Download NOTES chapter 16 Reconstruction

TIME 5B (1861-1877)
NOTES: Chapter 16- Reconstruction (1865-1877)
SUMMARY:
Reconstruction refers to the process by which the nation was rebuilt after the destruction caused by the Civil War. The rebuilding
was social, political, and economic. Since there was no guidelines as to how it would be accomplished, questions and disagreements arose.
Given such disagreements, as well as the emotional aftermath of four years of war and the force of individual personalities, Reconstruction
proceeded by trial and error. As early as 1863, some two years before the end of the war, a debate began between the President and
Congress over key questions relating to Reconstruction. In this debate, and in the Reconstruction proposals put forward by President Lincoln
and Congress, it was apparent that the two disagreed over the scope and objectives of the Reconstruction process. Despite these
disagreements, in early 1865 Congress and the President were able to work together to secure passage of the 13 th Amendment and to create
the Freedmen’s Bureau.
At war’s end and as the power struggle between the executive and legislative branches over control of the Reconstruction process
became more pronounced, free men and women renewed their determination to struggle for survival and true equality within American
society. On one level they placed faith in education and participation in the political process as means of attaining equality, but they also
turned to family and religion for strength and support. Denied the possibility of owning land, they sought economic independence through
new economic arrangements such as sharecropping. However, sharecropping ultimately proved to be a disaster for all concerned.
When Congress reconvened in December 1865, it was faced with a Reconstruction policy advanced by President Johnson that not
only allowed former Confederate leaders to regain power at the state and national levels, but obviously abandoned the freedmen to hostile
southern whites. Northern congressmen and the constituents they represented were unwilling to accept this outcome of the long, bitter
struggle against a rebellious South. Believing that it had a constitutional right to play a role in the Reconstruction process, Congress acted.
This action led to clashes with an intransigent President Johnson and to the passage of two congressional Reconstruction plans.
The first of these plans, the 14th Amendment, evolved when the wrangling between President Johnson and Congress produced
compromises among the conservative, moderate, and radical factions of the Republican Party. Although Congress passed the Freedmen’s
Bureau bill and the Civil Rights Act of 1866 over the president’s veto, there was concern that the Supreme Court would declare basic provisions
of the Civil Rights Act unconstitutional. Therefore, those provisions were incorporated into a constitutional amendment that was presented
to the states for ratification in April 1866. The 14th Amendment demonstrated that Congress wanted to guarantee equality under the law to
the freedmen, but its provisions make it clear that the moderate and conservative Republicans who controlled Congress were not willing to
accept the more progressive concept of equality advanced by the Radical Republicans.
When, at the urging of the president, every former Confederate state except Tennessee refused to ratify the 14 th Amendment,
Congress passed the second Reconstruction plan- the Reconstruction Acts of 1867-1868. Although these acts demonstrated some movement
in the Radical direction by extending to African Americans the right to vote in state elections, Congressmen were still limited by the prejudices
of the age. They labelled as extremist the suggestion that southern land be redistributed and so rejected the idea of giving African Americans
economic independence. They naively assumed that African Americans would need only the ballot in their fight for a better life.
The same kinds of limitations worked within Reconstruction governments, preventing fundamental reform of southern society.
Concurrently, southern Republicans adopted a policy that returned voting rights to former Confederates. These former Confederates,
ultimately led a campaign designed to return political and economic power to their hands by discrediting the Reconstruction governments.
Adopting tactics ranging from racist charges and intimidation to organized violence, the Conservatives were able to achieve their objectives,
as events in Alamance and Caswell counties in North Carolina demonstrated.
These setbacks indicated that northern commitment to equality had never been total. The federal government even began to
retreat from partial commitment- a retreat made obvious by the policies of President Grant, the gradual erosion of congressional resolve on
Reconstruction issues, the conservative decisions of the Supreme Court, and the emergence of other issues that captured the minds of white
Americans. Finally, with the resolutions of the disputed Hayes-Tilden election in 1876, Reconstruction ended. The promise of equality for
African Americans remained unfulfilled.
I.
Introduction
