Pursuing Equality for Pursuing Equality for African-Americans During African-Americans During

Radical ReconstructionRadical Reconstruction

Freedmen in the South Carolina Sea Islands

http://web.gc.cuny.edu/ashp/toer/looking.html

The End of the Civil WarThe End of the Civil War

When the Union won When the Union won the Civil War the big the Civil War the big questions were: questions were: What should Southern What should Southern

states have to do to be states have to do to be readmitted to the Union?readmitted to the Union?

What should happen to What should happen to southerners who southerners who participated in the war participated in the war effort?effort?

What should happen to What should happen to the newly emancipated the newly emancipated slaves?slaves?Jefferson Davis,

President of the Confederacy

http://www.redstone.army.mil/history/integrate/chron2.htm

Views of ReconstructionViews of Reconstruction Republican leaders Republican leaders

agreed that slavery had agreed that slavery had to be permanently to be permanently destroyed and all forms of destroyed and all forms of Confederate nationalism Confederate nationalism had to be suppressed had to be suppressed

Moderates thought this Moderates thought this could be accomplished as could be accomplished as soon as Confederate soon as Confederate armies surrendered and armies surrendered and the southern states the southern states repealed secession and repealed secession and ratified the 13th ratified the 13th AmendmentAmendment

All of this happened by All of this happened by the end of September the end of September 18651865

General Lee surrendering to General Grant at Appomattox

Courthousehttp://www.ct.gov/mil/lib/mil/pictures/civilwar/

thesurrender.jpg

Johnson Alienates Johnson Alienates Radical RepublicansRadical Republicans

President Johnson President Johnson supported votes for supported votes for Black army veterans in Black army veterans in 1864 and 1865 1864 and 1865

By 1866, however, By 1866, however, Johnson broke with the Johnson broke with the moderate Republicans moderate Republicans and aligned himself with and aligned himself with the Democrats who the Democrats who opposed equality and opposed equality and opposed the Fourteenth opposed the Fourteenth AmendmentAmendment

Radicals attacked Radicals attacked Johnson’s policies, Johnson’s policies, especially his 10% Plan especially his 10% Plan and his veto of the Civil and his veto of the Civil Rights Bill for the Rights Bill for the FreedmenFreedmen

President Andrew Johnson

http://www.army.mil/cmh-pg/books/cg&csa/_notes/20a.jpg

Plans for ReconstructionPlans for Reconstruction

Led by Charles Sumner Led by Charles Sumner and Thaddeus Stevens, and Thaddeus Stevens, the Radical Republicans the Radical Republicans wanted the Southern wanted the Southern states to be punished for states to be punished for their treasonous their treasonous behaviorbehavior

They called for harsh They called for harsh punishment of punishment of Confederate officers and Confederate officers and soldiers and equal rights soldiers and equal rights for Freedmenfor Freedmen

http://www.msp.umb.edu/afam/AfAmResearchQuestions.html

Radical Republicans Gain Radical Republicans Gain Control of CongressControl of Congress

The election of 1866 The election of 1866 dramatically changed dramatically changed the balance of power in the balance of power in congress, giving the congress, giving the Radical Republicans Radical Republicans enough votes to enough votes to overcome Johnson's overcome Johnson's vetoes vetoes

Though he avoided (by Though he avoided (by one vote) the Radical one vote) the Radical Republican attempt to Republican attempt to impeach him Johnson impeach him Johnson remained almost remained almost powerless regarding powerless regarding Reconstruction policyReconstruction policy “Time Works Wonders” by Thomas

Nasthttp://www.harpweek.com/09Cartoon/BrowseByDateCartoon.asp?Month=

April&Date=9

Radical ReconstructionRadical Reconstruction Radical Republicans Radical Republicans

implemented a federal implemented a federal reconstruction planreconstruction plan

They used the Army to They used the Army to combat the effect of combat the effect of black codes and enforce black codes and enforce new laws that guaranteed new laws that guaranteed rights to African rights to African Americans in Southern Americans in Southern states states

