Download The Rebuilding Years

The Rebuilding Years – RECONSTRUCTION
SC Standards Addressed in this Powerpoint - 8.5.1: Analyze the development of Reconstruction policy and its impact in South
Carolina, including the presidential and the congressional reconstruction plans, the role of black codes, and the Freedmen’s
Bureau. 8-5.2: Describe the economic impact of Reconstruction on South Carolinians in each of the various social classes. 8-5.3:
Summarize the successes and failures of Reconstruction in South Carolina, including the creation of political, educational, and
social opportunities for African Americans; the rise of discriminatory groups; and the withdrawal of federal protection.
•The Civil War left the South in Ruin
•The War had destroyed many homes and businesses forcing the South to start from
scratch
•Former slaves, or freedmen, were left with little to build a new life
•They had no___________________________________, money or shelter
•Plantation owners were shocked to find that even their most trusted slaves had left
them
•Many of them saw this as a sign of ingratitude and _____________________________
•The condition of the freedmen became national news prompting the federal
government to start the Freedmen’s Bureau
•The Freedmen’s Bureau was established in 1865 and run by the Army
•It provided clothing, food, and medical supplies to needy _______________________
Americans
•It also helped freedmen find jobs and supervised work contracts to ensure the
illiterate blacks did not get cheated
•The Bureau also established schools and military courts
•Some were critical of the Bureau saying it provided handouts to the blacks when
actual work would have benefited them more
•Many of the Bureau’s promises were not met either
•Blacks were promised “_____________ acres and a mule”. This was not delivered
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•Before the Civil War came to an end, President Lincoln developed a plan to reunite
the nation
Lincoln’s Plan
•Reconstruction should consist of two steps:
•__________________________ the government officials of the Confederacy
•Replace them with officials who were loyal to the Union
•Lincoln’s plan also included 3 provisions:
•All high-level Confederate officials were prohibited from _______________________
•Confederates would be pardoned and given back their ___________________ if they
pledged allegiance to The United States
•When __________% of the eligible voters in a state pledge their allegiance then a
state would be allowed to write their new Constitution
•Many northerners disagreed with this plan – they felt it was too lenient (easy) on the
South
•Radical Republicans wanted to make the South pay
•On ____________________________________, Lincoln was assassinated by John
Wilkes Booth
•Booth, was a Southern Sympathizer who felt that killing Lincoln would help the
South
•As it turns out, this action actually HURT the South
•After his death his VP, Andrew Johnson, became President
•Johnson was from Tennessee, but remained in the Senate after Tennessee seceded
•Johnson supported Lincoln’s plan with a few changes:
•Planters whose property was worth $___________k+ had to appear in front of
Johnson and personally ask for their land back
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•Johnson required all Southern states to approve the 13th Amendment
•Southern states had to nullify their orders of _________________________
•Southern states could not repay individuals or institutions who helped finance the
Confederacy
•The Radical Republicans liked this plan too, but were not ready to agree with it.
The Amendments
•The 13th
•Passed in 1865
•Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the
party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject
to their jurisdiction.
•Purpose:
___________________________________________________________________________
•The 14th
•Passed in 1868
•All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof,
are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or
enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United
States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process
of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.
•Purpose: Give ________________________________ citizenship/equal protection
under the law
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•The 15th
•Passed in 1870
•The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United
States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.
