Ch. 12 Ch. 12 ReconstructiReconstructi

ononAmerican History

Unresolved LegaciesUnresolved Legacies

• Reconstruction: (1865-1877), the time period following the Civil War

• Two questions to answer:1. What will replace slavery?

– What will freedom mean for ex-slaves?

2. How to reconstruct the South?– How will it be decided?

Unresolved LegaciesUnresolved Legacies

The Meaning of FreedomThe Meaning of Freedom• We’re free, now what?

• There is still a deep-seeded racism in America

1. Family: finding family throughout the South

2. Politics: get the right to vote– Use the power of the minority to gain rights

3. Education: 3 R’s vital to future generations

4. Religion: ability to practice in public– A mixture of Christian and African traditions

5. Land: Sherman’s Field Order– Abandoned lands in the South handed over to

ex-slaves (“40 acres and a mule”)

The Meaning of FreedomThe Meaning of Freedom

• Freedman’s Bureau: government organization created to help blacks achieve their goals

What will replace slavery?What will replace slavery?• Sharecropping:

• Landowners divided the land and gave each workers a few acres, seeds, and tools in return for a share of the harvest

• Tenant farming:• Rent land in return for

cash• Had to buy tools on

credit, but freedmen couldn’t pay them back or save money

What will replace slavery?What will replace slavery?

• Cotton is replaced• Tobacco is the new cash crop• Try to diversify the economy

• Carpetbaggers:• Name given to Northerners who

moved South during Reconstruction

• Seen negatively by many Southerners

ObstaclesObstacles• Obstacles to Real Freedom:

• Racism• Black codes: discriminatory laws that restricted

African Americans’ lives– Same as slavery in many ways

• Many people all over the nation opposed the far-reaching acts of Congress to give African Americans more freedom

– Ku Klux Klan– Southern vigilante group that whipped and murdered former slaves

ObstaclesObstacles

• Goals of the KKK:1. Destroy Republican

party

2. Throw out new state governments

3. Control African American labor

4. Prevent African Americans from exercising their rights

How to Reconstruct?How to Reconstruct?

• There were two types of Reconstruction:1. Presidential

2. Congressional

• Lincoln had begun Reconstruction at the end of the war

Was very lenient to the South Congress was not happy with his policies,

wanted to take over

Presidential ReconstructionPresidential Reconstruction

• Andrew Johnson: Lincoln’s successor• Johnson allowed many Southern states to re-

enter the Union by passing Reconstruction bills1. Declare its secession illegal

2. Swear allegiance to the Union

3. Ratify the 13th Amendment

Presidential ReconstructionPresidential Reconstruction

• Congress becomes upset with Johnson– He provided no help for former slaves:

• Land rights• Voting rights• Protection under the law

• Congress reacts in two ways:– Expand the Freedman’s Bureau– Pass Civil Rights Act of 1866

• Johnson vetoed both acts

How to Reconstruct?How to Reconstruct?

• Radical Republicans: opposed moderate Reconstruction

• Radical abolitionists• Thaddeus Stevens: leader

of the RR’s

Congressional ReconstructionCongressional Reconstruction

• Congress takes matters into its own hands

1. 14th Amendment: all persons born or naturalized in the U.S. are citizens and are entitled to equal protection under the law

Congressional ReconstructionCongressional Reconstruction

2. Elections of 1866- • The Radical Republicans gain control of

Congress

3. Reconstruction Act of 1867– Undid everything by Lincoln and Johnson

• Required new state constitutions for Southern states

• Required right to vote for African American men• Must ratify the 14th Amendment

Congressional ReconstructionCongressional Reconstruction

4. President Johnson impeached

– For firing a cabinet member without the Senate’s approval

– Found not guilty

Congressional ReconstructionCongressional Reconstruction

5. Republican Ulysses S. Grant elected to the Presidency in 1868

6. 15th Amendment (1870)- cannot deny the right to vote based on race

7. Public works programs created to rebuild the South

Obstacles to ReconstructionObstacles to Reconstruction

• Panic of 1873• Country begins to deal

with the financial troubles of Reconstruction and political scandals

• Financial failures occurred because investors were too optimistic

– A 5 year depression resulted