Download The Civil War (1861-1865)

The Civil War (1861-1865)
Part 3: Reconstruction
Rebuilding the Union
• From the
beginning, Lincoln
had wanted to
make the South’s
return to the
Union as easy as
possible.
Rebuilding the Union
• The process of bringing the South back into
the Union was known as Reconstruction.
Rebuilding the Union
• Unfortunately, Lincoln would never get the opportunity to see
Reconstruction through.
• On the night of April 14, 1865, Lincoln attended a play at Ford’s Theater in
Washington, DC.
The Star of the Show
• An actor named John
Wilkes Booth had been
planning to kidnap Lincoln
for months.
• He heard of the
President’s plan to attend
the play.
• His plan moved from
kidnapping to
assassination.
The Conspiracy
• Booth had co-conspirators (accomplices) who were
also supposed to assassinated the Secretary of State
and Vice-President Johnson that night. All of them
back out at the last minute
John Surrat, Confederate
Secret Service
Samuel Arnold, friend
Michael O’Laughlin, friend
David Herold, a pharmacist
Lincoln’s Dream?
• According to Lincoln
fried, lawyer Ward
Hill Lamon, Lincoln
told Lamon of a
disturbing dream he
had of his own
assassination, on
April 4th, 1865.
The Assassination of Lincoln, 1865
• Dream or not, Lincoln attended the showing of Our American
Cousin, a comedy, at Ford’s theater the night of April 14th,
1865.
The Assassination of Lincoln, 1865
• Booth attended the play as well, bringing a
single shot pistol and a hunting knife.
The Assassination of Lincoln, 1865
• Booth, familiar with both the theater and the play, timed his moves
perfectly.
• He waited for a joke that would cause the theater to erupt in laughter,
hoping the noise would muffle the sound of the shot.
The Assassination of Lincoln, 1865
• Booth jumped from the balcony, breaking his leg, but
escaped.
• Lincoln died the following day.
The Assassination of Lincoln, 1865
• Newspapers printed
wanted posters
announcing that
Lincoln was
assassinated by John
Wilkes Booth at
Ford’s Theater
The Assassination of Lincoln, 1865
• A few days later, Booth was found in a nearby
tobacco warehouse.
• He didn’t leave the building alive
The Assassination of Lincoln, 1865
• His accomplices were tried, convicted of treason, and hung.
President Johnson
• Vice-President
Andrew Johnson was
sworn in as
president.
• Without the strength
of Lincoln, the
Radical Republicans
began to control
Reconstruction
Reconstruction
• Presidential Reconstruction – bring the South
back easily
• Radical Reconstruction – punish the South
before allowing them to enter the Union
Reconstruction Amendments
• One condition for the South to reenter the
Union was to accept the 13th, 14th and 15th
Amendments to the Constitution.
1. The 13th Amendment
• Freed the slaves, ended slavery in the United
States
2. The 14th Amendment
• Former slaves became
citizens of the United
States
3. The 15th Amendment
• Gave AfricanAmerican
males the
right to vote
How you remember the amendments
Conclusion
• Reconstruction would not be complete in the
South until 1877 (12 years after the Civil War
ended.)
• The issue of race in the South has never been
resloved.
• Even today, we are still a sectional society
Conclusion
• The issue of state’s rights and sectional
differences between the North and the South
are still very real issues in the United States
• The issue of slavery has been replaced by Civil
Rights, and more recently Gay Rights.
• Even as recent as 2009, states have mentioned
secession as an option.