The end of the war brought changes to the USA. Reconstruction changed some things, but did little regarding social
equality/political turmoil. Gov.t est. black suffrage, but it was insufficient to remake the South/guarantee human rights.
II. Wartime Reconstruction
A.
B.
C.
Lincoln’s 10 Percent Plan
He planned for a swift/moderate Reconstruction process. Under his 10% Plan, he proposed that as soon as 10% of the voting
population in the 1860 election took an oath and established a government, it would be recognized.
Congress and the Wade-Davis Bill
Responding negatively to Lincoln’s plan Congressional radical republicans passed the Wade-Davis Bill in July 1864; the process of
readmission to the Union was to be harsh and slow. Lincoln pocket-vetoed it.
Thirteenth Amendment and the Freedmen’s Bureau
Congress passed the 13th Amendment on January 31, 1865. On March 3, 1865, Congress created the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen,
and Abandoned Lands to aid southern refugees.
III. The Meanings of Freedom
A.
B.
The Feel of Freedom
Many former slaves began to explore freedom by searching for family members/exercising their right of mobility. Most settled as
workers on their former farms or plantation but attempted to control the conditions of their labor.
Reunion of African American Families
Relying on the Southern black community thousands of former slaves began looking for family members.
C.
D.
E.
F.
G.
African Americans’’ Search for Independence
Many blacks tried to avoid contact with overbearing whites by abandoning their slave quarters and relocating their houses. Some
even established all-black settlements.
Freed-peoples’ Desire for Land
Next to freedom, blacks wanted land most of all. Since they could not secure solid support in the North, however, few obtained
their dream of independence.
The Black Embrace of Education
Many Afr. Ams. sought an education. Federal aid/northern charity helped start thousands of schools for in the South.
Growth of Black Churches
African Americans established their own churches, which became the social center of their new freedom.
Rise of the Sharecropping System
Blacks could not get credit, and sharecropping became widespread. Owners often cheated their tenants.
IV. Johnson’s Reconstruction Plan
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
Who Was Andrew Johnson?
Johnson was the only senator from a seceded state (Tennessee) who refused to follow his state out of the Union. At heart he was
really a Jacksonian Democrat, not a Republican. He believed in limited government and was a white supremacist.
Johnson’s Leniency and Racial Views
Johnson’s belief that black suffrage could never be imposed on a southern state by the federal government put him on a collision
course with the Radical Republicans.
Johnson’s Pardon Policy
He hoped to keep prewar leaders from participating in the Reconst. South. He ended up pardoning most/restored them.
Presidential Reconstruction
Nevertheless, Johnson ended up pardoning most southern aristocrats and former rebels, thus allowing the old elite to return to
power. Only eight months after Appomattox, Johnson declared Reconstruction complete. In December 1865, many former
Confederate congressmen traveled to Washington to take their seats in the new US Congress.
Black Codes
Johnson’s pardons upset many Republicans; discriminatory black codes revealed the depth of southern defiance.
V. The Congressional Reconstruction Plan
A. The Radicals
The Radicals wanted to transform the South; were willing to exclude it from the Union until they had achieved their goal. By refusing
to work with conservative/moderate Republicans, Johnson/the Democrats forced them to work with the Radicals.
B. Congress vs. Johnson
Congress worked to extend the Freedmen’s Bureau/pass a civil rights law against black codes. Johnson vetoed these bills, ending
hopes of compromise.
C. The Fourteenth Amendment
This amendment gave citizenship to freedmen, prohibited states from interfering with constitutional rights, declared the
Confederate war debt null and void, barred Confederate leaders from holding state and federal office, and punished any state that
restricted extension of the right to vote to black men.
D. The South’s and Johnson’s Defiance, 1866
At the urging of President Johnson, all southern states except Tennessee rejected the 14th Amendment. Having won overwhelmingly
in the 1866 congressional elections, Republicans decided to form new southern state governments.
E. The Reconstruction Acts of 1867-1868
Congress set up 5 military districts in the South, guaranteed freedmen the right to vote in state constitutional convention elections;
required congressional approval of all new state constitutions; southern states had to accept the 14 th Amend.
F. The Failure of Land Redistribution
Thaddeus Stevens failed to win approval for his plan to confiscate and redistribute land in the former Confederate states.
G. Constitutional Crisis
Congress passed a number of controversial laws, including the Tenure of Office Act, by overriding presidential vetoes. Johnson
proceeded to take several belligerent steps, including removal of Secretary of War Stanton.
H. Impeachment of President Johnson
