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Reconstruction 1863-1877 “THOUGH SLAVERY WAS ABOLISHED, THE WRONGS OF MY PEOPLE WERE NOT ENDED. THOUGH THEY WERE NOT SLAVES, THEY WERE NOT YET QUITE FREE. NO MAN CAN BE TRULY FREE WHOSE LIBERTY IS DEPENDENT UPON THE THOUGHT, FEELING, AND ACTION OF OTHERS, AND WHO HAS NO MEANS IN HIS OWN HANDS FOR GUARDING, PROTECTING, DEFENDING, AND MAINTAINING HIS LIBERTY.” FREDERICK DOUGLAS, 1882 Concerning Slavery’s End… “So far from engaging in a war to perpetuate slavery, I am rejoiced that Slavery is abolished. I believe it will be greatly for the interest of the South. So fully am I satisfied of this that I would have cheerfully lost all that I have lost by the war, and have suffered all that I have suffered to have this object attained.” General Robert E. Lee, 1870 General Lee Before and After President Lincoln’s Policy The president’s Proclamation of Amnesty and Reconstruction provided the following: full presidential pardons for most southerners who took an oath of allegiance to the Union and the Constitution, as well as, accepted the emancipation of slaves. state governments could be reestablished and accepted as legitimate by the U.S. president according to the “10% Plan.” This policy was designed to shorten the war and add emphasis to the Emancipation Proclamation. As early as 1863, President Lincoln set up a lenient process of political reconstruction for southern state governments – he feared the results of the upcoming presidential election in 1864. Wade Davis Manifesto (1864) Republicans argued that President Lincoln’s plan would allow disloyal secessionists to maintain power within their states. Senator Wade of Ohio and Representative Davis of Maryland push the bill through Congress and passes July 2, 1864. The Wade Davis Bill looked to the past, while President Lincoln’s looked to the future. President Lincoln pocket vetoes the bill after Congress adjourns. It threatens to destroy the delicate coalition he was creating between Northern and Southern moderates. Details of the bill: The Provisional governor of the state would enroll all white men. Required 50% of the voters of a state to take the “Ironclad Oath.” No one who voluntarily served in the Confederate army , in any capacity, would be allowed to vote for the new state constitutional convention. Confederate civil and military leaders would lose their U.S. citizenship. Private property of leaders of the Confederacy would be distributed. States were required to give freed slaves the right to vote. A New Set of Problems How would the South rebuild its shattered society and economy after four years of war? What would be the place in that society of four million freed blacks and what role would the federal government take in their assimilation? How should the former Confederate states be treated? Under what conditions should the former Confederate states be accepted as coequal partners in the restored Union? Who had the authority to decide the answers to such critical questions – Congress or the President? The Freedman’s Bureau Created in March 1865 by Congress as the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands Acted as welfare agency Originally had authority to resettle freed blacks on confiscated land in the South Greatest achievement was in education Under General Oliver O. Howard it established nearly 3,000 schools for freed blacks Taught an estimated 200,000 African Americans to read up until 1870 Union General Oliver O. Howard Presidential Reconstruction under Johnson Andrew Johnson, a Democrat from Tennessee, had been added to President Lincoln’s ticket in the election of 1864, in order to gain some southern votes… his plan for Reconstruction included the following: Almost all southerners who took the oath would be pardoned and receive amnesty, and all property would be restored except slaves. State conventions would have to repudiate debts incurred during the rebellion and ratify the 13th amendment. Confederate and civil officers would be excluded from taking the oath and voting. President Johnson went further by punishing wealthy Southern planters – or anyone with over $20,ooo of taxable property – rewarding those decoyed into the rebellion. In spite of this tough stance, President Johnson hands out pardons – over 13,000 of them. When the 39th Congress convenes in December 1865, it refuses to seat the delegates from the ex-confederate states – Article I, Section 5. Presidential Reconstruction Continued Just eight months after taking office in 1865, all 11 ex-confederate states qualify for readmission They all included the following: Repudiation of secession Negation of the debts of the Confederacy Ratification of the 13th Amendment None enfranchised African Americans – as had been suggested by the Radical Republicans Many former Confederate leaders were elected back to the U.S. Congress – Senator Alexander Stephens from Georgia Presidential Reconstruction Continued Republicans become further disillusioned by President Johnson as southern state legislatures adopt Black Codes Prohibited them from renting land Forced them to sign work contracts – semi-bondage Prohibited against testifying in court against whites Republicans begin to ask, “Who won the war?” Rift widens between President Johnson and Northern Republicans, who refuse to seat Congressmen from the South in early 1866 President alienates moderates with veto of two important bills A bill increasing services and protections of the Freedmen’s Bureau A civil rights bill that nullified the Black Codes and guaranteed citizenship and equal rights to blacks The Election of 1866 President Johnson attacks Congressional opponents Speeches appeal to racist whites says guaranteeing rights to African Americans will lead to an “Africanized” society Republicans respond by “waving the bloody shirt” After the election President Johnson’s enemies get two-thirds majority needed to override a veto In the House and the Senate This election marks the beginning of Congressional Reconstruction, which would not end until 1877. Congressional Reconstruction Civil Rights Act of 1866 Congress overrides veto, but still not a permanent solution Fourteenth Amendment (ratified in 1868) Declared that all persons born or naturalized in the U.S. were citizens Guaranteed “equal protection” and “due process of law” Reconstruction Clauses Disqualified ex-Confederate leaders from state and federal offices Repudiated Confederate debt Penalized states’ representation for voting restrictions Congressional Reconstruction Report of the Joint Committee Congress officially denounces presidential reconstruction Decides eleven states readmitted under presidential reconstruction should not be seated Reconstruction Acts of 1867 Three laws passed over President Johnson’s veto requiring: Military occupation Ratification of the 14th Amendment Enfranchisement to all males guaranteed by state constitution Tenure of Office Act of 1867 Passed over President Johnson’s veto Congress wanted to protect Secretary of War Edwin Stanton President Johnson impeached in 1868, but not convicted The Election of 1868 Republicans nominate General Ulysses S. Grant Democrats nominate Horatio Seymour So Johnson was finished politically either way! Votes of 500,000 freed blacks give Grant victory margin of only 300,000 votes Republicans quickly act to federally protect the black vote in the South – 15th Amendment (1869) Grant administration riddled with corruption – although he is never personally indicted Fisk and Gould corner the gold market Credit Mobilier Whiskey Ring Election of 1872 President Grant is reelected in a landslide victory Congress passes Amnesty Act of 1872 Allowed southern conservative democrats to elect “Redeemers” Civil Rights Act of 1875 Guaranteed equal accommodations Protected blacks from discrimination by courts Law was poorly enforced - Northern Republicans fear backlash Reconstruction would be abandoned in two years The Election of 1876 Federal troops remained only in three states South Carolina, Florida, and Louisiana The Democrats had returned to power in all the other Southern states Republicans nominate Rutherford B. Hayes Democrats nominate Samuel Tilden – who almost wins the election – needed one more electoral vote Republicans challenge election returns in three states Electoral commission awards votes to Republicans – 8/7 vote Democrats threaten filibuster and send election to House The Compromise of 1877 solves the situation End of Military Reconstruction in the South Transcontinental Railroad for the South