Download Reconstruction and Segregation

Reconstruction and Segregation
After the Civil War, Georgia and the rest of the South went through a period of
Reconstruction. This involved political and economic changes that were resisted across
the South. Also during this time, the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments were passed,
giving African-Americans more civil rights.
Reconstruction in Politics
After the Civil War, President Lincoln proposed a Reconstruction of the South. His
plan, known as the 10% plan, allowed a Southern state to rejoin the Union once 10% of
its voters took a loyalty oath to the Union and promised to support the Emancipation
Proclamation.
Also during Reconstruction, three amendments were passed. The 13th Amendment, in
1865, made slavery illegal in the U.S. The 14th Amendment, in 1866, granted citizenship
and civil liberties protection to freed slaves. The 15th Amendment gave the right to vote
to all men "regardless of race, color or previous condition of servitude." Many Southern
states refused to ratify these amendments, and created "Black Codes," laws that restricted
the rights of African-Americans. These codes varied from state to state. Southern states
also began voting only for Democrats, in order to decrease the number of AfricanAmerican and Republican legislators. By 1877, Georgia political offices were all held by
Democrats.
Reconstruction in Economics and Society
The South's economy was in ruins after the Civil War. Plantation and farm owners
could no longer rely on free labor to help bring in the crops. Freed slaves had no skills
other than farming. Sharecropping allowed plantation owners to retain their labor, by
giving up farmland and using slave-housing, and gave slaves a chance to make a living
by paying rent through a share of crops grown on the land. The Freedmen's Bureau was
created to help get freed slaves an education.
Three other groups also became a part of the South's economy and society. Scalawags
were former Southern Democrats turned Republicans. The name was given to them by
Southern Democrats. Carpetbaggers were Northern businessmen and politicians who
came to the South to ensure federal laws were followed. Southerners saw them as
profiting from their misfortunes after the war. Finally, the Ku Klux Klan was a loosely
organized group of Southerners against the Republican Party. Their goals included white
supremacy and the political defeat of the Republican Party.
Reconstruction and Segregation
After the Civil War, Southern Democrats in Georgia and other Southern states fought for
a one-party political system.
Southern Democrats in Georgia were unhappy with the Reconstruction efforts in the
South. Arguments were held over the 14th Amendment, giving slaves the right to hold
position in government and other civil rights. Conservative white Democrats fought the
14th Amendment and removed all black legislators from the government in 1868. By
1877, white Democrats were in full control of the government.
In Georgia, the one-party system nearly guaranteed only Democratic candidates would
win political races. Between 1872 and 2003, Georgians only elected Democratic
governors, and Democrats held most of the seats in the General Assembly.
Reconstruction and Segregation
Georgia, along with other Southern states, used legal and illegal means to enforce
segregation of the races in social and political situations. Some of these included Jim
Crow laws, Ku Klux Klan activities, the grandfather clause, white primaries, and the
literacy test and poll tax.
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Jim Crow laws: laws created in the South after Reconstruction to keep blacks
and whites segregated in society (drinking fountains, restrooms, restaurants,
stores, etc.). Supreme Court upheld Jim Crow laws in 1896, then reversed their
position in 1954.
Ku Klux Klan: political organization of white Protestants who did not want
blacks to have political or economic freedom. Members used scare tactics to
change people's votes at the polls, and engaged in whipping and lynching blacks.
Carpetbaggers and scalawags were also harassed during Reconstruction.
Grandfather clause: law that stated if a person could prove they were from
British descent or if their ancestor had voted they did not have to pay the poll tax
or take the literacy test to vote. Blacks could not prove this and were forced to pay
the tax, which most could not afford, and take the literacy test, which most could
not pass.
White primaries: primary elections held by the Georgia Democratic party kept
out black voters. They made the primaries "white only" to keep black voters from
influencing the candidate choices.
Literacy tests and poll taxes: two ways that kept blacks from voting in the
South. Unless the grandfather clause applied, a person had to pay a tax and prove
they could read to be able to vote. The literacy test was so hard, well-educated
people could not pass the test. The poll tax was high enough that many blacks,
especially sharecroppers, could not afford to pay the tax.