Download - Ch 12
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