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The Reconstruction Era(1865-1877)Think about: What lasting consequences arose from the struggles over Reconstruction?

Charleston, SC after the Civil War. What does this picture represent? Focus Question: How did the Radical Republicans plans for Reconstruction differ from Lincolns and Johnsons?PROBLEMS:At the end of the Civil War, parts of the South lay in ruins homes were burned, businesses closed, and property abandonedAfrican Americans even though emancipated, lacked full citizenship and the means to make a livingFederal government struggled with how to return the Southern states back to the Union, give rights to African Americans, and rebuild the South

Section 1: Rival Plans for ReconstructionHow Will the Southern States Rejoin the Union?One important issue, deciding the political fate of the Confederate states.Many questions arose as to what should be doneThe Constitution provided no guidance on succession or readmission of states. Some argued that it should be done simply and quicklyOthers thought the Southern states should satisfy certain stipulations

Between 1860 & 1870, the Souths share of the economy fell from 30% to 12%The Union army had destroyed factories, plantations, and railroads.Nearly of the Regions livestock and farm equipment was gone. of Southern white men between 20 and 40 had died in the war.More than 3 million newly freed African Americans were now without homes and jobs.Arguments also rose over who should control the Souths only valuable asset Land.How Will the Southern Economy Be Rebuilt?

Proposed that millions of acres abandoned by planters or taken by the federal government should be given to former slaves.Forty acres and a muleMany northerners agreed and thought this was the answer to restoring the Souths productivity, economy, and provide employment and income to former slaves

Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman

Southern landowners rejected the idea that the government could just give away their land.Many white Northerners thought that this violated the Constitution.Even some Southern African Americans thought that the white landowners should be compensated for their land, and then be able to sell it offNot Everyone Agreed

13th Amendment -- Abolishes slavery and involuntary servitude13th granted freedom, but did not grant privileges of full citizenshipThe dominating Republican Party supported programs to extend these rights to former slavesMost white Southerners opposed the idea because it would undermine their own power and status in societyWhat Rights Will African Americans Have?

The Presidents first major goal was to reunify the UnionIn 1863, he issued a Proclamation of Amnesty and Reconstruction known as the Ten Percent PlanThe plan stated that as soon as 10% of a states voters took a loyalty of oath to the Union, the state could set up a new governmentAlso, if the states constitution abolished slavery and provided education for African Americans, the state would regain representation in CongressLincolns Course

Lincoln was also generous in other ways to white southerners.He was willing to grant pardons to former Confederates, and considered compensating them for lost property.Lincoln did not require a guarantee of social and political equality for African Americans.Lincolns Course (cont.)

Members of Lincolns own party (Rep.) opposed the plan Radical Republicans, led by Representative Thaddeus Stevens and Senator Charles Sumner, in Congress insisted that the Confederates had committed crimes (?)The Radical Republicans advocated full citizenship for African Americans, including the right to voteThey favored punishment and harsh crimes for the South, and supported Gen. Shermans 40 acres and a mule plan.Radicals Oppose the Ten Percent Plan

Thaddeus StevensCharles SumnerRejecting Lincolns Ten Percent Plan, Congress passed the Wade-Davis Bill in 1864It required that a majority of a states prewar voters swear loyalty to the Union before the restoration process could begin.The bill also demanded guarantees of African American equalityPresident Lincoln killed this plan with a pocket veto by withholding his signature beyond the 10-day deadline at the end of the congressional session.Wade-Davis Bill

Davis (left); Wade (right)One Radical Republican plan did receive Lincolns supportThe Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands known as the Freedmens Bureau Its goal was to provide food, clothing, healthcare, and education for both black and white refugees in the South.It helped reunite families separated by slavery and warIt also negotiated fair labor contracts between former slaves and white landownersAnd by representing African Americans in court, it established a precedent that black citizens had legal rights.Efforts were continued until 1872.Government Aids Freedmen

Lincoln was assassinated on Good Friday, April 14, 1865, just 5 weeks after his 2nd inaugural addressLincoln was the first American president to be assassinatedThe assassination of Lincoln was planned and carried out by the well-known stage actor John Wilkes Booth, as part of a larger conspiracy in a bid to revive the Confederate cause.Lincolns Assassination

Lincolns VP, became President after Lincolns assassinationDid not have formal schoolingBecame a skilled public speakerEntered Tennessee politics as a DemocratWhen TN seceded in 1861, Johnson was the only southern senator who refused to join the ConfederacyLincoln appointed him military governor in 1862, hoping to attract Democratic votersChosen as VP in 1864

Andrew Johnson Becomes President

Like Lincoln, Johnson wanted to restore the political status of the southern states as quickly as possibleHe offered pardons and the restoration of land to almost any Confederate who swore allegiance to the Union and the Constitution.His main requirement was that each state ratify the 13th Amendment and draft a constitution that abolished slaveryJohnsons Reconstruction Plan

However, Johnson resented wealthy planters and required that they and other Confederate leaders apply for pardon by writing him personallyHe also did not desire to elevate African Americans and did not want them to have the right to vote and showed them little sympathyBelieved in government for white men.

