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Opposition to the American Civil War wikipedia , lookup
Fifteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution wikipedia , lookup
Military history of African Americans in the American Civil War wikipedia , lookup
Carpetbagger wikipedia , lookup
Reconstruction era wikipedia , lookup
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