THE RADICAL REPUBLICANS
Although President Johnson agreed to let Texas back into the Union, Congress did not and refused to accept the Constitution of 1866. The Radical Republicans saw Reconstruction as a way to punish the Southerners and gain fair treatment for freedman. Radical Republican leaders Thadeus Stevens andCharles Sumner Not long after Texas was refused its return to the Union, the Radical Republicans in Congress gained enough power to win any vote in Congress and overturn any presidential veto. The Black Codes convinced the Republicans that Texas could not be trusted to deal fairly with African Americans. Radicial Republicans impeached Andrew Johnson.He survived his trial in the Senate by only one vote. The Fourteenth Amendment
The Republicans passed the Fourteenth Amendment.Among other parts of this amendment, it granted citizenship to former slaves. The Fourteenth Amendment did away with the black codes and granted legal equality to former slaves. Texas did not accept it and of the former Confederate states, only Tennessee agreed to the amendment. Reconstruction Act of 1867 Congress was angered by Texas and the other Confederate states refusing to ratify the 14th Amendment. The Radical Republicans took a stand by passing the Reconstruction Act of 1867. This act put Texas and the other Southern states (excluding Tennessee) under military rule. This act divided the ten states into five military districts. 5 Military Districts Texas was combined with Louisiana and placed in the 5th district and fell under command of General Philip H. Sheridan. The military controlled the South for several years, the Governors were appointed had no real power.
Union troops began to register voters, but required those voters to take an ironclad oath which claimed that their past loyalty was only to the Union. This meant that white men who were former Confederates could no longer vote. This angered many in the South Ironclad Oath The South saw the Northerners as Carpetbaggers, or people trying to ruin the south for their personal gain. Carpetbaggers The Ku Klux Klan Many plantation owners and former Confederate soldiers did not want African Americans to have rights. A secret group called the Ku Klux Klan was formed. The goal of this group was to: restore Democratic control of the South keep former slaves powerless Nathan Bedford Forrest was a former Confederate General and the First Leader of the Ku Klux Klan Matthew Gaines became a Texas State Senator in 1869.
The 15th Amendment The 15th Amendment to theU.S. Constitution was passed to guarantee freedman the right to vote Despite the efforts of the Klan, over 50,000 African American men in Texas registered to vote. Ten were even elected to the Constitutional Convention of 1869. Freedman Voting Matthew Gaines became a Texas State Senator in 1869. AFRICAN AMERICAN LEGISLATORS The Constitution of 1869 The New Constitution of 1869:
This was a Radical Republican Constitution for Texas! declared the Constitution of the U.S. as law guaranteed the right of all men to vote or suffrage (regardless of race, color, or former condition) established the foundation for a public school system for ALL children system of law enforcement In November 1869 elections of officers of the new state government were held. Radical Republican E.J. Davis was elected Governor Many Texans claimed that the army had unfairly made sure Davis was elected.
Many Texans remained determined to regain control of their state. Davis and the legislature ratified the 14th Amendment, which was a requirement from then US Congress for Reconstruction. Texas was readmitted to the Union on March 8th , 1870. E.J. Davis Davis had been a General in the Union Army
The Redeemers After Texaswas re-admitted to the Union, President Ulysses S. Grant declared reconstruction over in Texas. The Texas legislature gave Davis significant power. The people that opposed Davis were known as redeemers.They determined to save Texas from the Radical Republicans. The redeemers called Davis programs the Obnoxious Acts Davis had been a General in the Union Army The Redeemers I wont be Reconstructed!
Soon the Supreme Court ruled that the Ironclad Oath was unconstitutional. The government has no authority to disenfranchise (take away the right to vote) people who had never been convicted of a crime in a court of law. Southerners hated the oath and a similar Oath of Allegiance they were forced to take after the war. They didnt feel they should be pardoned for their actions and did not want forgiveness for the war. They felt they had fought for their rights. Good Ole Rebel -Popular song in the south at the time The Redeemers I wont be Reconstructed!
Soon the Supreme Court ruled that the Ironclad Oath was unconstitutional. The government has no authority to disenfranchise (take away the right to vote) people who had never been convicted of a crime in a court of law. Southerners hated the oath and a similar Oath of Allegiance they were forced to take after the war. They didnt feel they should be pardoned for their actions and did not want forgiveness for the war. They felt they had fought for their rights. Good Ole Rebel -Popular song in the south at the time Richard Coke was the first Democratic Governor in Texas since the war
In the 1872 elections, Democrats gained control of Texas and began to undo the actions of Davis. Davis was defeated in the 1873 governors race by Richard Coke. Richard Coke was the first Democratic Governor in Texas since the war Davis refused to leave office, claiming the election was a fraud.He and his supporters even barricaded themselves in their offices. Eventually, Coke took office and this truly signaled the end of Reconstruction in Texas. The redeemers called a Constitution convention to re-write the Constitution once again.
The new Constitution of 1876 would supremely limit the power of the governor and allow the legislature to meet only every other year. As a result of the redeemers, African Americans soon lost much of the social ground they had recently gained. Racist Jim Crow Laws would be written and followed for over a hundred years. The Constitution of 1876 is the same one Texas has today, though many changes have been made. Reconstruction Amendments sing along
Free, Citizen, Vote 13,14,15