a sharecropper (farmer) along with some seeds, tools, and maybe a mule
In return the sharecropper shared a percentage of their crop with their landowner
Sharecropping
After paying the landowners, the sharecroppers had very little to sell
Sometimes there was barely enough to feed their families
But for many sharecropping was still better than slavery
Change in the SouthChapter 17 – Section 4
Reconstruction Declines
During the Grand administration, northerners began losing interest in Reconstruction
They felt that it was time for the south to solve its own problems
Southern Democrats were regaining control in the south
Even freed people went back to work for landowners because they had no other way of making a living
Reasons for Decline of Reconstruction
Radical leaders began to disappear Racial prejudice was exploited in the north by
opponents of Reconstruction Fate of the freed should be in the south
Southern protest of the “bayonet rule” – the use of federal troops to support Reconstruction governments
Republican Revolt
1870s: reports of corruption in Grant’s administration
The Republicans split the party over corruption
Another group of them broke over Reconstruction They proposed reconciliation – coming
together again These 2 groups who split called themselves
Liberal Republicans and they nominated Horace Greeley for president in the election o f 1872
Amnesty Act
May 1872: Congress passed the Amnesty Act which pardoned most former Confederates
Now nearly all white southerners could vote and hold office again
This changed the political balance in the south
Democrats Regain Power
In states where whites were the clear majority, the Democrats quickly gained control of the state government
In states where A.A were the majority or the population was equal, the KKK helped the Democrats gain control
They did it by terrorizing any opponents
Democrats Regain Power
Democrats used threats to pressure Republicans to become Democrats
They also used violence to pressure A.A to not vote
By 1876: Republicans were only able to hold a majority in 3 southern states Florida, South Carolina, and Louisiana
Republican Issues
Republicans had other problems they could not blame on Democrats
There were reports of corruption, officials making unfair business deals, scheming to withhold public tax money, accepting bribes, etc.
It damaged the Grant administration and the Republicans
The nation was also going through an economic depression which was blamed on the Republicans
End of Reconstruction
Grant considered running for a 3rd term but most Republicans wanted a new candidate Someone who could win back the Liberal
Republicans and unite the party
Election of 1876
• Republicans nominated Rutherford B. Hayes
• He was governor of Ohio• A champion of political
reform• Had a reputation for
honesty and held moderate views on Reconstruction
Election of 1876
• Democrats nominated Samuel Tilden
• He gained national fame for fighting political corruption in NYC
Election of 1876
It seemed that Tilden would win the election Except for that some states votes were
disputed These 20 electoral votes from Florida,
Louisiana, South Carolina, and Oregon were all that Tilden needed to win the election
Election of 1876
Congress creates a commission (group) of 7 Republicans and 7 Democrats and 1 independent to review the election results
The independent resigned, so a Republican took his place
After review, the commission voted that Hayes was the new president
Reaction to Election
Democrats were angry and threatened to fight the verdict
Republicans and southern Democrats tried to work out an agreement
March 2, 1877: Congress confirmed that the winner would be Hayes
Compromise of 1877
This compromise included favors for the south Give more aid to the south Withdraw all remaining troops from the south Democrats promised to maintain A.A rights
Hayes went on to say that the south needed honest men to self-govern the region
His stance was that the federal government would no longer interfere or reshape southern society or help southern A.A
A New Ruling Party
When Reconstruction ended in the south, the shift in power went from the Republicans to the Democrats
Democrats in the south: large landowners that held power before the War
Redeemers were a group of Democrats who were merchants, bankers, industrialists, and other business leaders who wanted to save the south from Republican rule
Redeemers • They adopted conservative
policies such as:• Lower taxes• Less public spending• Reduced government services
• The cut many social services including public education
Rise of the “New South”
• Southerners were convinced that the reason they lost the war was because their industry and manufacturing did not math the north’s
• Henry Grady headed a group that urged southerners to “out-Yankee the Yankees” & build a “New South”
• They would have industries based on coal, iron, tobacco, cotton, lumber, etc.
Southern Industries
Some of the strongest advances were in the textile industry, in lumbering, and in tobacco processing
James Duke’s American Tobacco Company controlled almost all tobacco manufacturing in the nation
William Kelly & Henry Bessemer helped push the iron and steel industry as well
By 1890: the south produced nearly 20% of the nation’s iron and steel
Factors in Growth
Workers in the south worked long hours for low wages, sometimes with their entire families in the factories
Rail-road building boomed as it was being rebuilt after the war
African Americans got fewer opportunities in industry except in the lowest-paying jobs
Rural Economy
Debt caused a lot of problems where poor families had to buy the things they needed on credit
Cash Crops – crops that could be sold for money
This was the quickest way to make money and selling cotton brought the biggest profit
Dividing Society
African Americans continued to dream for justice but that all faded away
Racism became entrenched in southern life Individuals took steps on their own to keep
African Americans separated from whites and deny them basic rights
Voting Restrictions
15th Amendment prevented anyone from being denied the right to vote because of race
Southerners found loopholes around this however
Poll Tax• This was a fee that people had to pay before voting• Many A.A could not afford this tax so they could not vote• Evidently it also prevented poor white families from voting too
Literacy Test• A person had to read and explain difficult parts of state constitutions or the
federal Constitution • Most A.A had very little education therefore they, too, were prevented from
voting• However this also kept some whites from voting
Grandfather Clause• This allowed individuals who did not pass the literacy test to
vote if their fathers or grandfathers had voted before Reconstruction
• A.A could not vote until 1867, therefore they were excluded
Jim Crow Laws
• Segregation (separation of the races) was also prominent in the southern culture
• The Jim Crow laws required A.A and whites to be separated in almost every public place where they might come in contact with each other
Plessy vs Ferguson
This was a case which involved a Louisiana law that required the separation of whites and A.A on trains
Homer Plessy challenged the law by sitting in the whites only section of the train
He lost the case in the Supreme Court which ruled that it was legal as long as AA had access to facilities or accommodations equal to those of whites
Problem w/ Separate but Equal
Facilities were separate but in no way were they equal
Southern states spent much more money on white only facilities than those for AA
Violence Against AA
• Lynching was prominent in the south
• Angry mobs killed AA by hanging them because they were suspected of committing crimes or because they did not behave as whites thought they should
Impact of Reconstruction
Success Helped the south
recover form the war Began rebuilding the
southern economy AA gained greater
equality and joined with whites in new governments
Failure Still had a poor rural
economy It did not make good
on the promise of true freedom for freed AA
Segregated society