Download Reconstruction in Texas

Reconstruction in Texas
RECONSTRUCTION IN
TEXAS
1865-1870
The Civil War ended but what’s next?
• Since the Confederacy lost the war,
much of the South was destroyed,
and money was hard to come by.
• African Americans were free, but
many were without food or shelter.
• Tensions and differences between
many Northerners and Southerners
continued after the war.
Reconstruction was a
period immediately after the
Civil War of rebuilding the
Southern states gradually
bringing them back into the
Union.
Emancipation Proclamation
• Because of distance and the war,
many African Americans in the south
and especially Texas did not
immediately learn about the
Emancipation Proclamation of 1863.
• The news finally reached Galveston,
Texas on June 19th, 1865. Juneteenth
became a celebration for the freedom
of enslaved Texans.
THE FREEDMEN’S BUREAU
• Former slaves were often
referred to as freedmen.
• The Freedmen’s Bureau was a
government agency whose job
was to provide relief to the
thousands of people, black
and white, who had been left
homeless by the Civil War.
TWO PLANS FOR
RECONSTRUCTION
LINCOLN AND
JOHNSON
WANTED…
•To restore the
Union as quickly as
possible
•To go easy on the
South
CONGRESS
WANTED…
•Stricter standards for
admitting the Southern
States back into the
Union
•To protect the
freedom of African
Americans in the
South
• What critical event occurred on
April 14, 1865 that changed the
course on American history?
5 days after Lee surrendered to Grant at
Appomattox, a southerner, John Wilkes
Booth, shot and killed President
Abraham Lincoln
• Lincoln had wanted southern
states to be quickly readmitted
into the Union and had a simple
plan for accomplishing that
objective.
SOUTHERNERS OPPOSE
RECONSTRUCTION
• Texas elected ex-Confederates to Congress in an
attempt to counter the Radical Republican control of
Congress.
• Texan representatives refused to ratify the 13th, 14th,
and 15th amendments which granted rights to
African Americans.
• Southern states enforced black codes, or laws
limiting the rights of African Americans.
• The Ku Klux Klan (KKK) used violence and threats
to prevent African Americans from voting.
• As a response to Southern opposition, Congress
declared military rule in the South until states met
certain requirements of Reconstruction.
Constitutional Changes after the
Civil War
• 13th Amendment-abolished slavery
Constitutional Changes after the
Civil War
14th
Amendment - extended citizenship
rights to former slaves and established
due process under the law
Constitutional Changes after the
Civil War
15th
Amendment-extended voting
rights to all males, including former
slaves, of voting age
RECONSTRUCTION TIMELINE IN TEXAS
DATE EVENT(s)
1865:
• Civil War Ends Freedman's Bureau is established.
• Lincoln is assassinated.
• Thirteenth Amendment is ratified.
1866:
• Civil Rights Act is passed over Johnson's veto.
1867:
• First Reconstruction Act.
1868:
• Fourteenth Amendment is ratified. Ku Klux Klan
begins.
RECONSTRUCTION TIMELINE IN TEXAS
1870
• 15th Amendment is ratified
1876
• Texas writes a new Constitution and is readmitted
with full rights as a state in the United States
1881:
• Tuskeegee Institute is founded to educate
freedmen
1890-1900:
• Blacks are effectively deprived of the vote in the
South
1896:
• Plessy vs. Ferguson legalizes segregation
throughout the United States
Reconstruction in Texas – How did
they react?
• Complete the How Did They React?
Activity. As you review each points of the
two Reconstruction plans, decide how the
identified groups would react to this
provision and indicate with a happy face
or sad face
Complete the Free At Last Group
Simulation
RECONSTRUCTION VOCABULARY
• Review the vocabulary for homework for a
possible quiz