•Purpose: Give black men the right to _______________________________
•These amendments were designed to bring a level of equality to society – black men
now had the same “rights” as white men. EQUALITY? Women were not included in
these amendments – they will not receive the right to vote for another 50 years
BLACK CODES
•During Reconstruction, South Carolina implemented Black Codes
•Black Codes were a series of laws designed to restrict the freedom of blacks
•Some common restrictions included:
•Not Permitted to:
•Possess Firearms
•Travel without a permit
•Appear on the streets after sunset
•Hold certain jobs
•The Black Codes were just another way to keep blacks in ________________________
Radical Republican Plan “Teaching Southern States A Lesson”
•Confederate States were divided into military districts- under command of military
Governor
•Black males could vote – others could not
•Participants in the war could ________________________hold office
•State could rejoin the Union after its Constitution was approved by Congress
•Voters had to approve Constitution
•HAD to approve the _____________th Amendment
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Reconstruction in South Carolina
•The Radical Reconstruction plan was approved in March of 1867
•SC ratified the 13th Amendment but refused to ratify the 14th
•As a result, the army took control of the state government
•The military was in charge of making sure certain changes were made in SC politics
•The primary focus was to guarantee the ________________________________ of
blacks
•Before the state would be reinstated into the Union it had to re-write its Constitution
and ratify the 14th and 15th Amendments
The Constitution of 1868
•The convention met in Charleston in January 1868 – under the military supervision
•This constitution had many parts:
•Representation was based on population alone (not population and wealth)
•Property requirements for officials was abolished and all men were given the right
to vote
•________________________ received some rights – i.e. right to own property in their
name after marriage
•Education became the responsibility of the state
•Robert Smalls (of Civil War fame) participated in the writing of this version of the
Constitution
Carpetbaggers and Scalawags
•15 of the delegates at the Convention were carpetbaggers
•Carpetbaggers - Northern Whites who moved South after the ____________________
•Southerners claimed these people came with their possession in a bag made of
carpet and….Left with trunk loads of Southern wealth!
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•Not all carpetbaggers were in the South for selfish reasons
•Many of the carpetbaggers were _____________________ and missionaries who came
down to help the African American community
•These people made a significant contribution to the education of African Americans
in the South.
•Reconstruction saw a ______________ increase in the number of schools and
universities within the state
•The first school founded by the Freedman’s Bureau was The Penn School
•The Penn School was located in St. Helena Island near Beaufort
•Several colleges also gave freedmen an opportunity for higher education
•Some include:
•Allen University in Columbia
•Benedict College in Columbia
•Claflin College in Orangeburg
•South Carolina State in Orangeburg
•Most carpetbaggers determined to build a strong Republican party in the South with
the new black voters
•Unfortunately, many blacks were mislead by the carpetbaggers who promised them
things without delivering
•Many _____________________ blamed the carpetbaggers for ruining the country for
both them AND the whites
•Southerners hated scalawags even more than carpetbaggers
•Scalawags -white southerners who did not participate in the Confederacy
•Carpetbaggers and Scalawags were two major components of the Republican party
in SC – the other was the freedmen
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•The Republican party attempted to rebuild the South by raising taxes and passing
legislation
•The ______________________ were high, but necessary, to run the government
•Despite these efforts, the federal government began losing interest in Reconstruction
•A boom in the Northern _________________________ also pulled many away from
rebuilding the South
Economic Conditions…and failures
•The Reconstruction era consisted of high taxes and big government spending
•Much of the money was used to pay for internal improvements and rebuilding
•Unfortunately, a good deal of the ________________________ also went into the
pockets of corrupt officials
•From 1865-1868 The Federal government imposed a tax on ______________________
•This was seen as a punishment to the South
•Some questioned whether or not this tax was constitutional
•In the four years the tax existed, the South paid $______________ Million dollars
•This was FAR more money than what was put back into rebuilding the South
•The high taxes increased the cost of everyday items making life hard for Southerners
Sharecropping
•After the war, planters and farmers needed laborers
•And _______________________ needed work
•Sharecropping was a form of tenant farming introduced at this time
•In this system the tenant provided the _________________________
•The landowner provided the land, housing, fuel, seed, fertilizer, tools, and animals
•The Sharecropper, in return for their labor, got about 1/3 of the crop, depending on
the agreement
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•Unfortunately this system was ________________________to the sharecroppers and
resembled slavery in many ways
•It also caused addition problems for poor ______________________ farmers, who had
never owned slaves – they were now losing work to these sharecroppers
Successes & Failures of Reconstruction
•Successes of Reconstruction
•Building of ____________________________
•Building of Railroads
•Farms were re-planted
•African Americans received some Civil Rights
•Some African Americans were given _________________________ by the Federal
Government
•Failures of Reconstruction
•Vigilante Groups were formed, creating a hostile racial environment
•________________________________________/Crop Lien system
•Falling crop prices
•Corruption in ___________________________
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