1

Name: __________________________________ Date: _______________ Class Period: ______

8.1 (Standards: 1, 4, 5; Themes: MOV, SOC, CIV, ECO)

Reconstruction 1865-1877

Regional tension following the Civil War complicated efforts to heal the nation

and to redefine the status of African Americans.

Note: The learning goals, rationale, objectives, and essential questions for this topic are listed below. It is your responsibility to participate in class, study this information, learn it, and know it for your quiz and test. This note packet is intended to help you to understand and aid in your studying. Work hard and do your best

Pg. 3 Pg. 5 Pg. 6 Pg. 7 Pg. 9 Pg. 10 Pg. 12 Pg. 13 Pg. 14

Learning Goals and Rationale: Objectives: Essential Questions: 1. To understand the basic provisions of the amendments – 13

th bans slavery in

the United States, 14th grants citizenship to all persons born in the United States and guarantees them equal protection under the law, and 15th ensures all citizens the right to vote, regardless of race, color, or previous servitude. 2. To understand Reconstruction policies and problems – southern military leaders could not hold office, African Americans could not hold office, Northern soldiers supervised the South, the Freedmen’s Bureau was established to aid former enslaved African Americans in the South, southern states adopted Black Codes to limit the economic and physical freedom of former slaves. 3. To understand the end of reconstruction - Reconstruction ended in 1877 as a result of a compromise over the outcome of the election of 1876. 4. To examine various opinions on a single subject – Lincoln’s plan for Reconstruction v. Johnson’s plan, v. Radical Reconstruction. 5. To develop analytical skills.

Compare and Contrast the differences between Reconstruction under Lincolns plan, Johnson’s plan, and congressional (Radical) Reconstruction.

Examine the Reconstruction amendments (13

th, 14

th, and 15tj)

Examine the Freedmen’s Bureau’s purpose, success, and the extent of it success.

Examine the impacts of the sharecropping system on African Americans.

Examine the reasons for the migration of African Americans to the North.

Explore methods used by Southern state governments to impact the lives of African Americans, including – Black Codes, poll taxes, and Jim Crow laws.

Explore the development and organization of the Ku Klux Klan and White Leagues.

Examine the effects if the Plessy v. Ferguson ruling.

1. What are the basic provisions of the 13

th, 14

th, and 15

th

Amendments to the Constitution?

2. What were the Reconstruction policies for the South?

3. How did Reconstruction end? 4. What were the lasting impacts

of the actions of Abraham Lincoln, Robert E. Lee, and Frederick Douglas?

2

Glossary

Vocabulary: Thirteenth Amendment: An amendment to the U.S. Constitution, adopted in 1865, that abolished

slavery and involuntary servitude.

Reconstruction: Period from 1865 to 1877 in which the U.S. government attempted to rebuild Southern society and governments.

Radical Republican: Congressman who favored using federal power to rebuild the South and promote African-American rights.

Freedmen’s Bureau: Federal agency set up to help former enslaved people.

Black codes: Laws that limited the freedom of former enslaved people.

Scalawag: White Southerner who supported Radical Reconstruction.

Carpetbagger: A northerner who moved to the South after the Civil War.

Fourteenth Amendment: Constitutional amendment that made all people born in the U.S. (including former slaves) citizens.

Sharecropping: A system under which landowners gave poor farmers seed, tools, and land to cultivate in exchange for part of their harvest.

Ku Klux Klan: Secret group that used violence to try to restore Democratic control of the South and keep African-Americans powerless.

Fifteenth Amendment: Constitutional amendment that stated that citizens could not be stopped from voting “on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude”.

Important People: Abraham Lincoln:

President of the United States at the beginning of Reconstruction and a moderate Republican, he wished to make the South's return to the Union as quick and easy as possible.

Andrew Johnson:

Democratic President of the United States who took over after the assassination of Abraham Lincoln; he favored a lenient Reconstruction policy, supported states' rights, and opposed African American equality.

Thaddeus Steven:

Leader of the Radical Republicans in Congress who was devoted to a harsh punishment of the Southern states. Worked towards equality for African Americans.

Rutherford B. Hayes:

President of the United States whose election brought an end to Reconstruction.

