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Download Reconstruction 1865 – 1876: Reconstruction – postwar reunification
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Transcript
Reconstruction 1865 – 1876: Reconstruction – postwar reunification “Freedmen” = free slaves They wanted: - Right to vote - Access to education - Land of their masters Their idea of colonization is relocating the whites. They maintained the land and made it valuable, not their masters. Favored by Reid, the author: - He talks about how polite, refined, well-dressed, and industrious they are - He’s astonished that whites demand their constitutional rights back - He’s impressed by the freedmen’s education – they’re literate and have accumulated property. - The whites are lazy and overly-demanding Chase is skeptical of enfranchising freedmen He is afraid it will raise the number of ignorant voters. They’ll be tricked into voting for the people their masters vote for. - He’s particularly afraid of field hands being ignorant. Blacks responded: they will educate the ignorant - The Union League read newspapers aloud to inform blacks about candidates Whites in Savannah They wanted: - The restoration of all rights - Rejection of social equality - Apprenticeship of freedmen so they’d basically remain field hands - State legislatures to make decisions about the status of freedmen, not the federal government Lincoln’s Plan Offered during the war in an effort to weaken the Confederate war effort Disliked by radical republicans Only in effect in 3 states with Union control (LA, TN, AR) In Louisiana, sugar planters controlled the state government before and after the war They decided on using annual labor contracts that provided room and board for freedmen, but only gave them 5% of the crop profit and only paid them at the end of the year They also passed a vagrancy law that required people to get a job, or otherwise get arrested. Criticism: Congress doesn’t like this because it’s too much like slavery Johnson’s Plan In effect in 8 states after the war The Black Codes were a consequence of the state decision on labor to replace slavery. The Black Codes were state laws that: - Forbid slaves from buying and renting land - Required buying a license to open a business - Passed vagrancy laws that made unemployment illegal - They basically limited their options to funnel freedmen back to annual labor contracts White men voted and drew up a Constitution and ratified the 13th amendment. Congress was horrified when Confederate leaders asked to join, and refused. Radical and moderate republicans liked it initially, but after they see the aftermath, they rejected it. Lincoln’s plan (1863) (3 States) Johnson’s plan (1865) (8 States) Congressional legislation (1866-1870) Would confederates be punished? Lenient Stricter 14th Amendment General pardon for most if 10% of voters took an oath of loyalty in a state and the state ratified the 13th amendment General pardon for all except high-ranking officers if state took the loyalty oath Reconstruction Act (disenfranchisement; military rule) What kind of labor would replace slavery? Not stated; vague States decide Resulted in annual labor contracts Resulted in Black Codes which led to annual labor contracts Civil Rights Act: freedmen can sue, own/rent land, own a business 14th Amendment What rights would the freed slaves be given? Not stated; vague The worst political tension in U.S. History Johnson vs. Congress States decide 14th Amendment Resulted in no rights being given Reconstruction Act (enfranchise black men and ratify the 14th to reenter Union) - Johnson = conservative republican who was originally a Democrat but changed parties. His sympathies were not with the slaves. Congress = moderate and radical republicans - 14th Amendment It was passed by Congress vetoed by Johnson who thought states should decide overruled by Congress Repudiated the Dred Scot decision which said that blacks weren’t citizens Repudiated the Black Codes Guaranteed blacks equal protection under law, rights of life, liberty, and happiness, due process in court trials – similar to the Civil Rights Act - But an amendment is more permanent than a law Shift in the view of federal government and shift in the balance of power: - In the 10th Amendment: the villain was the federal government and was seen as a threat. In this time period (1780s) there was a fear of tyranny. - In the 14th Amendment: the villain was the states who were taking away the rights of Voting: - Enfranchising black men and connecting citizenship with voting - Defining who can vote: all men over 21 - The federal government is defining who can vote for the 1st time shift in power (before=states decided) - States can disenfranchise them, but will have less representation in Congress Punishment: Confederates can’t be Senators or Representatives in the House, or Electors unless Congress votes otherwise 1st words to be used in the Constitution: - “equal” = guarantees all persons equal protection (involves all cases of discrimination) - “male” = denies suffrage to women even though they had fought for it Reconstruction Act Starting over: canceled Lincoln and Johnson’s Plan Established military rule in Southern States - Generals’ primary task = register voters, set up state governments, enfranchise black men, and ratify the 14th amendment in each state state can then reenter the Union Brought black political participation - Black men could vote to create the new state governments. Blacks elected black officers: - Local= sheriffs, magistrates (600 to legislatures); National = Congress (16 to Congress) - Unprecedented – no other country immediately enfranchised slaves Who voted republican in the South? - Freedmen, scalawags (=Southerners who switched from Democrat to the Republican), and carpetbaggers (=Northerners who came down to the South) - Disenfranchised Confederates Republicans: - Taxed land Spent revenue on 1st public school system in the South and public building projects (hospitals, railroads, etc.) Southerners saw these governments as corrupt and illegitimate because they didn’t represent interests of white Southerners Impeachment Impeachment means to be accused of charges Who can be impeached: President, Vice President, all Civil Officers of the U.S. (NOT Congress) - A person can be impeached for conviction of treason, bribery, or other severe crimes House of Representatives has the power to impeach After the House impeaches someone, the Senate conducts a trial to determine whether the impeached president is guilty of the charges In order to be removed from office, the person must be convicted as guilty by the Senate Only 2 presidents have been impeached: 1) Johnson: - Accused for breaking Tenure of Office Act (=the president can’t fire any official chose by Congress without the Senate’s approval). Congress passed this act because they feared Johnson would fire Edwin Stanton, the Secretary of War who sympathized with moderate republicans - Impeached, not convicted – not removed - 2/3 vote: need 36 votes, and the final was 35:19 - Why? The evidence wasn’t serious enough and there was a fear of permanently weakening the presidency 2) Clinton - Impeached, not convicted – not removed - Accused of lying under oath Consequences of impeachment (but not removal): it’s humiliating, weakens their power, and is a distraction