RECONSTRUCTIONAP US History

1. WHAT WAS RECONSTRUCTION?

ReconstructionThe time period from 1863-1877

that addressed 3 major issues… How the rebellious states would be

readmitted to the Union? What the civil status of the Confederacy’s

leaders would be? Jail? Could they vote? Could they hold office again?

What the legal and Constitutional status of the Freedmen (freed slaves) would be?

2. WHAT WAS LINCOLN’S PLAN FOR RECONSTRUCTION?

Lincoln’s PlanProclamation of Amnesty &

Reconstruction Full presidential pardons to MOST southerners

who… Took oath of allegiance to Union and US Constitution Accepted emancipation of slaves (13th Amendment)

Ten Percent Plan President would recognize state governments once

10% of the white voters in that state took the loyalty oath

State constitution had to be re-written to accept abolition of slavery

CONSIDERED LENIENT BY REPUBLICAN CONGRESS

3. WHAT WAS CONGRESS’ PLAN FOR RECONSTRUCTION?

Congress’ PlanWade-Davis Bill

50% of voters had to take loyalty oath Anyone who had served in the

Confederacy officially (soldier/politician) could NOT vote for new constitution that abolished slavery

CONSIDERED TOO HARSH BY LINCOLN – HE POCKET VETOED IT

4. DID ANY RECONSTRUCTION POLICIES PASS BEFORE LINCOLN’S ASSASSINATION?

Yes…Freedmen’s Bureau (March 1865)

under General Oliver Howard Welfare agency for those made destitute in

war Food to 150,000 daily (1/3 were white)

Helped negotiate free labor contracts between white landowners and freed slaves

Tried to get minimum wage for ex-slaves Mostly, wage was called “share wage” Start of sharecropping

Greatest success: EDUCATION 3,000 schools for freedmen 200,000 freedmen learned how to read

5. WHAT ENDED THE POLITICAL STRUGGLE BETWEEN LINCOLN AND CONGRESS OVER RECONSTRUCTION?

Lincoln’s Assassination

6. WHO BECAME PRESIDENT AFTER LINCOLN’S ASSASSINATION?

Andrew Johnson

Andrew JohnsonDemocrat from TennesseeGood for the North because…

Only senator from Confederacy who remained loyal to Union

Came from poor background; hated rich plantation owners

Bad for the North because… He hated black people MORE than rich

plantation owners

7. WHAT WAS JOHNSON’S PLAN FOR RECONSTRUCTION?

President Johnson’s PlanCalled Presidential

Reconstruction Implement Lincoln’s Plan AND…

Disenfranchise two groups Former Confederate leaders & officeholders Rich whites in South with more than $20,000

in property

Claimed right to grant individual pardons to anyone he pleased

8. WHY DID THE REPUBLICAN CONGRESS SOON HATE JOHNSON’S PLAN?

Congressional Objection…President Johnson pardoned

nearly all Southerners, and many returned to power

9. WHAT POLICIES DID THE SOUTHERN STATES IMPLEMENT UNDER JOHNSON’S PLAN?

Policies Implemented by the SouthPro-North

Repudiated secession Ratified 13th Amendment

Pro-South Elected former Confederate leaders to

office Denied voting rights to blacks Adopted “Black Codes”

10. WHAT WERE THE BLACK CODES?

Black CodesProhibited blacks from renting or

buying landForced blacks to sign work

contracts that prohibited their free movement

Prohibited blacks from testifying against whites in court

11. HOW DID REPUBLICANS STOP JOHNSON'S PLAN?

Republicans won control of Congress

Republicans won control of Congress in 1866 with more than a 2/3 majority

Senate: 57 (R); 9 (D) House: 177 (R); 47 (D)

What did this mean??? Republicans could override ANY

Presidential veto of their plans THIS MEANT CONGRESS WOULD DETERMINE

RECONSTRUCTION POLICIES STARTS “RADICAL” OR “CONGRESSIONAL”

RECONSTRUCTION

12. WHAT WAS “RADICAL” RECONSTRUCTION?

Radical ReconstructionThe phase of Reconstruction that

was controlled by Congress, which was dominated at the time by the “radical” Republicans

1866-1876 Republicans dominated southern

governments

13. WHO WERE THE LEADING “RADICAL” REPUBLICANS?

Radical Republican Leaders…Senate: Charles Sumner,

MassachusettsHouse: Thaddeus Stevens,

Pennsylvania

14. WHAT WAS THE OVERALL GOAL OF THE “RADICAL” REPUBLICANS?

Radical Republican Goals…They wanted to revolutionize

(change) southern society by… Extending civil rights to freed slaves Educating blacks Redistributing land confiscated from

Confederate plantation owners to freed blacks

15. WHAT PIECES OF LEGISLATION COMPRISED THE “RADICAL” REPUBLICAN PROGRAM?

Radical Republican Programs…A. Civil Rights Act of 1866B. 14th AmendmentC. Reconstruction Acts of 1867D. Tenure of Office ActE. 15th AmendmentF. Civil Rights Act of 1875

A. Civil Rights Act of 1866All African-Americans were legal

citizensSaid Black Codes were illegal

IGNORED IN THE SOUTH; SO RADICALS LOOKED TO

AMEND THE CONSTITUTION

B. 14th AmendmentAll persons born or naturalized in

the United States were citizensObligated states to respect the

rights of citizens by providing “equal protection of the laws” and “due process”

