Download Reconstruction (1865-1877)- Putting a Country Back Together

Reconstruction (1865-1877): Putting a Country Back Together
Lincoln's Plan for Reconstruction - Before the war ended, Lincoln begins to formulate plans for bringing
the South back into the Union. Constitution did not deal with this, so he had to make it up as he went. "With
malice towards none, and charity for all."
Offered Amnesty to Southerners
A full pardon to Southerners willing to take an oath of allegiance and accept federal laws regarding slavery.
Conditions of States return:
1. 10% of voters take an oath of loyalty to the union.
2. Guarantee slavery would be abolished in their state.
Radical Republican's Plan
Strongly anti-slavery and not willing to forgive the south; wanted a sweeping change in the south, felt
Lincoln was too lenient, hoped to maintain control of Congress since the Democrats from the south were not
allowed to be in Congress; also felt that Congress and not the President should decide rules for restoring the
south.
Charles Sumner wanted guaranteed political and legal equality for all blacks.
Thaddeus Stevens wanted to punish all southerners and treat south like a conquered country.
Wade Davis Bill - written in response to Lincoln's conditions; provided harsher conditions for being restored
A. Required that 50% of voters take the loyalty oath.
B. Gave political power to Southerners who remained loyal to Union during the war.
C. Insured new state constitutions would recognize freedoms of black southerners; each state should write
a new constitution that would provide blacks with rights.
Lincoln pocket vetoes it; it was within two weeks of adjournment of Congress; Lincoln is assassinated by a
southerner, which actually hurts the south, since Lincoln's plan would have allowed for a speedier and more
lenient recovery for the south.
Andrew Johnson
---Becomes President after Lincoln's assassination; a Democrat from the South who remained loyal to the
Union so Lincoln rewarded him with VP; rags to riches story.
Johnson’s Plan for Reconstruction
Follows Lincoln's more lenient model. This surprised and outraged the Radical Republicans. Before
Congress returns to session, Johnson restores lands to southerners who were pardoned.
Pardoned Southerners pass Black Codes
Black Codes Laws - Laws created to restore prewar conditions upon blacks. Examples:
A. Forbidden to posses firearms unless licensed to do so;
B. Forbidden to assemble unless white southerners were present;
C. Could not appear on streets or travel after sunset without a permit;
D. Prohibited from starting businesses;
E. Freedmen who didn’t have employment could be arrested for vagrancy. The sentence was usually to go
back and work on the former master’s plantation;
F. Forbidden to vote or hold office.
Johnson challenges Stevens and Sumner publically; claims that they are plotting an assassination attempt.
A. He vetoes bill to extend the life of the Freedmen’s Bureau
B. Encourages southern states to ignore Congress and NOT to ratify the 14th Amendment
Radical Republican's Reaction
1. Start to enact harsher laws to punish south; This period becomes known as Radical Reconstruction; RR's
use Black Codes as example of what would happen if the south was left alone.
2. Impeach President Johnson; after passing the Tenure of Office Act to limit the power of the President,
Johnson tries to fire Sec. of War Stanton (Radical Rep.); House feels his actions were unconstitutional; goes
to trial in Senate and is one vote short of removal. Rep. Senator Edmund Ross (Kansas) votes against
conviction, which ruins his political career; 4 days later U.S. Grant is nominated by the Republican Party to
run for Pres.;
Democrats do not even nominate Johnson (Horatio Seymour)
3. Said that southern states had to hold conventions to create new state constitutions that guaranteed
Freedmen the right to vote. Freedmen could be delegates to these conventions, but former Confederate
leaders could not.
4. They pass the Reconstruction Acts of 1867
A. South divided into 5 military districts
B. US Army General in control of each district
C. 200,000 US soldiers stationed throughout
Freedom under Reconstruction
1. Slaves become “Freedmen”
2. Freedman’s Bureau (1865) is set up to assist emancipated slaves in making the transition to freedom. It :
Distributed food and clothing provided by federal government to both freed slaves and poor whites
Constructed hospitals
Built schools
Taught the Freedmen to read and write
Founded colleges for blacks
Provided job training
Helped to regulate wages and working conditions
Handled legal affairs
Helped to feed and clothe the neediest southerners – black and white.