Johnsons Reconstruction Plan (cont.)

Johnson supported states rights, which would allow the laws and customs of the state to outweigh federal regulations.This would limit freedoms to former slavesHow did Johnsons attitude toward African Americans affect his approach to Reconstruction?Johnsons Reconstruction Plan (cont.)

Southern leaders proceeded to rebuild their prewar worldMany states limited the right to vote to white men.All of the states instituted black codes laws that sought to limit the rights of African Americans and keep them as landless workersThe codes required African Americans to work only in a limited number of occupations, most often servants or farm laborers.Southerners Aim to Restore Old Ways

Some states prohibited African Americans from owning land, and all set up vagrancy laws Vagrancy laws stipulated that any black person who did not have a job could be arrested and sent to work as prison labor.Even though the South remained under Union military occupation, white southerners openly used violence and intimidation to enforce black codes.Southerners Aim to Restore Old Ways (cont.)

Both Radical and moderate Republicans were mad about the Souths disregard of the spirit of ReconstructionSouthern representatives were denied their seats by Congress in Washington D.C.Congress also created a committee to investigate the treatment of former slavesCongress Fights Back

While the Radicals claimed that federal intervention was needed to advance African Americans rights, President Johnson accused them of trying to Africanize the southern half of our country.When Congress passed a bill to allow the Freedmens Bureau to continue its work and provide it authority to punish officials who failed to extend rights to African Americans, President Johnson vetoed it.Political Situation Grew Worse

Created to try to overturn the black codesCreated federal guarantees of civil rights and superseded any state laws that limited them.Once again, Johnson used his veto power to block the law.Johnson was now openly defying CongressCivil Rights Act of 1866

As violence against African Americans increased in the South, both moderate and Radical Republicans blamed it on the lawlessness and leniency of Johnsons policiesCongress then did something unprecedentedFor the first time ever, Congress passed major legislation over a Presidents veto with the required two-thirds majority vote.The Civil Rights Act of 1866 became a law. Congressional Reconstruction

With their strength in Congress, Radical and moderate Republicans spent nearly a year developing a Reconstruction program They passed the 14th Amendment, which guaranteed equality under the law for all citizens.Under this Amendment, any state that refused to allow black people to vote would risk losing seats in the House of Representatives, and it counteracted the presidential pardons by barring Confederate officials from holding federal or state officesRadical Reconstruction Begins

Congress again passed legislation over Johnsons veto with the ratification of the Military Reconstruction Act of 1867.This act divided the 10 southern states that had yet to be readmitted into the Union into 5 military districts governed by former Union generals. (map)The act also outlined how each state could create their new state government and receive congressional recognition.In each state, voters were to elect delegates to write a new constitution that guaranteed suffrage for African American men.Once a state ratified the 14th Amendment, it would then re-enter the Union.Radical Reconstruction Begins (cont.)The power struggle between the President and Congress reached a crisis in 1867. To limit the Presidents power, Congress passed the Tenure of Office Act. Under its terms, the President needed Senate approval to remove certain officials from officeAfter the incident, the House voted to impeach Johnson.The trial in the Senate ended with one vote short of the required two-thirds majorityDuring the trial, Johnson promised to enforce the Reconstruction Acts.In his remaining time in office, he kept that promise.

Congress Impeaches the President

In 1868, former Union general, Ulysses S. Grant was elected PresidentIn 1869, Congress passed the 15th Amendment which forbid any state from denying suffrage on the grounds of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.Unlike before, this guarantee applied to northern and southern statesBoth the 14th and 15th Amendments were ratified by 1870, but contained loopholes for evasion.States could still impose voting regulations based on literacy and property qualifications which still would exclude most African Americans.15th Amendment

Ulysses S. GrantDid southerners of various social classes experience war differently?Why did the federal government have difficulty in formulating its Reconstruction policies?How did the Souths share of the nations wealth change from 1860 to 1870?How did the Radical Republicans plans for Reconstruction differ from Lincolns and Johnsons?What made Thaddeus Stevens, Charles Sumner, and their followers radical?What was Lincolns Ten Percent Plan?How did the Wade-Davis Bill differ from the Ten Percent Plan?Why did Lincoln support the Freedmens Bureau while rejecting other initiatives of the Radical Republicans?QuestionsWhen was Lincoln assassinated and who succeeded him as President?How did the southern states try to reestablish conditions before the war?How did Johnsons attitude toward African Americans affect his approach to Reconstruction?How did the 14th Amendment penalize states that refused to allow citizens the right to vote?QuestionsAlmost 1500 black men some born free and some freed slaves helped bring the Republican Party to the SouthNew black citizens served the South as school superintendents, sheriffs, mayors, coroners, police chiefs, and state representatives6 served as lieutenant governors2 state legislatures (MS, SC) had black Speakers of the HouseBetween 1870 & 1877 2 African American senators and 14 African American congressmen served in the U.S. Congress.Millions of southern African Americans were now voters.Section 2: Reconstruction in the South

