Download Reading #7 - Reconstruction - New Lenox School District 122

TheChallengesofReconstruction
AftertheCivilWarwasover, theUnionarmystagedtheGrand
Review,aparademadeupofthousandsofsoldiersmarchingdown
PennsylvaniaAvenuethatlastedover15hours.Farmers,factory
workers,sailors,whites,blacks,andimmigrantshadfoughtinthe
bloodywar.Losseswerestaggering:approximately618,000killed,
andmanymorewounded.Mostwhomarchedandwatchedthe
paradedidnotrealizehowmuchAmericahadchangedduringthe
war.ThomasJeffersonhaddreamedofanationoffarmersand
craftsmanworkingforthemselves,butthenewAmericawasaland
ofstoresandfactories,withpeopleworkingforemployers,andnot
forthemselves.Citiesweregrowingrapidly,andfarmersworried
thattheirsonsanddaughtersmightleavethefamilyfarmtofinda
jobinthecity.Skilledlaborhadbeenimportantbeforethewar,but
nowmachinesproducedfasterandcheaperthananyworkercould.
Southernsoldiers,halfstarvedandhalfclothed,begantofind
AndrewJohnson
theirwaybackhome.Astheywalkedpastcharredhousesandfields
overgrownwithweeds,theyjoinedtheranksofcivilianrefugeeswhowereafraidtoreturntotheirhomes.
Everythinghadbeenlost:slaves,money,property,perhapsevenanarmoraleg;thefuturelookedgrim.In
somepartsoftheSouth,bandsofarmydeserters(frombothsides)wentwherevertheywantedandtook
whatevertheywantedfromanyonetheychose.Nosheriffs,nocourts,andnojailsstoodintheirway.
Anothercasualtyofthewarwastheslavesystem.Lincoln’sEmancipationProclamationduringthewar
hadonlyfreedslavesintheConfederatestates.Theremainingslavesintheborderstateswerefreedwith
thepassageoftheThirteenthAmendment(abolishedslaveryinthenation)in1865.Theformerslaves
(nowcalledfreedmen)werebecomingthefocusofmuchattention.AbolitionistslikeThaddeusStevens
thoughtthattheyshouldbegrantedthefullrightsofanycitizen,butmanyintheNorthandSouthwerenot
readytoallowthattohappen.
“Thedayofjubilee”hadcome.Thefreedmenhadhighhopesforthefuture,buttheywerenotsure
whatthefutureheld.Thereweresomethingstheyknewtheywanted:toreunitewiththeirfamilies,toget
aneducation,andtoenjoythefruitsoffreedom.Slavemarriageshadnotbeenlegallybinding,andmany
husbandsandwiveswenttotheministertomaketheirmarriageofficial.Therewasthesearchforparents,
andchildren,whowereoftenseparatedbyhundredsofmiles.
Theyweredeterminedtogetaneducation.WhentheFreedman’sBureauandsomechurches
establishedschoolsforfreedmen,theyhadstudentsfrom5-to90-yearsold.Theseschoolsransevendaysa
week,withclassesfromearlymorningtolateatnight.TradeschoolslikeHamptonInstituteinVirginia
openedtopreparethemforskilledlaborjobs,buttherewerealsocollegesestablishedlikeHoward
UniversityinWashington,D.C.,AtlantaUniversity,andFiskUniversityinNashville.
Abolitionistscontinuedtoworryaboutthefutureofblacks.PresidentJohnsonhadopposedslaveryand
remainedloyaltotheUnion,butthiswasduetothefactthatslaverygavethesmallminorityofwealthy
slave-ownersanunfairadvantageoverpoorwhitesintheSouth.Oncehebecamepresident,Johnson
lookedtochangethatbalanceofpower.HislenientReconstructionpolicyallowedthesouthernstatesto
formnewgovernmentsafterenoughwhitecitizenssignedloyaltyoathstotheUnitedStates.These
governmentsbegantopass“BlackCodes,”lawsrestrictingwhatblackscoulddoinordertobenefitwhite
southerners.ManywhohadservedintheConfederatearmywereelectedtohighpositionsinthestates
andtotheU.S.Congress.ItseemedtomanyintheNorththattheSouthwasdefyingthem.
