Chapter 17

Summary Notes

Reconstruction means to rebuild the South

and how to admit southern states back into the Union.

Americans were not in agreement on how to do this at the end of the Civil War.

Definition of Reconstruction

Lincoln’s plan was called the 10% Plan It said that 10% of the voters in a southern

state must take an oath of loyalty to the Union then,

The state could form a new state government then

The new state government would create a new state constitution that banned slavery

Lincoln’s Plan for Reconstruction

The Republicans in Congress did not like

Lincoln’s plan for the South. They thought Lincoln was being too nice and

forgiving. They are called Radicals because it means

extreme.. Radicals didn’t even allow southern states to

be seated in Washington DC. (Louisiana, Arkansas and Tennessee)

They came up with their own plan for the South.

Radical Republicans

It said that a majority of white males swear an

oath of loyalty to the Union. Only white males who swore their loyalty and

DID NOT fight against the Union could participate in the state convention.

New state constitution must ban slavery! Former Confederates could not hold public

office.

Wade-Davis Bill

President Lincoln will refuse to sign the Wade-

Davis Bill! However- he realizes that he will have to

compromise with the Radical Republicans in order to get southern states started towards admission in the Union.

What does Lincoln think of the Wade -

Davis Bill?

March 1865- Congress and President Lincoln

created the Freedmen’s Bureau. It helped African Americans to adapt to their

freedom. Schools were created to learn how to read and write and learn job skills.

Freedmen’s Bureau

Since Lincoln was assassinated, Lincoln’s plan

didn’t go through….new president Andrew Johnson took over Lincoln’s administration

Johnson was from Tennessee but remained loyal to the Union during the war.

President Johnson came up with his own plan for Reconstruction…

Lincoln was assassinated!

Amnesty to southerners after they swore their

loyalty to the Union. High ranking Confederate officials granted

pardon ONLY by the president himself! (This was done to humiliate the leaders.)

Only pardoned white men could vote in state conventions (Pres. Johnson said only white men alone should manage the South.)

Johnson’s plan: Restoration

State must denounce secession and ban

slavery in their state constitution. Each state must ratify the 13th Amendment

(abolishes slavery in the United States) By the end of 1865- all former Confederate

states except Texas had new governments and were ready to rejoin the Union.

Restoration continued

Many Radical Republicans thought that President

Johnson’s plan of Restoration was not strong enough.

Many southern states were refused by Republicans to be seated in Congress…

Southern states started to pass Black Codes- where African Americans were exploited and rights were trampled on. (Examples- African Americans were arrested if they did not have jobs. Also banned from owning or renting land…very similar to slavery.

Radical Republicans thoughts on Restoration

Granted full citizenship to all African

Americans. Gave federal government the power to

intervene in state affairs to protect African Americans’ rights.

CRA of 1866 overturned black codes and the Supreme Court decision in Dred Scott.

President Johnson threatened to veto the Freedmen Bureau bill and CRA of 1866. (He said they were unconstitutional because Congress was not allowing southern states their seats!

Civil Rights Act of 1866

The Republicans were able to override Johnson’s vetoes and they realized that they even though Johnson was a Republican too, compromise was not possible with the president!The Republicans decided to create their own plan of Reconstruction…

Republicans

The Republicans in Congress were afraid that the CRA

of 1866 would be overturned in the Court so they passed the 14th Amendment.

It granted full citizenship to all people born in the United States …

No state could take away a citizen’s life, liberty or property without due process of law.

Every citizen would be equally protected under the law. If any state tried to restrict adult male citizens from

voting, then they could lose some representation in Congress!

14th Amendment

It also stated that former Confederate officials

were barred from holding national office or state offices without being pardoned by Congress.

Native Americans were excluded from citizenship.

14th Amendment continued

Congress said that all southern stated must

ratify the 14th Amendment to rejoin the Union! Of the 11 southern states, only Tennessee

ratified the 14th amendment…therefore it took a few years to make the amendment official..1868.

President Johnson actively campaigned

against his fellow Congressional Republicans! In the end, the Republicans won a solid victory

in Congress and thus they crafted their own plans for Reconstruction.

Election of 1866

It called for the new governments in the 10 southern states

that had not ratified the 14th Amendment. The 10 southern stated were divided up into 5 military

districts.. Each district was run by a military commander until new

state governments were formed. African American males were guaranteed the right to vote in

state elections. Confederate leaders were banned from holding political

office. To rejoin the Union, states had to ratify the 14th

Amendment and create new state constitutions that must be approved by Congress!

First Reconstruction Act of 1867

Five Military Districts

The 2nd Reconstruction Act stated that the

military commanders must register voters and prepare the state constitutional conventions.

Many southerners refused to participate in the elections for constitutional conventions and governments.

Many African Americans turned out to vote…

2nd Reconstruction Act of 1867

In the state elections, Republicans gained

control of southern states. By the end of 1868- 7 of the 10 states met the

requirements. By 1870- Mississippi, Virginia and Texas were

restored to the Union.

Readmission of States

President Johnson opposed the Radical

Republicans plan of Reconstruction. Congress knew that the president was

commander in chief of the army and he could give orders to the military governors in the military districts. Congress passed a series of measures to limit the president’s power.

