Download Chapter 16 – The Union Reconstructed

Chapter 16 – The Union Reconstructed
The Bittersweet Aftermath of War
The United States in 1865
At the end of the war, Lincoln’s official position was that the South had never left the Union
Lincoln’s opponents argued that by declaring war, the Confederacy had broken their
Constitutional ties and reverted to a territory status
The North was stronger than ever, the South lay in ruins
Hopes Among the Freed people
Blacks tested their new freedom gradually
Most freed slaves made education a priority
Many left their plantations in search of a family member who had been sold
The primary goal for these freed people was to secure jobs and land; they expected a new
economic order and some compensation for their years in slavery
The White South’s Fearful Response
The dominant emotion in the Southern post-war white community was fear of newly freed
slaves; of rape and revenge
Almost all societal norms in the South had been reversed as a result of losing the war
Southern legislatures passed “Black Codes” the first year after the war to secure white
dominance
National Reconstruction Politics
The Thirteenth Amendment
Abolished slavery and ratification was the first requirement for Southern states to rejoin the
Union
Renouncing succession, acknowledging Confederate debts, and electing new state officials and
members of Congress were other requirements.
The Fourteenth Amendment
Promised perpetual protection of the civil rights of black Americans by legally defining them as
citizens
Granted suffrage to black males in the South
Denounced by President Johnson
Acts of Reconstruction
The southern states were divided into military districts for federal administration
Congress redefined the qualifications for readmission as a state: blacks must be included in
selecting representation to create new state constitutions
The Tenure of Office Act restricted presidential appointment powers in light of Johnson’s
aggressive racism and determination to foil any reconstruction process; he became the first
president to be impeached
The Lives of Freed people
The Freedmen’s Bureau
Officially called the Bureau of Freedmen, Refugees and Abandoned Lands
Issued emergency food rations, clothes and shelter for the homeless victims of the war
Tasked with an extensive education program for the freed slaves
Served as an early employment agency for African Americans
Economic Freedom
The failure of Congress to provide 40 acres and a mule for the freedmen resulted in a new
economic dependency on their former masters
Land ownership consolidated into huge holdings and concentrated on one cash crop, usually
cotton
African American signed work contracts with white landowners to toil under the lash as if
slavery still existed