WAS RECONSTRUCTION A SUCCESS OR A FAILURE? By: Brooke Powers Background Essay The period immediately following the American Civil War is known as Reconstruction, when the country was faced with the challenge of bringing the states and citizens back together into one nation. The federal government created various policies which affected all Americans, including many that were designed to incorporate former slaves into a free society. The federal government passed the 13th Amendment which ended slavery. The 14th Amendment gave black Americans citizenship and civil rights. The Military Reconstruction Act was passed to make sure African-Americans’ new rights were protected. Black churches were founded. Public schools were built for black children, and universities like Howard, Fisk, Morehouse, and Hampton were founded for black students wanting more education. Sixteen African-Americans were also elected to Congress and many others served at the state and local levels. Finally, the 15th Amendment was ratified making it illegal to deny someone the right to vote based on race. Real progress was being made. The dreams of millions of black Americans were finally coming true. However, in the early 1870s, the tide began to shift. Many southern states began to elect governments dedicated to white-only rule. Southern whites did not take too kindly to black Americans having rights such as being able to vote and being elected to federal, state, and local governments. Between 1870 and 1876 all but three Southern states turned back Reconstruction efforts. Then came the election of 1876 which officially crushed the hopes and dreams of many African-Americans. This election saw Rutherford B. Hayes, the Republican candidate and eventual winner, square off against Samuel J. Tilden, the Democratic nominee. Although Tilden won the popular vote by a wide margin, election results in Florida, South Carolina, and Louisiana were so close that a winner could not be determined. If these states went for Hayes, he would win the Electoral College vote and become President. Talk of a new Civil War was in the air as the opponents in the disputed states submitted separate sets of electoral ballots. An informal agreement, now called The Compromise of 1877, avoided the crisis by granting Hayes the Presidency. In return, Hayes promised to remove the last Federal soldiers from the three southern states which included South Carolina. This almost guaranteed that all-white governments would rise to power in the South. Reconstruction had officially ended. Your job is to read the documents that follow and answer the question: Was Reconstruction a Success or a Failure? Background Essay Questions 1. What does Reconstruction mean? 2. Who ran for President in 1876? What were their political parties? 3. What was The Compromise of 1877? Who got what?

4. Describe the 13th Amendment? 5. Describe the 14th Amendment? 6. Describe the 15th Amendment? Document A Source: The cover of Harper’s Weekly 1874; The South Carolina State Legislature during Reconstruction.

1. What is the source and date of this cartoon? 2. What is the topic of this cartoon? 3. How does the image above depict black politicians in South Carolina? 4. How did most whites in the South feel about blacks holding political office?

Document B Source: Library of Congress October 24, 1874

1. Who is the man on the right? 2. Who is the man on the left? 3. Who are people in the middle? 4. Why are the two men shaking hands? 5. How did the KKK impact blacks during Reconstruction?

Document C Source: Hampton Plantation Account Book 1866-1868 Plantation in South Carolina

1. Where was Hampton Plantation located? 2. Who was living on this plantation in 1866-1868? 3. What do these records show is happening that had never happened before on plantations in South Carolina? 4. Why is this important to blacks living in South Carolina?

Document D Source: First Black Legislature in South Carolina 1878

1. Who are the men that appear in this photograph? 2. What state are these men from? 3. How were they able to get elected to the state legislature? 4. How did these men change things for the blacks living in the state? 5. Why is this picture so important?