After Johnson removed Stanton, Congress impeached him. Although acquitted in the Senate, Johnson suffered politically.
I. Election of 1868
Grant, a supporter of congressional Reconstruction and of black suffrage in the South, won the 1868 presidential election.
J. Fifteenth Amendment
In 1869, Radicals succeeded in passing the Fifteenth Amendment, which prohibited denying the right to vote based on “race, color,
or previous condition of servitude.” Voting rights of women could still be denied.
VI. Politics and Economic Conditions in the South
A.
B.
C.
White Resistance
Southern whites resisted Reconstruction. Some denied freedom to their slaves; others prevented blacks from getting land.
Black Voters and Emergence of the Southern Republican Party
Thanks to a large black voter turnout and restrictions on prominent Confederates, a new southern Republican Party controlled the
state constitutional conventions of 1868-1870.
Triumph of Republican Governments
Republican victory in the South meant that for the first time black citizens gained political office. Southern Republicans worked to
build white support for the party.
D.
E.
Industrialization and Mill Towns
Republican govts tried to industrialize the South, but higher taxes for that drew money away from education/other reforms. Many
whites were impoverished. As farming became less desirable, whites and blacks moved to cities and mill towns.
Republican Policies on Racial Equality
Economic progress remained uppermost for most southern blacks. They accepted segregated facilities in return for other opportunities.
F.
G.
H.
I.
J.
The Myth of “Negro Rule”
Southern Conservatives used economic and social pressure on blacks as well as inflammatory racist propaganda to undermine
congressional Reconstruction.
Carpetbaggers and Scalawags
In their propaganda, Conservatives labeled northerners seeking economic opportunity as “carpetbaggers” and white southerners
who supported the Republicans as “scalawags.”
Tax Policy and Corruption as Political Wedges
Although an increase in taxes was necessary just to maintain traditional services, Republican tax policies aroused strong opposition.
The corruption with which Republicans were charged was often true.
Ku Klux Klan
The Ku Klux Klan (organized by ex-Confederate general Nathaniel Bedford Forrest) terrorized black leaders in an effort to curb their
support for the Republicans. The campaign of terror was often organized by the wealthy and the powerful in an effort to retake
political control.
Failure of Reconstruction
Many things collapsed Republican regimes, forcing them out of office before they instituted social and economic reforms.
VII. Retreat from Reconstruction
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
F.
G.
H.
I.
Political Implications of Klan Terrorism
Congress passed two Enforcement Acts in 1870 and 1871 in an effort to counteract Klan violence. The laws were enforced
selectively. Congressional opponents of these laws charged that Congress was infringing on states’ rights.
Industrial Expansion and Reconstruction in the North
Both industrialization and immigration surged in the years immediately after the Civil War. Political corruption ran rampant. There
was gross economic inequality that polarized American society, and the struggle between labor and capital intensified. Then came
the Panic of 1873.
The Liberal Republican Revolt
Although Grant won reelection in 1872, the revolt of the Liberal Republicans in conjunction with opposition from the Democrats
reinforced Grant’s desire to avoid confrontation with white southerners.
A General Amnesty
In 1872, Congress offered amnesty to most remaining former Confederates, and in 1875 it offered a watered-down Civil Rights Act
that the Supreme Court eventually struck down.
The West, Race, and Reconstruction
The federal government pursued a policy of containment against Native Americans in the West. Hispanics in the Southwest and the
Chinese in California were subjected to racial prejudice and persecution.
Foreign Expansion
In 1867, the US purchased Alaska from Russia (“Seward’s Folly”) and also took control of the Midway Islands.
Greenbacks Versus Sound Money
Many Americans wanted to keep “greenbacks” in circulation, but Grant, many Congressmen/industrialists/financiers didn’t
Judicial Retreat from Reconstruction
The Supreme Court, by narrowing the meaning of the 14th Amend./denying equal rights, encouraged the northern retreat
Disputed Election of 1876 and the Compromise of 1877
The disputed election between Rutherford B. Hayes & Samuel Tilden ended in the Compromise of 1877, effectively ending
Reconstruction in the South. Tens of thousands of southern African Americans felt betrayed by the election of 1876 and many
decided to leave the South because they had no hope for equal rights.
NOTES- Reconstruction (1865-1877)
Lincoln and Johnson both stated that in their eyes, the Southern states had never legally seceded and were therefore never “not” part of the
Union. The Radical Republicans (a group of abolitionist Republicans who supported equal rights for African Americans) in Congress passed a
resolution saying that the secession caused the South to forfeit all civil/political rights of the Constitution.
Lincoln’s 10% Plan:



