Political Rights of African Americans

Reconstruction1865-1877

Reconstruction

How is it possible for a country to come back together after such a colossal war?

Lincoln’s PlanAbraham Lincoln

10% Plan (leniency)Pardon

Confederates10% had to pledge

allegiance to Union

"With malice toward none, with charity for all” Lincoln

Andrew Johnson Johnson’s Plan

Presidential ReconstructionSwear AllegiancePay war debtsAbolish Slavery

(Ratify 13th Amendment)

FailuresNever address African

American Rights

Civil Rights Act of 1866Gave African Americans citizenship and forbade

states from passing discriminatory laws (Black Codes)

Black CodesCould not carry weaponsServing on JuriesTestify Against Whites

Congressional Reconstruction

14th Amendments – Gave African Americans protection under the Constitution.

Reconstruction Act of 1867Did not recognize state governments formed

under the Lincoln and Johnson plansSouth divided into 5 and ran by militaryNew state constitutions needed to be made.

Johnson and ImpeachmentJohnson vetoes Civil Rights ActJohnson Impeached

Did not follow Reconstruction ActRemoved Military officers who enforced the actHe was ImpeachedFell one vote short of being removed from office.

Ulysses S. Grant Grant’s Plan

Work to get the last states readmitted

African American Rights

Every human being, of whatever origin, of whatever station, deserves respect. We must each respect others even as we respect ourselves

Ulysses S. Grant

Civil War Amendments13th- Neither slaver nor involuntary servitude,

except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted shall exist within the United States.

14th – All persons born or naturalized in the United States are entitled to equal protection of the law, and no state could deprive any person of life, liberty , or property without due process.

15th – No one can be kept from voting because of “race, color, or previous condition of servitude.”

African American Rights

African American RightsJim Crow

Poll Tax (annual tax to be paid to qualify to vote)Literacy Test Grandfather Clause

Helped whites who failed the literacy testSaid if your failed the literacy test you could still

vote if you father or grandfather voted prior to Jan. 1, 1867

Ruled out all African AmericansSchools

African American RightsPlessy V. Ferguson

Law case was brought claiming Jim Crow Laws are unconstitutional

Supreme Court claimed separation of races in public was legal (Separate but Equal)

Separate but equal stood for almost 60 years.

AssignmentDirections: Answer the following questions on 2 of

the pictures below. You can gain 2 points extra credit for each picture beyond the two that are

required

What aspect of the picture sticks out the most?Describe what you see in the picture.What emotions do you believe the people are

feeling in the picture or feel by looking at the sign?What specific information about Jim Crow Laws can

you see in the phototgraph?

Examples 1

Examples 2

Example 3

Example 4

Example 5

Example 6

ActivismEconomics

Booker T. Washington Believed racism would end once blacks acquired

useful labor skills and proved their economic value to society

W.E.B. Du BoisBelieved blacks should seek a liberal arts education

so that the African-American community would have well-educated leaders.

NAACP – National Association for the Advancement of Colored People

Political Groups

Populism

Causes of PopulismEconomic Problems

SharecroppingLandowners split their land up and

gave each worker a few acresAt harvest time workers gave a

portion to the landownerSharecroppers never seemed to get

out of debt with the landowners though

More CausesMoney Value

Paper money could not be exchanged for gold or silver

Paper money was retired for this reason

The value of a dollar was increasedCaused Farmers to distress when

paying of loans because paper money was hard to come by.

Even More CausesRailroads

Charged high prices to move grainMany had to mortgage their farms to

pay these prices.Many did not make up enough at

harvest to pay the loans on their homes.

Populism PoliticsPlatform (Beliefs)

Movement of the people (farmers and labors)Reform to lift the burden of debt

Panic of 1893Farmers couldn’t pay loansRailroads went bankruptGold Supply dwindled so people started trading

gold for paper money.This spread to Wall Street where stocks fell

Populism PoliticsSilver and Gold

Debate broke out on what metal would be Americas standard for the monetary systemUse both Gold and SilverUse just Gold

Paper money was regarded as worthless

Populism PoliticsElection of 1896

Gold and Silver debate was main topicRepublicans (Gold) supported William McKinleyDemocrats (Silver and Gold) supported William

Jennings BryanMcKinley Won

Bryan could not compete with McKinley’s MoneyMcKinley win ended Populism

Gold Bugs and SilveritesSilverites

Farmers and LaborersBimetallismMore money in circulation (Loans easier to pay off)

Gold BugsBankers and BusinessmenWanted Gold the Standard with less money in

circulationLoans could be repaid in stable money