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Reconstruction
U. S. History
Fall 2006
Paul Dunn
The Old South Destroyed
The Civil War shattered the South’s
economy
 Tens of thousands of the confederate
veterans returned home without jobs
 Millions of the newly freed slaves also
found themselves homeless and broke

The Old South Destroyed
The former slaves had aspirations of
starting their own schools and churches
 They also took this time to try and find
lost loved ones who had been sold off as
slaves
 Most of all they wanted to own their own
land

◦ Rumors spread that each freedman would get
40 acres and a mule
Presidential Reconstruction

Lincoln’s Goal – “With malice towards
none, with charity for all, with firmness in
the right as God gives us to see the right,
let us strive on to bind up the nation’s
wounds….to do all which may achieve a
just and lasting peace.”
◦ Lincoln was clearly not interested in punishing
the south
◦ Focus on healing and re-uniting
Presidential Plan

Reconstruction – rebuilding the
former confederate states and
reuniting the nation
◦ Grant amnesty to all southerners –
except high-ranking Confederate
leaders – if they would swear
allegiance to the US Constitution
and accept federal laws ending
slavery
◦ Permitted states to re-enter union
after 10% of its residents who voted
in 1860 swore their loyalty to the
nation
 Wade-Davis Bill – Congress wanted 50%
of citizens of a state to swear allegiance to
be re-admitted to the Union
 Lincoln vetoed
Lincoln’s Assassination

April 14th, 1865 – Ford’s
theater
◦ Play – “My American Cousin”
◦ John Wilkes Booth
 Shot at point blank range
 Confederate sympathizer
◦ Hundreds of thousands of
people stood and watched
funeral train as it passed by on
the trip from Washington to
the burial site in Illinois
◦ Eliminates Lincoln’s calming
influence and compassion from
the reconstruction debate
Andrew Johnson





Democrat
Former Slave Holder
Favored government
run by “white” citizens
Lacked political skill
Refused to compromise
The Question of Reconstruction


Should the President or Congress
be in charge of reconstruction?
Following the assassination of
Lincoln, Andrew Johnson took
over as president
◦
◦
◦
◦
Stubborn
Lacked social skills
Refused to compromise
Took debate and criticism
personally
◦ Also lacked the personal “clout”
to force hard proposals through
congress
Presidential Reconstruction under
Johnson

1865 – Pardoned all rebels except former
confederate officeholders and the richest
planters
◦ These he pardoned on an individual basis

Re-admission to the Union
◦ Nullify acts of secession
◦ Abolish slavery
◦ Refuse to pay confederate gov’t. debts
Southern Attempts to keep slaves in
slavery

Sharecropping – practice of
borrowing money to
former slaves in return for a
portion of their crop
◦ Sharecroppers were constantly
in debt
◦ Sharecroppers were often
confined to one plantation to
prevent financial “penalties”
◦ Sharecroppers never made
enough to payoff loans and
have financial freedom
Black Codes
Laws passed by white southerners intended to keep former
slaves as close to slavery as possible.
 Reestablished white control over black labor
 Varied from state to state (recycled “slave” codes)

◦ Curfews
◦ No travel without permits
◦ Pass system – blacks could only enter “white towns” with a special pass
issued by the plantation owners
◦ Could not hold meetings unless whites were present
◦ Could not own guns
◦ Could not attend schools with whites
◦ Long term labor contracts
◦ Allowed judges to decide if black parents could support their children –
used this as leverage to get blacks to work in certain jobs
◦ Could not rent or own land in some areas
The elections of 1866 and the
Reconstruction Acts
Violence in the south made President
Johnson’s call for leniency toward the
southern rebels seem particularly absurd
 In 1866 northerners overwhelmingly vote
Republican
 With the Radicals at the helm the
Republicans seize control of the
Reconstruction process

Congress Versus Johnson

The moderate Republicans and Radical
Republicans joined forces against Johnson
◦ Witnesses were coming forward with stories
of murder and lynching
◦ schools, churches, and homes being burnt
down to intimidate blacks and their
supporters
◦ stories of death threats to those that were
viewed as southern unionists
Continued

Republicans quickly decided that African
Americans would need the right to vote
◦ The Reconstruction Acts of 1867: Divide the
former confederacy into five military districts
◦ To gain readmission to the Union States
would have to ratify the 14th amendment as
well as letting all men vote
Constitutional Remedies
13th Amendment –
Outlawed Slavery
- Ratified December 1865
14th Amendment –
1. Defined citizenship
2. Established Due Process
3. Equal Protection of the Law
4. Declared Confederate Debt
from war null and void
1. Ratified July 1868
15th Amendment - gave
freedmen the right to vote
- Ratified 1870
Martial Law – Reconstruction Act of 1867
Rule by the military
 3 conditions to stop
martial law

◦ Hold constitutional
conventions to adopt
new constitutions
◦ Ratify the 14th Amend
◦ Guarantee freedmen the
right to vote
Southern Aid

Freedman’s Bureau
◦ Set up schools for both
blacks and poor whites
 Segregated
 Hired teachers from the
North
 Opposed by wealthy
southerners
 Suffered intimidation from
groups like the KKK
Southern Progress

1869 Hiram Revels
◦ 1st black man elected to
congress
◦ 22 blacks eventually were
elected

New State Constitutions
◦ Were written between 1866 –
1870
 Black Republicans
 Carpetbaggers –
northerners who came to
south to help write
constitutions
 Scalawags – southerners
who supported the north
Economic recovery

Northern Capital ($) was
quickly invested in the south
to rebuild
◦ Rebuilt Railroads, Factories,
Cotton Mills, etc.
◦ Widespread fraud and
corruption
Presidential Impeachment

Republicans knew that the success of the
Reconstruction act depended on
enforcement
◦ They were equally sure that President Johnson
would not cooperate
◦ Johnson challenged the Tenure of Office Act
 this act required the firing of federal officials be
approved by Congress first
 this was a clear challenge to the power of the president
 Johnson proceeded to fire numerous officials

Congress responded by voting to impeach
him
Continued

They charged him with violating the
Tenure of Office Act, making scandalous
speeches, and bringing Congress into
disgrace
◦ Many thought that a Congress this aggressive
threatened the checks and balances of the
Constitution
Continued

The case against Johnson was weak from
the start
◦ Many members of the Congress were
concerned that President Johnson would lead
the country into another Civil War
◦ The Trial lasted 8 weeks
◦ The final tally fell one vote short of the two
thirds necessary to remove him from office
 He remained in office to fill out his term but was
largely ineffective. (Lame Duck)
Further Political Difficulties



Radical Republicans sensed
trouble
To retain voters they
nominated General Ulysses
S. Grant
◦ Lacked Political
experience but was a
popular war hero
◦ Grant defeated Seymour
in a close race
Radicals continued to lose
influence as society moves
on to other issues
The End of Reconstruction

Disputed election in
1877
◦ South agreed to let
Rutherford B. Hayes to
become President if all
federal troops were
withdrawn from the
south
◦ This effectively ended
reconstruction