Since the Radical Republicans required a loyalty oath, many white southerners were now not eligible to voteMany chose to stay away from the electionsBlack men lined up to use their new right of suffrageBy 1868, many southern states had both black officials and a strong Republican PartySC (the state that started the Civil War) became the one state where a black majority ruled the legislatureReconstruction in the South

Scalawags a white Southerner who supported Republican policy during Reconstruction, often for personal gain. (?)Found allies in northern white or black men who relocated in the SouthMany southern whites resented this invasion of people seeking opportunitySoutherners called these men carpetbaggers after the cheap carpet suitcases they carried

Scalawags & Carpetbaggers

New land to be purchasedNew career opportunitiesComparable to Westward Expansion Offered northern women (white and black) opportunities in medical facilities, orphanages, and other relief agenciesWomen also participated in the shaping of a public school system

Opportunities

Public schools grew slowlyOnly half of the southern children attended by the end of the 1870sExpensiveSoutherners opted for segregation operating two school systems severely strained the economyRadical Republicans suggested integration unpopular with most RepublicansConsidered a major Reconstruction success

Schools System

34Many southerners remained illiterateQuality of medical care, housing, and economic production was far behind the NorthLegal protection for blacks was limitedRacial violence remained a problemSouths Challenges

New reality political offices were now a road to wealth and powerPeople everywhere were willing to bribe politicians in order to gain access to things like loans or contractsDeveloping railroads attracted corruptionAcross the Country

Building railroads had two big advantages created jobs and provided a means to transport goods to expanded marketsMany states gave public land or loans to the railroad speculatorsSouthern leaders found that a number of their loans were stolen or mismanagedFewer resources and less expertise than Northern counterpartsNorth defaulted also thoughRailroads

As long as the shadow of the great house falls across you, you aint going to feel like no free man and no free woman.For the first time, black men and women could legalize and celebrate their marriages, create homes for their families, and choose where they would live.Still limited by black codes on where they could workFreed People Build New Communities

Many blacks headed south where they could develop churches and schoolsHoped to find workSkilled men as carpenters, blacksmiths, cooks, servantsWomen often worked in childcare or domestic workStill sometimes settled for substandard housing and poor food in exchange for hard laborIf settled in rural areas worked in lumbering, railroad building or farming for whites or blacks and were usually also poorFreed People Build New Communities

Freed people quickly realized the value of learning to read and do basic arithmeticFreedmens Bureau schools filled quickly 150,000 students (adult & children) by 1866 and quickly grewFB also aided black colleges and encouraged churches and organizations to support schoolsTaught basics and skills like health, nutrition, and how to look for a job

Schools

Black church was an important component of educationEstablished throughout the South and often served as schools, community centers, employment agencies, and political rallying sitesHelped develop black leadersA number of black politicians began their careers as ministersChurches

Many of Souths problems resulted from an uneven distribution of landAg region wealth determined by landownership1860, wealthiest 5% owned almost half of Regions landBefore war had a large number of white citizens with no landPostwar many white and black people were now competing for land and jobsRemaking the Southern EconomyLarge land owners had little or no money to purchase supplies or pay workersMany southerners adopted one of three arrangementsSharecroppingShare-tenancyTenant-farmingSystems For Sharing the Land

Could be done without cashHelped most of the Souths black and white poorHow it worked: a landowner dictated the crop and provided the sharecropper with a place to live, seeds and tools in return for a share of the harvested cropLandowners often bought these supplies on credit with high interest and this cost was passed down to the sharecropperSharecroppers were in debt to landowners; landowners were in debt to supplierSharecropping

Could be done without cashHelped most of the Souths black and white poorSimilar to sharecroppingThe farmworker chose what crop he would plant and bought his own suppliesThe farmworker then gave a share of the crop to the landownerFarmworker had more control and could grow food for his family Able to save more moneyShare-tenancy

Most independent arrangement for farmer and landownerThe tenant paid cash rent to landowner and then was free to choose and manage his own cropFree to choose where he could liveOnly viable for a farmer who had good money management skillsTenant Farming

KKK Formed in TN in 1866, mostly in the SouthRacial violence eventually spread through the north and southArkansas legislators were murderedNew Orleans riots