3

Civil War Review

Since its very beginning the United States had experienced ___________________ , or the development of very different lifestyles, economies and cultures. As

time went on the divide between the _________ and _________ grew wider and wider. The southern economy depended on __________________ while the

north was more suited for ____________ and ______________. Each time a new territory wanted to join the Union as a state, there was a huge political debate

in _____________ and ________________ were made to keep the peace. The first one was the ____________ _______________ of 1820 which made Missouri

a slave state and _________ a free state. The next one came in 1850 and made ________________ a free state, enforced the ____________ ____________

law in North, and allowed the New Mexico territory to use ______________ _____________ (vote of all the people) in the future to determine whether to be a

free or slave state. As these compromises continued, the ________________ movement grew as more northerners wanted slavery to end completely. Men like

_______________ ______________ , a former slave himself, toured the country giving speeches against the continuation of slavery. In 1856, the

_____________-______________ territory experienced a mini Civil War when people on both sides of the issue flooded the territory to vote for their cause.

“___________ ___________” as it became known, was a premonition of the massive bloodshed to come in just a few years. Another incident that fueled the

fire toward civil war was the ________ __________ decision. In this Supreme Court case, a slave, whose master had relocated to the North and then died, sued

for his freedom. The Court decided that slaves were property forever and should be returned to the estate of their master’s families, and that they had no right

to sue in court. In fact the Missouri Compromise meant nothing because slavery could exist anywhere. This angered many abolitionists like _________

_________ who was so extreme that he hatched a plan to free the slaves himself and raided a federal armory at Harpers Ferry, Va. When Brown was hanged for

sedition against the government, the abolitionists made him a ____________________ for their cause. This angered the South who saw him as a terrorist who

threatened their lifestyle. __________________ ____________________ was elected president in 1860, ________ ______________became the first state to

leave the Union.

Between ___________ and __________ the Nation found itself embroiled in a _________ _________. The South, also called the ________________________,

began the War when South Carolina fired the first shots at _____ ________________. President ______________ immediately called for volunteers and the

War was underway. The advantages the ______________ had were a much higher _____________________, a system of ____________________ for

transportation and diversified _____________________ that could produce a variety of goods. The South had better ____________________, knew their land

and could fight a _________________ War. The early years of the war favored the _____________________. As the war wore on, the President eventually

issued the _____________ ________________ giving the war a ___________ purpose to end slavery. This was directed at the states in rebellion so did not

include the __________ ___________. The Turning Points of the War came in the battles of ___________________ and _________________. General

______________ was able to take control of the entire ________________River and cut the Confederacy in _________. At ___________________ more

soldiers lost their lives than in any battle in history. The tide started to turn for the Union and they adopted a policy of “____________ _________” when

General _________________ marched from _____________ to the _____________, destroying everything in sight. In 1865 General Robert ___ __________

was forced to surrender at ____________________ courthouse in Virginia in 1865.

4

Reconstruction Introduction

Reconstruction was the attempt by the Federal (National) Government to readmit the Southern states back into the United States after the Civil War. Reconstruction was shaped by President Abraham Lincoln who believed in reconciliation (forgiveness) and that preserving the union was more important than punishing the south. During Reconstruction the south was divided into five military districts and Southern military leaders were not allowed to vote or hold office. Northerners who went south after the Civil War to help former slaves or help the south rebuild were called “Carpetbaggers” by southerners who believed they were there just to make money. However, southern General Robert E. Lee urged southerners to reconcile with north and reunite as Americans when some wanted to continue the fight. Instead of fighting the North again, Lee later became President of Washington College (which is now known as Washington and Lee University).

African American rights were the focus of many Reconstruction laws. Many southern states had created Black Codes, laws that limited the rights of African Americans in the south. Some of these laws forced African Americans to sign labor (work) contracts. Those that did not sign could be arrested and forced to work for no pay. African American writer Fredrick Douglas worked to achieve civil rights for all people and for constitutional amendments that guaranteed voting rights. The Civil Rights Act of 1866 said all people born in the United States are citizens and should have equal rights. Three Amendments to the Constitution were passed that guaranteed the rights of African Americans. The 13th Amendment banned slavery in the U.S. and its territories. The 14th Amendment gave citizenship to all people born in the United States. The 14th Amendment also gave all citizens equal rights. The 15th Amendment a person could not be denied the vote based on race or the fact they used to be slaves. During Reconstruction many African Americans were elected to serve in government. African Americans were helped by the Freedmen’s Bureau, a government agency that helped former slaves find work and get an education. Northern troops were sent south to make sure the Reconstruction laws and amendments were put into effect.