Many southerners resented Freedman’s Bureau; felt it created racial tension by encouraging slaves to hate
their former owners.
Many blacks participated enthusiastically in politics. They voted in large numbers and many ran for office.
This was not a time of vengeance against whites. Former slaves didn’t want to punish whites; they simply
wanted to be free and treated decently. No laws punishing former masters or Confederate leaders were ever
passed by African American legislators.
In only one state – South Carolina - did blacks constitute a majority in state government.
In February of 1870, Hiram Revels of Mississippi, the first African American to serve in the U.S. Senate,
takes over the seat once occupied by former Confederate president Jefferson Davis.
Reconstruction Legislation
1. 13th Amendment (1865): Prohibits (abolishes) slavery in the U.S.
2. Civil Rights Act (1866)
A. Gave citizenship and equal protection under the law to blacks
B. Johnson vetoed (felt it was too soon and that it discriminated against immigrants who might have a
better knowledge of government).
-----Congress overrode his veto for the first time ever
3. Reconstruction Acts of 1867 (mentioned above)
4. 14th Amendment (1868)
A. Prevents states from denying rights and privileges to any U.S. citizen
B. Punished states that did not comply
5. 15th Amendment (1870): Forbade states from denying the right to vote to a person due to their race, color
or previous condition of servitude.
6. Enforcement Act (1870): Empowered government to prosecute for violations of the 14th and 15th
Amendment.
New roles in the South
Carpetbaggers - Northern Republicans who moved to the South. The name came from a type of suitcase
and implied that these people hastily migrated to the region to take advantage of the political situation.
Why did the carpetbaggers go south? Some for noble reasons and others for selfish ones: to help free slaves,
to teach, to build schools, to get elected to political office, to acquire farmland, and start new businesses.
Some were crooks wanting to get in on the “spoils of war.”
Scalawags
Southern whites who became Republicans. The term means “rascals” - thought to be traitors to their race and
religion.
Sharecroppers
Usually blacks who grew crops on someone else’s land. In return for use of land and supplies, farmer would
give 1/3 to 1/2 of the crop to the landowner; they had to buy on credit with high interest rates, so they usually
in debt; some poor whites were also sharecroppers.
Tenant Farmer
Rented land with cash. Would trade crop for tools and supplies in advance of harvest; not as debt-ridden as
the typical sharecropper, but did not own the land either.
Terror As A Response
Groups such as the Ku Klux Klan, White League, and Knights of the White Camelia form to fight
reconstruction They use lynching, burning, and other violent tactics against the Freedmen, carpetbaggers,
scalawags, and anyone who attempts to help change the lives of African Americans. They also fight attack
Union soldiers on occasion and make attempts to steal weapons from federal stockpiles in the south.
The End of Reconstruction
“Compromise of 1877”
Grant’s corrupted Presidency caused a loss of power for Republicans: Credit Mobilier Scandal
(Transcontinental Railroad), Salary Grab Act, Whiskey Ring, Trading Post Scandal, etc.
Despite being elected with help of Black vote, he did little to promote blacks.
Election of 1876: Rutherford B. Hayes (R) v. Samuel Tilden (D) ; 4 states results were disputed
Disputed election goes to the House
In exchange for the end of Reconstruction, Democrats give Hayes the Presidency.
Reconstruction: Positive and Negatives
Positives:
 It did help to bring the country back together.
 It did not punish anybody in an overly harsh manner.
 Important Amendments were passed.
 Freedman’s Bureau helped blacks and poor whites.
Negatives:
 Created animosity between North and South that lasted for years.
 Fueled hatred. Led to formation of KKK.
 Not radical enough. It did not provide blacks with enough economic and political power.
 No forty acres and a mule.
 Did not alter the South’s social structure and distribution of wealth.
 After Reconstruction, most blacks had little money and no political power. Once the Union Army
was removed from the South, there was no protection against racism.