Download Radical Reconstruction

Name: ________________________________________________ Date: _____________________________ Class: ____
Radical Reconstruction
Both
Lincoln
and
Johnson
had
Congress had passed a civil rights bill and set
foreseen that the Congress would have the
up a new Freedmen's Bureau – both designed
right to deny Southern legislators seats in the
to prevent racial discrimination by Southern
U.S. Senate or House of Representatives,
legislatures. Following this, the Congress
under the clause of the Constitution that says,
passed
"Each house shall be the judge of the ...
Constitution, stating that "all persons born or
qualifications of its own members." This
naturalized in the United States, and subject
came to pass when, under the leadership of
to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the
Thaddeus Stevens, those congressmen called
United States and of the State wherein they
"Radical Republicans," who were wary of a
reside."
quick and easy "reconstruction," refused to
ruling, which had denied slaves their right of
seat newly elected Southern senators and
citizenship.
a
14th
Amendment
to
the
This repudiated the Dred Scott
representatives. Within the next few months,
Congress proceeded to work out a plan for
2. Describe the 14th Amendment.
the reconstruction of the South quite
________________________________________________
different from the one Lincoln had started
________________________________________________
and Johnson had continued.
________________________________________________
________________________________________________
1. Who led the Radical Republicans?
________________________________________________
a. Abraham Lincoln
________________________________________________
b. Andrew Johnson
________________________________________________
c. Thaddeus Stevens
________________________________________________
d. Ulysses S. Grant
________________________________________________
________________________________________________
Wide
public
support
gradually
________________________________________________
developed for those members of Congress
________________________________________________
who believed that African Americans should
________________________________________________
be given full citizenship. By July 1866,
________________________________________________
Free K-12 Worksheets and More
www.STUDENTHANDOUTS.com
Name: ________________________________________________ Date: _____________________________ Class: ____
All the Southern state legislatures,
reestablish slavery and repudiate the hard-
with the exception of Tennessee, refused to
won Union victory in the Civil War. It did not
ratify the amendment, some voting against it
help that Johnson, although a Unionist, was a
unanimously. In addition, Southern state
Southern Democrat with an addiction to
legislatures passed "codes" to regulate the
intemperate rhetoric and an aversion to
African-American
codes
political compromise. Republicans swept the
differed from state to state, but some
congressional elections of 1866. Firmly in
provisions were common. African Americans
power, the Radicals imposed their own vision
were required to enter into annual labor
of Reconstruction.
freedmen.
The
contracts, with penalties imposed in case of
In the Reconstruction Act of March
violation; dependent children were subject to
1867, Congress, ignoring the governments
compulsory apprenticeship and corporal
that had been established in the Southern
punishments by masters; vagrants could be
states, divided the South into five military
sold into private service if they could not pay
districts, each administered by a Union
severe fines.
general.
Escape from permanent military
government was open to those states that
3. Describe the “codes” passed by Southern
established civil governments, ratified the
state legislatures to regulate the African-
14th Amendment, and adopted African-
American freedmen.
American suffrage.
________________________________________________
Confederacy who had not taken oaths of
________________________________________________
loyalty to the United States generally could
________________________________________________
not vote. The 14th Amendment was ratified
________________________________________________
in 1868. The 15th Amendment, passed by
________________________________________________
Congress the following year and ratified in
________________________________________________
1870 by state legislatures, provided that "The
________________________________________________
right of citizens of the United States to vote
________________________________________________
shall not be denied or abridged by the United
________________________________________________
States or any state on account of race, color,
________________________________________________
or previous condition of servitude."
Supporters of the
________________________________________________
________________________________________________
4. Summarize the Reconstruction Act of
March, 1867.
Many Northerners interpreted the
Southern
response
as
an
attempt
Free K-12 Worksheets and More
to
________________________________________________
________________________________________________
www.STUDENTHANDOUTS.com
Name: ________________________________________________ Date: _____________________________ Class: ____
________________________________________________
American history, impeachment proceedings
________________________________________________
were instituted to remove the president from
________________________________________________
office.
________________________________________________
Johnson's
main
offense
was
his
________________________________________________
opposition to punitive congressional policies
________________________________________________
and the violent language he used in criticizing
________________________________________________
them. The most serious legal charge his
________________________________________________
enemies could level against him was that,
________________________________________________
despite the Tenure of Office Act (which
________________________________________________
required Senate approval for the removal of
any officeholder the Senate had previously
5. Describe the 15th Amendment.
confirmed), he had removed from his Cabinet
________________________________________________
the secretary of war, a staunch supporter of
________________________________________________
the Congress. When the impeachment trial
________________________________________________
was held in the Senate, it was proved that
________________________________________________
Johnson was technically within his rights in
________________________________________________
removing the Cabinet member. Even more
________________________________________________
important, it was pointed out that a
________________________________________________
dangerous precedent would be set if the
________________________________________________
Congress were to remove a president
________________________________________________
because he disagreed with the majority of its
________________________________________________
members. The final vote was one short of the
________________________________________________
two-thirds required for conviction.
________________________________________________
________________________________________________
6. Why were impeachment proceedings
instituted to remove President Andrew
The Radical Republicans in Congress
Johnson?
were infuriated by President Johnson's
________________________________________________
vetoes (even though they were overridden)
________________________________________________
of legislation protecting newly freed African
________________________________________________
Americans and punishing former Confederate
________________________________________________
leaders by depriving them of the right to hold
________________________________________________
office. Congressional antipathy to Johnson
________________________________________________
was so great that, for the first time in
________________________________________________
Free K-12 Worksheets and More
www.STUDENTHANDOUTS.com
Name: ________________________________________________ Date: _____________________________ Class: ____
________________________________________________
8. Define the term carpetbagger.
________________________________________________
________________________________________________
________________________________________________
________________________________________________
________________________________________________
________________________________________________
________________________________________________
________________________________________________
________________________________________________
Many Southern whites, their political
Johnson continued in office until his
and social dominance threatened, turned to
term expired in 1869, but Congress had
illegal means to prevent African Americans
established an ascendancy that would endure
from gaining equality. Violence against
for the rest of the century. The Republican
African
victor in the presidential election of 1868,
organizations as the Ku Klux Klan became
former Union general Ulysses S. Grant, would
more and more frequent. Increasing disorder
enforce the reconstruction policies the
led to the passage of Enforcement Acts in
Radicals had initiated.
1870 and 1871, severely punishing those
Americans
by
such
extra-legal
who attempted to deprive the African7. Who won the presidential election of
American freedmen of their civil rights.
1868?
________________________________________________
________________________________________________
9. Why were the Enforcement Acts passed in
1870 and 1871?
________________________________________________
By
had
________________________________________________
readmitted the majority of the former
________________________________________________
Confederate states back into the Union. In
________________________________________________
many of these reconstructed states, the
________________________________________________
majority of the governors, representatives,
________________________________________________
and senators were Northern men – so-called
________________________________________________
carpetbaggers – who had gone South after
________________________________________________
the war to make their political fortunes, often
________________________________________________
in
African
________________________________________________
Americans. In the legislatures of Louisiana
________________________________________________
and South Carolina, African
________________________________________________
alliance
June
with
1868,
newly
Congress
freed
Americans
actually gained a majority of the seats.
Free K-12 Worksheets and More
________________________________________________
www.STUDENTHANDOUTS.com