RECONSTRUCTION ERA

WAR’S END AND IMPACT•On April 14th, 1865 President Lincoln was assassinated at Ford’s Theater by John Wilkes Booth. • Andrew Johnson became president.

• Effects of the war: • U.S. is a global economic power• Increased migration of African Americans to North and

West• Reaffirming of federal power

PLANS FOR RECONSTRUCTION• Reconstruction refers to the era (1865-1877) in which

the government sought to address the issue of returning states to the Union, addressing the South’s economy, and what to do about former slaves’ rights. • Three distinct plans emerged to answer these

questions, by three very distinct groups. • Lincoln’s Plan– 10% Plan• Johnson’s Plan• Radical Republicans’ Plan– Wade Davis Bill

PLANS FOR RECONSTRUCTION• Lincoln’s Plan• Designed as early as December, 1863• “Proclamation of Amnesty and Reconstruction”• Sympathetic towards Southerners easy to rejoin after

the war. 1) Full pardons given to those who took a loyalty oath and

accepted 13th amendment. 2) 10% of voters had to take loyalty oath for state gov.

could be re-established. ***Congressional Republicans did NOT like this plan!***

PLANS FOR RECONSTRUCTION• Radical Republicans’ Plan• Also known as the Wade-Davis Bill• Saw secession and slavery as crimes that require

punishment• Promote African American equality

1) 50% of a state’s population had to take a loyalty oath2) Only non-Confederates can vote for new Constitution3) State constitution must abolish slavery• Lincoln vetoed this plan

PLANS FOR RECONSTRUCTION• Johnson’s Plan

1) Pardons granted to those who took a loyalty oath. • No pardons would be available to high Confederate

officials or those owning property $20,000+; loss of right to vote/ability to hold office• Unless personally asking Johnson

2) State needed to abolish slavery3) Repeal secession ordinance

SAME OLD, SAME OLD•Many southern states quickly met Johnson’s requirements to rejoin the Union. • Since Johnson did not support African American

equality, most Southerners wanted to pass laws to restrict their freedoms after the Civil War.

• Black codes laws that sought to limit rights of African Americans and keep them landless workers. • However, the Radical Republicans were dominant in

Congress, bringing about many changes to the South.

CONGRESSIONAL RECONSTRUCTION•Congress passed measures to increase support for African Americans during Reconstruction. • Freedman’s Bureau goal was to provide food, clothing, healthcare and education for both black and white refugees in the South. • Civil Rights Act of 1866 response to the black codes; federal guarantees of civil rights, superseding state laws.

RECONSTRUCTION LEGISLATION- AMENDMENTS

•Reconstruction amendments:• 13th abolishes slavery and involuntary servitude• 14th guarantees African Americans citizenship; prohibits states from passing laws to take away citizens’ rights. • 15th no citizen can be denied the right to vote because of “race, color, or previous servitude.”

RECONSTRUCTION LEGISLATION- OTHER LAWS

•Additional legislation: • Reconstruction Act of 1867 divided the Southern states not yet readmitted to the Union into 5 military districts. • Each was governed by a Union general. • States had to write a new Constitution that

granted suffrage to African Americans and ratify the 14th amendment.

• Enforcement Act made voter intimidation a crime.

ATTEMPT TO IMPEACH JOHNSON

•Andrew Johnson and the Radical Republicans shared very different views on Reconstruction. •Congress passed the Tenure of Office Act to limit the President’s power. • When Johnson attempted to fire Edwin Stanton,

Secretary of War, Congress voted to impeach (accuse of wrongdoing) Johnson.

AFRICAN AMERICANS GAIN POWER• During Reconstruction, there was a growth of the

Republican Party in the South. Why? • African Americans joined the party that freed them–

Republican. • African Americans were able to hold offices, and Hiram

Revels became the first African American senator in 1870. • Many white southerners had not yet taken the

loyalty oath, so often times African Americans represented the majority of voters in a state.

OTHER GROUPS GAIN RECOGNITION• African Americans were not the only group to welcome the

Republican Party. • Scalawags (poor white southerners who had not been

involved in politics before the Civil War) found representation with the Republican Party.

• Groups of white and black northerners moved to the South for two reasons: • Look for better economic/political opportunities• Help rebuild the South

• These individuals were known as carpetbaggers because of the carpet-cloth suitcases they carried with them.

A NEW TYPE OF ECONOMY• Three new methods of farming developed during Reconstruction to combat

the loss of capital and land. There were pros and cons to each method.Pros Cons

Sharecropping- Did not need cash to start- Did not pay for supplies

- Tricked by landowners- Perpetually in debt- Live where told

Share-tenancy- Could choose the crop

planted variety- Did not need cash to start- Purchase own supplies

- Had to pay back portion of sales to landowner

- Live where told

Tenant-farming

- Choose crop- Managed by the farmer- Choice of where to live

- Needed good money-management skills

- High financial risk

VIOLENCE COMES TO THE SOUTH• Struggle to make a living in the South caused a lot of

competition and tension. • White southerners were angry that Republicans were

dominating local politics and due to the federal occupation by Union troops. • They were united over their dislike for African Americans to

have citizenship. • The Ku Klux Klan started in Tennessee in 1866. • They used scare tactics to intimidate African Americans.

(Hence the need for the Enforcement Acts)

OTHER ISSUES • Outside of the South, other problems drew focus from the crises

in the South• Ulysses S. Grant’s presidency was marred by scandal he gave

high-ranking positions to untrustworthy acquaintances. • Grant was seen as unable to target corruption in his own

party, and pubic distrust grew. • The public lost confidence in the government due to the

following: • Failing economy• Corruption and greed in government

• These problems caused the public to lose focus on the South’s problems.

END OF RECONSTRUCTION• Supreme Court started chipping away at the rights of

African Americans gained in the 1870s. • Southern whites gained power, by using violence and

legal interpretations. • They adopted a strategy of discrediting black

politicians while promoting racial segregation. • The common goal of both white southern Democrats and

Republicans was to regain political standing in Congress. • These individuals were known as Redeemers because they

wanted to ‘redeem’ the South in the eyes of Congress.

END OF RECONSTRUCTION• The election of 1876 pitted Rutherford B. Hayes against

Samuel Tilden. • Tilden won 51% of the popular vote, and carried all the

southern states. • There was dispute over votes in three of the southern states. • The dispute between Republicans and southern Democrats

facilitated a need for a compromise. • Compromise of 1877 Hayes elected president in

exchange for withdrawal of federal troops from the South. • Reconstruction ended with this compromise.

EFFECTS OF RECONSTRUCTION•Reconstruction had many positive effects: • South begins using tax money to pay for schools• South’s economy expands• African Americans make political, economic and

social gains more freedoms.•Negative effects• Women were not granted the right to vote • Did not heal sectional tensions between North and

South