Tenure of Office Act- President could not remove government officials- including cabinet officials without the Senate’s approval.

Johnson’s Impeachment

President Johnson suspended Sec of War

Edwin Stanton…without Senate’s approval. When the Senate came back to session, they

denied the suspension.. President Johnson removed Stanton

anyway...violating the Tenure of Office Act. House of Representatives voted to impeach

the president. Senate held a trial (it lasted almost 3 months)

…

Impeachment Continued

The Republicans in the Senate were not able

to get a 2/3rd’s majority required to convict (find guilty). The Senate was only short 1 vote!

Some Republicans in the Senate were moderate Republicans not Radicals…and thought it was more about politics than violating laws.

In the end, President Johnson remained in office to finish his term but will not run again for re-election.

Impeachment continued

Republicans nominated Ulysses S. Grant and

Democrats nominated Horatio Seymour. Grant received most of the African American

votes in the South and won the presidency.

Presidential Election of 1868

It prohibits the state and federal governments

from denying the right to vote to any male citizen because of race, color or previous condition of servitude.

It was ratified in 1870

15th Amendment

While Grant was president, many Northerners

lost interest in Reconstruction. …it was time for Southerners to solve their own problems, many of the Radical Republican leaders were dying or retiring, and their were feelings of racial prejudices in the North.

Reconstruction Ends

President Grant had some scandals during his

administration…which hurt the Republican party. One group called themselves Liberal Republicans

nominated Horace Greeley to run against Grant in the election of1 872….Grant won re-election though.

1872- Liberal Republicans helped pass the Amnesty Act. It pardoned most former Confederates…..nearly all white Southerners could vote and hold office again.

Amnesty changed the political balance in the South: restoring full rights to those who supported the Democratic Party.

Reconstruction Ends

In state elections, Democrats started to regain

control of state governments. Many African American voters were terrorized

because they voted for Republicans so the KKK terrorized them so they wouldn’t vote and the Democrats took control.

Democrats start to regain control

Most Republicans did not want Grant to run for

a 3rd term and instead nominated Rutherford B. Hays from Ohio, a moderate Republican instead. Democrats nominated Sam Tilden from New York.

Possible Corruption? It first appeared that Tilden won the election but in 4 states there were disputed returns…representing 20 electoral votes.

Tilden needed just one more EC vote and if Hayes won all 20 EC votes, Hays would win!

Election of 1876

Congress created a special commission to

solve this election crisis. It consisted of 7 Republicans, 7 Democrats and 1 Independent.

The Independent resigned and a Republican took his place…the commission voted 8 to 7 to award Hays all 20 EC votes…it followed party lines.

Election continued

Democrats in Congress were UPSET with the

Commission’s results.. So Republicans and Southern Democrats met

in secret to come up with an agreement/compromise

Compromise said that Hayes won the presidency, the South would receive more aid $ from the government and Republicans would remove all remaining troops from Southern states. Democrats promised to maintain African American rights.

Compromise of 1877

Pres. Hayes said in his Inaugural Address that

“what the South needed most was the restoration of wise, honest and peaceful local self-government.”

Hayes traveled to Southern States as a goodwill gesture and said that Southerners would handle racial issues…meaning Reconstruction had ended

Hayes Policy for Reconstruction

Forward looking Southerners believed that the

South must develop a strong industrial economy.

They argued that the South lost the Civil War because its industry did not match the North’s.

Industries were based on coal, iron, tobacco, cotton, lumber and textiles.

“New South”

All of the following are examples of how Southern

Democrats limited rights of African Americans. Poll Tax: a fee had to be paid in order to vote. Many

African Americans could not afford the fee, therefore they could not vote…also hurt poor white males in the South too who couldn’t afford the fee to vote.

Literacy Test: Votes had to read and explain difficult parts of state constitutions or the federal Constitution. Since most African Americans were not educated, they could not vote. Poor whites were also prevented from voting because they were uneducated too!

Southern Democrats limit the Rights of African Americans

Grandfather Clause: allowed those who could

not pass the literacy tests to vote if there father or grandfather could have voted before Reconstruction. Since African Americans were not allowed to vote until 1867- they were excluded.

By the end of the 1800’s- African Americans voting declined due to restrictive laws and threats of violence.

Continued

Southern states passed laws that legally

separated blacks and whites in all public places (schools, libraries, hospitals etc.)

The Supreme Court even said that this was legal!

Jim Crow Laws

In 1896- Louisiana had laws requiring separate

sections of trains for African Americans. The Supreme Court said that separate facilities are legal as long as the facilities are equal.

PROBLEM: they were not equal facilities! Southern states spent much more money on schools for whites than African Americans.

Separate but equal doctrine will last for 50 years until 1954 case Brown v Board of education of Topeka Kansas.

Plessy v. Ferguson

In the end, Reconstruction did help rebuild the

South and its economy. Much of the South remained poor and primarily

agricultural. For a brief time, African Americans gained freedom

and equality and created their own institutions…but then Southern Democrats regained control of the South and rights were trampled on.

“The slave went free, stood a brief moment in the sun, then moved back again toward slavery.” -W.E.B. Du Bois

Conclusion