Download L2-recon-politics-14.. - Windsor C

Warm-up:
• Answer in brief paragraph:
• What was life like for the newly
freed African Americans?
Reconstruction
Politics
Separation of Powers
• Three branches of government
Legislative, Executive, Judicial
• Each branch has appointed
responsibilities or powers for running the
country smoothly
• The separation of powers was created
to keep any one branch from gaining
too much power
Presidential Reconstruction
• Lincoln and Johnson both wanted
basically the same thing:
o None of which included rights for
African Americans other than freedom
o Show kindness and charity to
Confederate states and get the Union
moving forward
o Wanted Southern states to ratify the 13th
Amendment to abolish slavery
Congressional Reconstruction
• Wanted African Americans to have rights
• Northern voters sympathized with the
Radicals
• Radical Republicans believed
Presidential Reconstruction was a threat
to Congressional authority
o Johnson vetoed 29 bills passed by
Congress
o Congress overrode 15 of his vetoes
Advancing Democracy Ideals &
Institutions
• 13th, 14th and 15th Amendments part of
program to ensure civil rights for African
Americans
• Freedom, Citizenship and Voting for
African Americans advance American
ideals of democracy
• Women also fought for voting rights
during Reconstruction but were still
unsuccessful.
Political Parties
• Lincoln was a Republican and Johnson
was a Democrat, but chosen as running
mate (vice-president) because he was a
Union sympathizer
• Johnson favored a government
controlled by white citizens and was very
prejudice against African Americans
o Often refused to compromise
o Did not believe in civil rights for African
Americans
Political Parties in Congress
• Most Republicans in Congress were moderates
o Wanted to restore Southern states to the Union
o Keep former Confederates out of government
o Give southern African Americans some civil equalities
but not the vote (which many Northerners agreed with)
• Race riots in Memphis and New Orleans
pulled congressional republicans together
• 1866 elections saw many Northerners voting
in “radical” republicans
• Knew strong enforcement was required to
make Reconstruction a success and knew
Johnson would not cooperate
Tenure of Office Act
• Congress passed act to protect Reconstruction
policies and Republican office holders
• Required Senate approval of a replacement
before the President could remove an
appointed official
• Johnson believed it unconstitutional and put it
to the test by removing Secretary of War Edwin
Stanton (an ally of Radicals) from office
• House of Representatives voted to impeach
Johnson because he violated the act, making
“scandalous” speeches and bringing
Congress “into disgrace”
Impeachment
• To impeach a President, House of Reps bring
charges and Senate hold hearings
• Congress brought 11 charges against Johnson,
none with any substance
• Real Congressional grievances against Johnson:
o 1) Johnson was unfair
o 2) Johnson governed poorly
o 3) Johnson tried to halt Congress’s plan for
Reconstruction
• Trial lasted 8 weeks and Johnson was
acquitted in the Senate by 1 vote short of
2/3 majority needed to convict and
remove from office
Southern Reconstruction
Governments
• Carpetbaggers-Northern Republicans (white and
African American) moved to the South to participate in
state conventions
• Scalawags-southern whites who supported the Union
cause
• Reconstruction supporters in the South formed a
Republican alliance-a party of progress and civilization
o Used political leverage to draft new state
constitutions
• Southern governments tried to improve economic
conditions by building railroads and businesses
Political Parties in
Reconstructed South
• Republican party became strong in the South
because millions of Southern African American men
began voting for the first time thanks to the 14th
Amendment
• Southern Democrats appealed to the small farmers
because they pointed out that higher taxes were
going to have to be paid to re/build roads and
schools
Re-admittance to the Union
• Once Congress approved the new state
constitutions, state legislators
o Raised taxes to finance new roads, bridges
and railroads---rebuild infrastructure
o Giving all men the right to vote found many
African Americans voting for the first time
and holding government office positions for
the first time
Election of 1868
• Radical Republicans nominated Ulysses S.
Grant for president
o Lacked political experience but was a war hero
• Democrats nominated Horatio Seymour with
running mate Francis Preston Blair who
pursued a campaign strategy based on white
supremacy
o Diminishing democratic win
• Southern Democrats relied on economic
threats to keep African Americans from voting
• Close race but Grant won because of African
Americans voting