Federal reconstruction Federal reconstruction took the vote away from took the vote away from 10,000 to 15,000 white 10,000 to 15,000 white men who had been men who had been Confederate officials or Confederate officials or soldierssoldiers

Radical Republican Leadershttp://lfa.atu.edu/ssphil/people/ssjw/us2/

presrecon.htm

Black CodesBlack Codes White Southerners White Southerners

sought ways to control sought ways to control newly freed African newly freed African AmericansAmericans

They wrote Black Codes They wrote Black Codes to regulate civil and to regulate civil and legal rights, from legal rights, from marriage to the right to marriage to the right to hold and sell propertyhold and sell property

In many ways the codes In many ways the codes guaranteed African guaranteed African Americans would Americans would continue working as continue working as farm laborers farm laborers

African American men who were arrested for vagrancy due

to unemploymenthttp://history.sandiego.edu/gen/civilwar/16/

reconstruction1.html

The Civil Rights Act of 1866The Civil Rights Act of 1866 The Civil Rights Act of 1866 The Civil Rights Act of 1866

gave rights to freed slaves gave rights to freed slaves including the rights to including the rights to makemake contracts, sue, witness in contracts, sue, witness in court, and own private court, and own private propertyproperty

President Johnson vetoed the President Johnson vetoed the bill saying it would "operate bill saying it would "operate in favor of the colored and in favor of the colored and against the white race“against the white race“

Congress overrode the Congress overrode the presidential veto in April of presidential veto in April of 18661866

The act declared that all The act declared that all persons born in the U.S. were persons born in the U.S. were now citizens, without regard now citizens, without regard to race, color, or previous to race, color, or previous condition of servitude, condition of servitude, excluding Indians excluding Indians

Former Slaves and Wounded Union Veterans Celebrating the

Passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1866

http://lincoln.lib.niu.edu/fimage/gildedage/

image.php?id=3490

The 14The 14thth Amendment Amendment

In order to ensure In order to ensure permanent change permanent change the 14th the 14th amendment granted amendment granted citizenship to citizenship to African Americans African Americans

The amendment The amendment also guaranteed the also guaranteed the right to due process right to due process under the law to under the law to African AmericansAfrican Americans

http://www.fbi.gov/publications/leb/2005/june2005/

june05leb_img_29.jpg

The 15th AmendmentThe 15th Amendment

Granted African Granted African American men suffrage American men suffrage in 1870in 1870

This did not guarantee This did not guarantee African American men African American men would be allowed access would be allowed access to their local pollsto their local polls

Violence against African Violence against African Americans at polling Americans at polling places was commonplaces was common

Literacy tests, poll taxes Literacy tests, poll taxes and other voter and other voter qualification laws qualification laws became commonbecame common

The First Black Votershttp://www.harpweek.com/

09Cartoon/BrowseByDateCartoon.asp?Month=November&Date=14

African Americans VoteAfrican Americans Vote

Slowly Southern states Slowly Southern states held elections in which held elections in which Freedmen votedFreedmen voted

These elections usually These elections usually produced Republican produced Republican state governmentsstate governments

For the first time For the first time African Americans African Americans were elected to local, were elected to local, state and federal state and federal officesoffices

Hiram Revels, the first African American elected

to the U.S. Senatehttp://

bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index

=R000166

The End of Radical ReconstructionThe End of Radical Reconstruction

Federal Reconstruction Federal Reconstruction ended in 1876 with the ended in 1876 with the election of Rutherford B. election of Rutherford B. Hayes to the presidencyHayes to the presidency

A few weeks after taking A few weeks after taking office Hayes issued an office Hayes issued an order for the removal of order for the removal of all federal soldiers all federal soldiers stationed in the Southstationed in the South

The end of The end of Reconstruction led to a Reconstruction led to a drastic reduction of drastic reduction of rights for African rights for African AmericansAmericans President Rutherford

Hayeshttp://www.loc.gov/rr/print/list/

057_pra3.html