Required enfranchisement of black males or state could lose proportional # of reps and electoral votes

C. Reconstruction Acts of 186710 southern states divided into 5

military districtsUS Army registered voters for

election of delegates to constitutional convention

Enfranchised all males 21 or olderNew state constitutions had to…

Grant equal civil and political rights regardless of race

Ratified Fourteenth Amendment

D. Tenure of Office ActProhibited the President from

removing federal official without Congressional approval

Passed to protect “radical” Republicans in Johnson’s Cabinet (like Secretary of War Stanton)

President Johnson removes StantonPresident Johnson impeached by

Congress Tried in Senate “radicals” fell 1 vote short of removing him

E. 15th AmendmentProhibited any state from

denying a citizen’s right to vote based upon “race, color, or previous condition of servitude”

F. Civil Rights Act of 1875Provisions…

Guaranteed equal accommodations in public places

Prohibited exclusion of blacks from juries

Success???◦NO…

Poorly enforced Democrats gaining power in Congress (majority

by 1875)

16. WHO COMPRISED THE REPUBLICAN STATE GOVERNMENTS DURING “RADICAL” RECONSTRUCTION?

Scalawags & CarpetbaggersScalawags: southern Republicans

Tended to be former Whigs; who wanted economic development and industrialization

Carpetbaggers: northern Republicans

Investors Missionaries Teachers Corrupt profit seekers

17. DID ANY AFRICAN AMERICANS GET ELECTED TO THE US CONGRESS IN RECONSTRUCTION?

Yes…Senate (2)

Hiram Revels: Mississippi; took Jefferson Davis’ seat

Blanche Bruce

House (12)

Hiram Revels

18. WAS “RADICAL” REPUBLICAN (CONGRESSIONAL) RECONSTRUCTION A SUCCESS OR FAILURE?

Success or Failure???Successes:

Universal male suffrage Promoted building of infrastructure Asylums for handicapped State-run public schools Overhauled tax system

Failures: CORRUPTION

Politicians took many bribes BUT: THIS WAS HAPPENING IN THE NORTH TOO

19. WHAT DID THE FREED BLACKS DO TO ESTABLISH INDEPENDENCE FROM WHITE CONTROL?

Independence…Established independent black churches

Negro Baptist Church African Methodist Episcopal Church

Established independent schools

Established independent black colleges Howard, Fisk, and Morehouse

Established black communities

20. HOW DID MOST BLACKS EARN A LIVING AFTER SLAVERY?

Sharecropping…Landlord (white) provided seed

and tools while sharecropper (black) gave landlord 50% of harvest (typically)

Problem… By having to pay 50% of crop to landlord,

sharecropper never had enough left over to make substantial profit (if any)

Furnishing Merchant

Tenant Farmer Land Owner

Loan tools and seed up to 60% interest to tenant farmer to plant spring crop.

Farmer also secures food, clothing, andother necessities oncredit from merchant until the harvest.

Merchant holds “lien” {mortgage} on part of tenant’s future crops as repayment of debt.

Plants crop, harvests in autumn.

Turns over up to ½ of crop to land owner as payment of rent.

Tenant gives remainder of crop to merchant inpayment of debt.

Rents land to tenant in exchange for ¼ to ½ of tenant farmer’s future crop.

Crop Lien System

21. WHAT WAS THE NORTH LIKE DURING RECONSTRUCTION?

Corruption, Corruption, Corruption Credit Mobilier Affair

Railroad investors were stealing government money which was supposed to finance the railroad

Investors bribed Congressmen with free shares of railroad stock

William “Boss” Tweed Stole tax money from NYC public ($200 million) Exposed by The New York Times and Thomas Nast

Panic of 1873 Overproduction, under consumption = depression Called for paper money (Greenbacks) is denied

Boss Tweed

Boss Tweed

22. WHO WAS ELECTED IN 1868?

Ulysses S. GrantRepublicanWon only 300,000 more popular

votes500,000 blacks voted for himTHUS: most whites did NOT vote

for him

23. HOW DID SOUTHERN WHITES (REDEEMERS) FIGHT “RADICAL” RECONSTRUCTION?

Mississippi Plan…“persuade” or intimidate…

White Republicans to vote Democrat

24. WHAT WAS THE PRINCIPLE GROUP THAT IMPLEMENTED THE MISSISSIPPI PLAN?

Ku Klux Klan…Founded 1867 by Nathan Bedford

ForrestCongress passed Force Acts of

1870 and 1871 to crush Klan power

25. WHAT OFFICIALLY ENDED RECONSTRUCTION?

The Compromise of 1877…Election of 1876

◦Tilden (Democrat) vs. Hayes (Republican)

Tilden carries 4 northern states and all southern states except the three states which were not reconstructed (SC, FL, and LA)

Republicans claim blacks intimidated into not voting in those states

All 3 given to Hayes Democrats refuse to concede, Congress split Electoral commission says Hayes wins!!!

26. WHAT WAS IN THE COMPROMISE OF 1877?

Compromise of 1877…Republicans

Hayes got Presidency

Democrats $ to rebuild levees on lower Mississippi

River $ for southern transcontinental Railroad Southerner as Postmaster General Withdrawal of remaining federal troops

from South