A close Presidential Election in 1876 ended Reconstruction. In order to be President, Republican Rutherford B. Hayes made a deal with Southern Democrats that Northern troops would be removed from the south. Without the support of the Federal Government, Reconstruction policies (laws and government instructions) ended in 1877. 1. Highlight or underline statements that are correct, make an X over statements that are NOT correct. The purpose of Reconstruction was to bring the southern states back into the United States.

Southern military leaders were allowed to vote and hold office during Reconstruction.

The Freedmen’s Bureau helped former slaves find work and get an education.

Northerners who went south during Reconstruction were called “scalawags” by southern whites.

To be president, Rutherford B. Hayes told Northern troops to stay in the South the support Reconstruction.

Northern troops were sent to the South to support Reconstruction and protect African Americas.

2. How did these people contribute to Reconstruction efforts?

Abraham Lincoln:

Frederick Douglas:

Robert E. Lee:

5

Reconstruction Amendments

Thirteenth Amendment

The U.S. House of Representatives passed

the 13th Amendment to the Constitution, abolishing slavery in the United States. It read, "Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude ...shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction."

When the Civil War began in 1861, President Lincoln's professed goal was the restoration of the Union. But early in the war, the Union began keeping escaped slaves rather than returning them to their owners, so slavery essentially ended wherever the Union army was victorious. In September 1862, Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, freeing all slaves in areas that were still in rebellion against the Union. This measure opened the issue of what to do about slavery in border states that had not seceded or in areas that had been captured by the Union before the proclamation.

In 1864, an amendment abolishing slavery passed the Senate but died in the House of Representatives as Democrats, typically from confederate southern state, rallied in the name of states' rights. Lincoln won a second Presidential term in the election of 1864, which also brought Republican majorities in both houses, so it appeared the amendment was headed back to Congress for passage when the new Republican lead Congress convened in March 1865.

Lincoln preferred that the amendment

receive bipartisan support--some Democrats

indicated support for the measure, but many still

resisted. The amendment passed 119 to 56,

seven votes above the necessary two-thirds

majority. Several Democrats abstained from

voting, but the 13th Amendment was sent to the

states for ratification, which came in December

1865. With the passage of the amendment, the

institution that had indelibly shaped American

history and had started the Civil War was finally

eradicated.

– Developing a Deeper Understanding – 1. In what year was the 13th Amendment to the Constitution ratified? _________________ 2. According to the article, what was the “single greatest change created by the Civil War”? ___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________ 3. Outline President Lincoln’s goal for the United States?___________________________________ ___________________________________________________ 4. Describe the purpose of the Emancipation Proclamation: __________________________________ __________________________________________________ 5. What enabled the Thirteenth Amendment to be ratified? __________________________________ ___________________________________________________ 6. Critical Thinking: What do you think America would be like today if the Democrats had won the 1864 election? ___________________________________________________

___________________________________________________

___________________________________________________

___________________________________________________

___________________________________________________

___________________________________________________

___________________________________________________

___________________________________________________

6

Fourteenth Amendment

The Fourteenth amendment (1868) to the Constitution of the United States granted citizenship and equal civil and legal rights to African Americans and slaves who had been emancipated after the American Civil War. These newly freed persons were to be included under the umbrella phrase “all persons born or naturalized in the United States.”

This so-called Reconstruction Amendment prohibited the states from depriving any person of “life, liberty, or property, without due process of law” and from denying anyone within a state's jurisdiction equal protection under the law.

The amendment also prohibited former

civil and military office holders who had

supported the Confederacy from again holding

any state or federal office. Moreover, the

amendment upheld the national debt while

exempting the federal government and state

governments from any responsibility for the

debts incurred by the rebellious Confederate

States of America. Finally, the last section,

mirroring the approach of the Thirteenth

Amendment, provided for enforcement of the

new law by federal troops.

– Developing a Deeper Understanding – 1. In what year was the 14th Amendment to the Construction ratified? ________________ 2. According to the article, what was the main purpose of the Fourteenth Amendment? __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 3. What was the nickname for the Fourteenth Amendment? __________________________ 4. Complete the following statement: The Fourteenth Amendment “prohibited the states from depriving any person of ____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________” 5. In addition to granting citizenship, what other actions did the Fourteenth Amendment grant? A.__________________________________________________________________________ B.____________________________________ ______________________________________ C.__________________________________________________________________________ 6. Critical Thinking: Explain your support or opposition to the statement that “all persons born in the United States are entitled to citizenship”? ______________________________________

______________________________________

______________________________________

______________________________________

______________________________________

7

Fifteenth Amendment

The Fifteenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States was ratified on February 03, 1870. The Amendment guaranteed that the right to vote could not be denied based on “race, color, or previous condition of servitude.” The amendment supported and followed the passage of the Thirteenth and Fourteenth amendments, which abolished slavery and guaranteed citizenship, respectively, to African Americans.