Lincoln’s plan called for a quick restoration of the Union
o When 10% of a seceded state’s eligible voting population took an oath of allegiance to the US government it would be
allowed to reestablish a new state government/state constitution and become a full state again.
Radical Republicans felt the plan was too lenient on the South and did not address the needs of the former slaves.
o Congress responded to Lincoln’s plan by passing the Wade-Davis Bill in July 1864, writing the 13th amendment, and
establishing the Bureau of Freedmen.

Lincoln pocket-vetoed the Wade Davis Bill but the 13th amendment was eventually ratified.
Ultimately Lincoln’s 10% plan died with him when he was assassinated in April 1865.
o When Lincoln died, his vice-president, Andrew Johnson, became president.

Johnson was the only southern senator who did not give up his seat in Congress when the South seceded; he
did not believe in the secession movement and blamed the Civil War on the wealthy land/slave owners; he was
NOT an abolitionist- he was a white supremacist.
Presidential Reconstruction:




Johnson retained the 10% oath and required the seceded states to ratify the 13th amendment and pay their war debts.
Johnson pardoned 13,000 former Confederate leaders/supporters during his term and many of them regained their positions of
political power in the South.
o When they arrived in Washington for the new session of Congress, the Radical Republicans in Congress refused to allow
them to attend the meetings because they were opposed to Johnson’s plan and opposed to allowing the Old South to
regain power after the war.

Southern state responded by passing Black Codes that severely restricted the rights of former slaves and
essentially restored the racial hierarchy of slavery without the actual institution of slavery.
The Radical Republicans in Congress wanted Johnson to include the ratification of the 14th amendment as part of the readmission
policy for the Southern states; Johnson did not support it.
o The only seceded Southern state to ratify the 14th amendment as part of their new state constitution was Tennessee so
they became a full state in the Union again.
Johnson and the Radical Republicans in Congress developed a hostile relationship and after Johnson removed Secretary Stanton
w/o Congressional approval, Congress had him impeached.
o Johnson escaped being removed from office by 1 vote in his impeachment trial.
Congressional Reconstruction:




The Radical Republicans in Congress, led by Thaddeus Stevens and Charles Sumner, had two goals for Reconstruction:
o Make the reunification process difficult for the South as punishment and to prevent any future secession.
o Guarantee the equal rights of all former slaves.
Congress did not approve of Johnson’s plan for Reconstruction and would not reinstate the elected Southern leaders.
Under the Reconstruction Act, Congress required the southern states to rewrite their state constitutions to include the 13 th and
14th amendments and divided the ten remaining southern states that had seceded into 5 military districts, each under the martial
law of a former Union general.
o Congress also passed the 15th amendment and the Civil Rights Bills of 1866 and later 1875 to counter the Black Codes
passed by the South and extended the Freedmen’s Bureau.
Many Northerners moved South during this time to get elected to southern governments (carpetbaggers). Southerners who
supported Northern Reconstruction programs were called scalawags.
o Many Southerners responded by founding the KKK and passing more Black Codes.
End of Reconstruction:

The era of reconstruction formally ended with the Compromise of 1877, which was passed as a resolution to the presidential
election of 1876 (Rutherford B. Hayes). The nation had grown weary of Reconstruction.
o The end of the policy essentially left African Americans in the South at the mercy of angry white supremacists for the next
100 years without any assistance.
Reconstruction Amendments:



13th- Outlawed slavery in the US (no longer legally protected by the Constitution)
14th- Extended US citizenship to former slaves.
15th- Granted African American men the right to vote.