LedbyThaddeusStevenstheradicalRepublicansinCongressformedtheJointCommitteeon
Reconstruction,andbegantopasslawstoprotectblacks.TheypassedacivilrightsbilloverAndrew
Johnson’sveto(Republicanshada2/3majorityinCongressandcould
overridepresidentialvetoes)andthenapprovedtheFourteenth
Amendment(adopted1868).Itdeclaredthatallpersonsbornor
naturalizedintheUnitedStatestobecitizens.Thismeantthatthe
freedmenweretobegrantedcitizenshiprights.
CongressalsopassedtheReconstructionActof1867thatdivided
thesouthernstatesoftheformerConfederacyintofivemilitary
districts,eachunderthecontrolofageneral.Congressrequiredthat
thesouthernstatestakecertainstepsbeforetheywouldbe
readmittedtotheUnion.Newconstitutionalconventionsweretobe
calledineachstate,thistimeincludingblackdelegates.Thenthey
hadtowritenewstateconstitutionsthatapprovedtheFourteenth
Amendmentandgrantedvotingrightstoallmen.Newvoterlistswere
tobepreparedthatincludedblacksandtookawayvotingrightsfrom
somewhites.
ThaddeusStevens
WorkingwiththefreedmenintheSouthwerewhitescalled
carpetbaggers(NorthernerswhomovedSouthafterthewar)and
scalawags(SouthernerswhoagreedtogoalongwiththedemandsoftheradicalRepublicans– seenas
traitorstotheirracebysouthernwhites).Togethertheywrotelawsfundingrailroadconstruction,building
publicschools,andimprovinglocalgovernment;buttheirwasalsocorruptioninmanyofthestates.
ManywhitesintheSouthdidnotlikethesechangesandtriedtodosomethingaboutthem.Oneway
wastojointheKuKluxKlan.Itbeganin1865asasocialclub,butitevolvedintoawaytoscareblacksand
preventthemfromvotingforRepublicans.Wearingfrighteningcostumesorbedsheetsovertheirheads,
Klansmanrodethroughthenight,oftencommittingbrutalactswhenpunishingfreedmenandtheirwhite
supporters.
Themilitarycommandersofthesoutherndistrictswereabletoregisterover700,000freedmentovote
throughtheReconstructionAct.By1870,alltenstatesinthemilitarydistrictshadsatisfiedtherulessetup
byCongresstobereadmittedforstatehood.Butwhiteoppositionmadeitincreasinglydangerousfor
freedmentoexercisetherighttovote.
£
£ - AlthoughTennesseehadbeenpart
oftheConfederacy,itwasnotincluded
inamilitarydistrictbecausethestate
approvedtheFourteenthAmendmentin
1866andhadalreadybeenadmittedback
intotheUnion.
Source:ReadingandQuestionsadaptedfromGeorgeLee.DecisionsthatShapedAmerica1865-1976/Mark
TwainMedia,1993andPrenticeHall.America:HistoryofOurNation/PearsonEducation,Inc
Name_________________________
Challenges
1.
ApproximatelyhowmanywerekilledintheU.S.CivilWar?
2.
ExplainwhythefuturelookedgrimforthesoldiersandciviliansintheSouthaftertheCivilWar(2points)
3.
WhatdidtheEmancipationProclamationaccomplishduringthewar?
4.
WhatamendmentabolishedslaveryintheUnitedStates?
5.
Whatwereformerslavesreferredtoafterthewar?
6.
Whatdidabolitionistspushforafterthewar?
7.
Whatwerethethingsthatformerslaveswantedtodoafterthewarended?
8.
Whatorganizationssetupschoolstoeducatefreedmen?
9.
WhydidPresidentAndrewJohnsonopposeslaverybeforeandduringthewar?
10. WhatwereformerConfederatestatesunderJohnson’sReconstructionlenientplanrequiredtodoinordertoformnewstate
governments?
11. Whatdoeslenientmean?(Lookinabookoronacomputer)
12. WhatwereBlackCodes?
13. HowdidtheradicalRepublicansrespondtoJohnson’sReconstructionplan?(2points)
14. WhatdidtheFourteenthAmendmentdo?
15. WhatstepsdidtheformerConfederatestatesneedtotakeinordertobereadmittedintotheUnionundertheReconstructionActof
1867?(2points)
16. Whatwerecarpetbaggers?
17. Whatwerescalawags?
18. WhatweresomegoodthingsdoneintheSouthduringReconstruction?
19. WhatwasthemaingoaloftheKuKluxKlan?
20. Whatstateswereindistrict5?
21. Whatstateswereindistrict3?
22. AlthoughTennesseehadbeenpartoftheConfederacyitwasnotputintoamilitarydistrict– why?