The passage of the amendment and its

subsequent ratification meant that African

American men were legally able to vote in

government elections. American Women, on the

other hand, regardless of color, were still denied

the right to vote. Women would not receive that

right until the ratification of the Nineteenth

Amendment, Women’s Suffrage, in 1920.

– Developing a Deeper Understanding – 1. In what year was the 15th Amendment to the Constitution ratified? ______________________ 2. According to the article, the Fifteenth Amendment guaranteed that the right to vote could not be denied based on what conditions? ___________________________________________________ __________________________________________________

3. Who were not granted the right to vote under the Fifteenth Amendment? ___________________________________________________ 4. Even after the passage of the Fifteenth Amendment, what still hindered many African American men from voting? ___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________ 5. Critical Thinking: Explain your position – Since it is now legal for all American citizens to vote in government elections, do you support or oppose the theory that says: “It is your American duty to vote” ___________________________________________________

___________________________________________________

___________________________________________________

___________________________________________________

___________________________________________________

___________________________________________________

8

“With malice toward none; with

charity for all; with firmness in the

right, as God gives us to see the

right, let us strive on to finish the

work we are in; to bind up the

nation's wounds; to care for him who

shall have borne the battle, and for

his widow, and for his orphan--do

all which may achieve and cherish a

just, and a lasting peace, among

ourselves, and with all nations.”

This is what President Abraham

Lincoln said to the nation after the

war. He wanted to put the country

back together and make sure all the

differences that could be worked out

were worked out.

His plan included the following: 10 percent of Southerners in

each state had to swear an oath

of loyalty to the United States

before it was allowed to be a

state again.

Southern states had to accept the

emancipation of slaves.

All southerners would be given a

full pardon (would be forgiven)-

even those who supported and

fought for the Confederacy

Lincoln did this to send

the message that the

United States wanted the

South to be part of it

again.

Lincoln’s entire Plan was not used

during Reconstruction because he

was assassinated before it could be

put into place.

After Abraham Lincoln was

assassinated, Andrew Johnson

became president of the United

States. He put Lincoln's plan into

action, but changed it a bit. He

still wanted to make sure that

whatever happened in the South

did not lead to more hostility and

very angry Americans. Johnson

supported Lincoln's belief that if

real peace was not achieved, there

would be major problems between

the North and the South in the

future.

The parts Johnson added were:

Wealthy Southerners had to be

pardoned by the President

(forgiven by the President

himself!) before they could

vote or hold a public office

(mayor, representative,

governor).

Southern states had to ratify

(accept) the 13th Amendment,

which outlawed slavery

Johnson's plan did not do a very

good job of protecting the newly

freed slaves. Because of this

racism and discrimination spread

rapidly through the South. The

Radical Republicans (Johnson's

opponents) grew in popularity

because of this.

The Radical Republicans were

the men opposing Lincoln and

Johnson. Unlike the President

and former President, the

Radical Republicans wanted to

punish the South for causing the

war to happen and make sure

there was no question that the

things the North had decided

during the war was the way it

was going to be from then on.

The Radical Republicans'

Plan:

50 Percent of Southerners in

each state had to swear an

oath of allegiance to the

United States in order to be

considered a state again.

The states did not have to

vote to accept emancipation;

their courts simply had to

enforce it no matter what.

The Radical Republicans

wanted the Union Army to stay

in the South for a long time to

make sure that everything was

going as they planned. Just

keeping the Union soldiers

down there after the war

angered many people in the

South, which kept them from

really accepting what they were

told to do.

Reconstruction Plans

9

Johnson’s Plan:

Lincoln’s Plan:

Radical Republican’s Plan:

Similarities:

Use the Information from page 8 about Lincoln’s, Johnson’s, and the Radical Republican’s Reconstruction plans to complete the following Venn Diagram. List as many pieces of information (minimum 2 per box) in

each box below. In the center box list ANY similarities the three plans have.

10

Jim Crow Laws, Black Codes, and Poll Taxes

As the country tried to establish a plan for reconstruction, ex-Confederates were being elected to state and local government offices. As they gained power, they began to pass laws limited what freed African Americans could do, these laws became known as black codes. Under black codes, African Americans could not serve on juries, own guns, or gather in groups after dark. Under black codes, African Americans could have only certain jobs, like farm work, could be arrested if they could not prove they had a job, and had to sign labor contracts for a year at a time.