Violence

Congressional response to violenceAlso known as KKK Acts1870 & 1871Made it a federal offense to interfere with a citizens right to voteCongress held hearing asking black politicians and other observers to describe the situation in the southBut also present in northHundreds were indicted because of acts and violence declinedEnforcement ActsWhat were the immediate effects of Reconstruction?How did southern literacy rates benefit carpetbaggers?How did Reconstruction affect women?How did the school system in the south represent the successes and failures of Reconstruction?Why might the south have less financial expertise than the north?What new groups were active in politics under Republican government?How did the South's African American population change after the war?QuestionsWhat institutions helped promote education in African American communities?Why were schools and churches important to freed people?What was the distribution of land in the south?Which of the three systems for sharing land described offered the most independent arrangement for the farmer and landowner?When and where did the white southerners organize the Ku Klux Klan?How did the federal government respond to the acts that the Klan committed?QuestionsNortherners came to realize what many in the South already knew rebuilding the politics, economy, and society of the South would not be easy or happen quicklyFocus had been on the North and South for nearly 2 decadesNew issues now needed attentionEuropean ImmigrationCorruption in politicsGrowth of IndustryEnd of Reconstruction

Popular war hero disappointing PresidentRadical Republican Promised to take a strong stand against the southern resistance to ReconstructionHis ability to lead was overshadowed by scandal

Corruption in Grants Administration

He gave high-level advisory positions to untrustworthy friends and acquaintances who used their positions to line their own pocketsVP was investigated and implicated in a scheme to steal profits from Union Pacific RailroadsGrant ran for re-election in 1872 and easily wonNot long after, greed surrounded American politicsCorruption in Grants Administration

Now scandal involved Grants private secretary, the Secretary of War, and member of Congress Grant ignoredPublic approval plummetedLocal scandals also came to lightMost notorious NYC Democrats led by Senator William Boss Tweed Tweed Ring plundered millions of $$ from the citys treasuryCorruption and Scandal

Fall 1873 one of nations most prominent banks failed b/c of overextending loans to the railroad industryAcross country bank failures, job losses, uncertain economyLed to DepressionEconomic Panic

Voters and politicians (outside the South) were focused on more pressing issues reforming politics and the economyThe continued costs of military operations in the South had people worriedBeginning in 1871 troops were withdrawn from the South1872 the Freedmens Bureau was dissolvedNorthern prejudice reemergedNorthern Support Evaporates

13th, 14th, & 15th Amendments was left to the courts to interpret how they would be appliedCases:Slaughterhouse Cases (1873) restricted the 14th stated that though a citizen had national rights, the federal government would have no control over how a state chose to define these rights.United States v. Cruikshank white mob in Louisiana killed a large group of African Americans at a political rally, court ruled that the due process and equal protection clauses of 14th protected citizens from action of the state and not action of other citizensSupreme Court DecisionsSouthern Democrats came up with a subtle strategy for suppressing black rightsCoalition to return the South to the white menUltimately agreed that racial segregation should be the rule of the new SouthCalled Redeemers described as being designed to redeem or reclaim the South from northern dominationSouthern Whites Gain Power

By 1870, VA, NC, TN had reinstated wealthy white southern men as governorsAlso sent Confederate leaders back to the United States CongressOther states soon followed1874 congressional elections Republicans lost their control over the House of RepresentativesSouthern Whites Gain Power

Election of 1876 Republican Rutherford B. Hayes and Democrat Samuel TildenTilden won 51% of popular vote and carried all southern statesRepublicans demanded a recount and found mistakes Hayes won by 1 electoral voteDemocrats then protested the resultsReconstruction Officially Ends

Rutherford B. Hayes would become the next president Under the terms of this agreement, the Democrats agreed to accept the Republican presidential electors provided the Republicans would agree to the following: To withdraw federal soldiers from their remaining positions in the South To enact federal legislation that would spur industrialization in the South To appoint Democrats to patronage positions in the South To appoint a Democrat to the presidents cabinet. Once the parties had agreed to these terms, the Electoral Commission performed its duty. The Hayes electors were selected and Hayes was named president two days before the inauguration.

Compromise of 1877AWSANWSASome people thought that the 15th Amendment could not be ratified if womens suffrage was includedWomen were supportive of African American rightsCreated because of the disagreements about the 15th AmendmentLater Colored Womens Progressive Franchise associationWomens Suffrage

Republican Party After ReconstructionState & Federal PowerOriginally the party of Lincoln, that freed slavesAfter Reconstruction party of big businessStill remains todayAmerican voters and representatives opted for a balance of power between the state and federal governments

Evaluating ReconstructionSuccessesIntroduction of school systemModernized railroads and other ports (federally funded)Souths economy expanded from one crop (cotton) to a range of agricultural and industrial productsRaised awareness for African Americans about rightsGave value and meaning of the right to voteFailuresStill bitterness between the North and SouthNo unifying desire to provide lasting protection for freed people