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Reconstruction
Terms to Know
carpetbaggers
scalawags sharecropping
Radical Republicans amend hostile turning point
gentry
justice republic union emancipate secede martyr copious
reconstruction
freedmen
black codes segregation impeach Jim Crow Laws
poll tax
literacy
Executive Plan
Following the Civil War, the major goal of the Reconstruction period was that the former
Confederate states would be restored to full membership in the United States
President Abraham Lincoln's post-Civil War plan for reconstruction of the South was based on the theory
that the former Confederate States had never actually left the Union. Lincoln’s 10 Percent Plan allowed
formerly Confederate states to reestablish a state government as soon as 10 percent of the eligible
voters in the 1860 election took the oath of allegiance.
Both President Abraham Lincoln and President Andrew Johnson sought to allow the Southern States to
reenter the nation as quickly as possible.
Legislative Reconstruction
Radical Republicans opposed President Abraham Lincoln's Reconstruction plan because it offered
amnesty to nearly all Confederates who would swear allegiance to the United States.
An important objective of congressional action was to maintain Republican control of the Federal
Government. So a major goal of the Radical Republicans in Congress was to gain voting rights for the
newly freed slaves.
Unlike Lincoln, the Radical Republicans wanted to punish the former leaders of the Confederacy . They
passed the amendments known as the Reconstruction Amendments.
Reconstruction Amendments.
13th Amendment --ended the practice of slavery in the United States.
14th Amendment was a response to Southern efforts to limit the rights of Freedmen and blacks in the
South by the passage of black codes. The amendment defined citizenship and greatly expanded the
protection of civil rights to all Americans.
15th Amendment to the Constitution granted African American men the right to vote by declaring that
the "right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or
by any state on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.
Freedmen’s Bureau
The Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands was created by Congress in March 1865 to
assist for one year in the transition from slavery to freedom in the South. The Bureau was given "the
supervision and management of all abandoned lands, and the control of all subjects relating to refugees
and freedmen, under such rules and regulations as may be presented by the head of the Bureau and
approved by the President."
Their responsibilities included introducing a system of free labor, overseeing some 3,000 schools for
freedpersons, settling disputes and enforcing contracts between the usually white landowners and their
black labor force, and securing justice for blacks in state courts. The Bureau was renewed by a
Congressional bill in 1866 but was vetoed by President Andrew Johnson, who thought it was
unconstitutional. Johnson was opposed to having the federal government secure black rights. Congress
passed the bill over his veto. The Bureau was able to accomplish some of its goals, especially in the field
of education. It established a number of colleges and training schools for blacks, including Howard
University (named for General Howard) and Hampton Institute.
Impeachment of Andrew Johnson
The actions of vetoing and overriding of vetoes between President Andrew Johnson and Congress
during the Reconstruction Era illustrates the constitutional principle of separation of powers.
With the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, Vice President Andrew Johnson became president
His opposition to “Radical Reconstruction’ resulted in his eventual impeachment.
He would not have been impeached if he had not attempted to stop Congress's reconstruction
policies.
Pres. Johnson was charged with violating the Tenure of Office Act.
His trial was presided over by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court
He was acquitted by the margin of one vote.
Southern Resistance
In the United States, the Black Codes were laws passed by Southern states in 1865 and 1866,
after the Civil War. These laws had the intent and the effect of restricting African Americans'
freedom, and of compelling them to work in a labor economy based on low wages or debt such
as tenant farming or sharecropping.
The White League and the Ku Klux Klan were American white paramilitary/terrorist groups that
used force to turn Republicans out of office and intimidate freedmen from voting and gaining
political positions.
Southern States found the 14th amendment most objectionable and a former Confederate State could
not be readmitted to the Union unless that State ratified the amendment.
The disputed election of 1876 resulted in a compromise that kept the Republicans in charge of the
government but put an end to Reconstruction.
In the late 1800s, passage of Jim Crow legislation by Southern states led to an increase in violations of
the rights of African Americans.
Southern States began the practice of segregation ( the separation of people of different races in public
places).
Poll taxes, grandfather clauses, and literacy tests were attempts by Southern white legislators prevent
African Americans from voting.
The decision of the U.S. Supreme Court in Plessy v. Ferguson legalized segregation.
As a result, Black Americans in Southern states during the period 1880-1930 were denied civil rights as a
result of changes in State laws and constitutions.