After Reconstruction ended, African Americans lost many of their new rights. Southern states passed what were called “Jim Crow” laws. These laws discriminated against African Americans in all parts of their life. They could not work in factories. They could not eat in the same places as whites, or shop in the same stores. African American children could not go to the same schools as white children. There were “whites only” and “blacks only” cars on railroad trains. There were even “whites only” and “blacks only” drinking fountains. One of the most important civil rights that African Americans lost was their right to vote. Southern states passed laws that took away this right.

STOP and Think Activity

South Laws set up the following…

- Poll Tax: a voter had to pay a tax to vote.

- Literacy Test: a voter had to be able to read and write. White officials decided who could

read and write.

- Grandfather Clause: No man could vote if his grandfather had not been able to vote before

the Civil War.

Your task: Explain how each law discriminated against or separated African Americans. (Use full sentences and full ideas to explain yourself) Poll Tax: _______________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Literacy Test: _________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Grandfather Clause: _________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

11

Plessy v. Ferguson

The Lawsuit Even though slavery was abolished in the United States in 1865, racial discrimination did not end with it. States continued to make laws that blocked equal opportunities for African Americans. Homer Plessy decided to test one of those laws to see if he could change it. Plessy lived in Louisiana and, like many people there, he was a Creole; he was not completely white and he was not completely African American. However, in the eyes of the law, he was African American. On June 7, 1892, Homer Plessy sat in the section of a railroad car that was for 'whites only.' As he expected, he was arrested after he refused to move. Judge John Howard Ferguson of Louisiana ruled against Plessy's argument that making him sit in a separate part of the train violated his constitutional rights. Plessy then took his case to the Supreme Court.

The Ruling Plessy's lawyer argued that Louisiana's Separate Car Act violated the 13th and 14th Amendments to the Constitution. The 13th Amendment abolished slavery. The 14th Amendment grants citizenship rights to anyone born in the United States. It also says that no laws should be made to take away the rights of U.S. citizens. The Supreme Court disagreed with Plessy's lawyer. Supreme Court Justice Henry Brown said that even though the 14th Amendment may have intended to make African Americans and white people 'equal before the law,' it did not necessarily intend for the two races to be 'equal in society.' According to Justice Brown, whites should not be forced to be in the same public places as African Americans.

The Impact Plessy v. Ferguson allowed 'separate but equal,' also known as segregation, to become law in the United States. After this, Jim Crow laws, which were a system of laws meant to discriminate against African Americans, spread across the U.S. For decades, any type of public facility could be legally separated into 'whites only' and 'blacks only.' That meant that buses, water fountains, lunch counters, restrooms, movie theaters, schools, courtrooms, and even the United States Army could all be segregated. Rules and laws were also made to prevent African Americans from voting. Even though the law stated that the separate facilities had to be equal, most of the time they were not. White people almost always had access to the best facilities, especially in schools. Civil rights activists protested against segregation in the 1950s and 1960s and were often met with violence from white people who did not want the laws to change.

Think about the following situations. Do you think the Supreme Court of the United States considered all possible situations when they rendered their decision in Plessy v. Ferguson? Discuss each situation with your partner(s) and be prepared to share your thoughts.

A black woman is thirsty, so she walks over to the water fountains. There is one fountain for blacks and one for whites. The black woman uses the fountain for whites because the other one is out of order.

A black man has been traveling for many hours. He stops at a diner to eat and use the restroom. This diner only serves whites. In order to eat, the black man must travel another two hours to another diner that serves blacks. The black man cannot wait two hours to use the restroom, so he uses the diner's restroom despite the posted signs.

A black seven-year-old girl must walk two miles to the nearest school for blacks even though there is a school two blocks away. The school two blocks away is only for white students. The girl's parents worry about their daughter walking such a long distance to and from school every day.

12

Effects of Reconstruction on American life

13

14

Let’s Review

Reconstruction

Lincoln’s Plan: The Southern states had to…

1.

2.

3.

Johnson’s Plan:

Radical Republican’s Plan

13th

Amendment

14th Amendment

What is the difference between a carpetbagger and a

scalawag?

15th Amendment

Explain your sharecropping experience: _____________

______________________________________________

______________________________________________

______________________________________________

______________________________________________

______________________________________________

Define Reconstruction:

Plessyy v. Ferguson

Issue Outcome

Literacy test:

Grandfather

Clause

Poll Tax: