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Chapter 12Reconstruction and Its Effects
Section 1-The Politics of Reconstruction
Section 2-Reconstructing Society
Section 3-The Collapse of Reconstruction
Section 1The Politics of Reconstruction

Reconstruction was the name of the time
period following the Civil War, from 18651877.
 It also refers to the process the federal gov’t
used to readmit the Confederate states.
 The process became very complicated
because of the differing views that Abraham
Lincoln, Andrew Johnson, and Congress
held.
 After
Lincoln’s untimely death, President
Andrew Johnson had to deal with
Reconstruction.
 Presidential Reconstruction included
the following:
Southerners who swore allegiance to the Union were
pardoned (forgiven of any crimes against the US).
2. Former Confederate states could hold constitutional
conventions to set up state gov’ts.
3. States had to void (cancel) secession and ratify
(approve) the 13th Amendment, which ended
slavery throughout the nation.
4. Once the 13th Amendment was ratified, states could
then hold elections and be part of the Union.
1.
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
Lincoln and Johnson’s plans for moderate
Reconstruction angered some Republicans,
known as Radical Republicans.
This group was led by Charles Sumner
and Thaddeus Stevens.
The Radical Republicans were members of
the Republican party who favored a much
tougher stance against the former
Confederate states.
 Johnson
wanted to allow states to
manage their internal affairs and pardon
all Confederate gov’t & military officials.
 Radical Republicans were infuriated
and Congress refused to allow the
readmission of the seceded states.
 In
the meantime, Congress created the
Freedmen’s Bureau to assist former
slaves and poor whites in the South by
distributing food and clothing.
 It also set up hospitals, schools,
industrial institutes, and teacher training
centers.

Congress also tried to pass the Civil Rights
Act of 1866 to get rid of black codes and
give AfrAmer citizenship.
 Johnson vetoed the act and further angered
Congress.
 Moderate and Radical Republicans joined
forces and overrode the veto.
 They also drafted the 14th Amendment which
made all people “born or naturalized in the
US” citizens with rights.
 Not ratified until 1868.

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2.
3.
4.
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6.
Congress finally passed the
Reconstruction Act of 1867 which created
a plan called Radical Reconstruction. It
did the following:
Southern states were put under military
rule.
Southern states had to hold new
constitutional conventions.
AfrAmer were allowed to vote.
Southerners who supported the
Confederacy were temporarily not allowed
to vote.
Southern states had to guarantee equal
rights to AfrAmer.
Southern states had to ratify the 14th
Amendment, which made AfrAmer citizens
of their states and the nation.
 Johnson
vetoed again and Congress
overrode it again.
 Many decided Pres. Johnson was not
carrying out his responsibilities and
voted to impeach him for misconduct.
 The trial took place from March to May
of 1868 and ended one vote short of the
2/3 majority needed.

At the presidential election of 1868, General
Ulysses S. Grant was the Republican
candidate and won the majority vote.
 AfrAmer had turned out in large numbers and
Congress passed the 15th Amendment to
protect voting rights.
 Voting could not be prohibited because of
“race, color, or previous condition of
servitude.”
Section 2Reconstructing Society

By 1870 all of the former Confederate states
had re-entered the Union.
 However, the Republicans did not want to
end Reconstruction because they wanted to
make economic changes.
 Because the majority of fighting had occurred
in the South most farms and plantations had
been destroyed and the new gov’ts faced the
difficult task of rebuilding properties and lives.
 Republican
gov’ts started massive
public works programs to help the
Southern people.
 Some of the projects included rebuilding
roads, bridges, and railroads and setting
up orphanages and hospitals.
 They also est. the first public school
systems across the South.
 These
programs were extremely
expensive, however.
 $$ was scarce in the South. In order to
pay for the programs taxes were
increased and new ones were created.
 Democrats
that opposed this plan for
Reconstruction called white
Southerners who joined the Republican
party scalawags.
 Many scalawags believed the R.party
offered the best chances to improve the
South while others wanted political
power.

The Democrats also gave the name
carpetbagger to Northerners who moved
South after the war.
 Many believed the carpetbaggers wanted to
exploit the South for profit.
 Some felt they had a moral duty to help the
South, some wanted to buy land or open
business, and others were dishonest
business people.
 During
Reconstruction, AfrAmer males
gained the right to vote and belonged
mainly to the R.party.
 AfrAmer had many new decisions to
make for themselves and looked
forward to new opportunities.
 Many ex-slaves moved to the cities
looking for work and family members.

Some of the first churches, schools, and
universities (Morehouse College in Atlanta)
were started for AfrAmer.
 Many also became involved in politics at all
levels of gov’t.
 Hiram Revels was the 1st AfrAmer Senator in
the US.
 Many of the black codes had been repealed,
but segregation was still common in the North
and South.
Section 3Collapse of Reconstruction

Some bitter Southerners turned to violence to
keep AfrAmer out of politics and from voting.
 Some vigilante groups whipped, tortured, and
killed former slaves in an attempt to restore
“white supremacy.”
 The Ku Klux Klan or KKK originally began as
a social club for Confederate veterans in
1866.
 As membership grew, however, the group
turned into a violent terrorist organization.

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4.
The goals of the KKK included:
Destroy the R.party
Get rid of Reconstruction gov’ts
Restore white supremacy
Keep AfrAmer from exercising rights
(especially politically and
economically)
 The
KKK also attacked some white
Southerners because of their proAfrAmer views.
 During 1870-71 Congress passed the
Enforcement Acts to protect
Southerners and prevent attacks.
 Although legislation was limited, it did
lead to decreased KKK activity.

As Southern Republicans tried to maintain
power, political corruption weakened the
party.
 Pres. Grant’s administration was plagued by
scandals and corruption.
 Grant himself was not involved, but several of
his officials were corrupt and impeached.
 In 1872 the R.party split. The Liberal
Republicans wanted an “honest gov’t.”
Sec. of Treasury
Benjamin Bristow
President Ulysses S. Grant
Sec. to Grant
Orville Babcock
Sec. of War
William Belknap
 Despite
the split, corruption continued in
Grant’s administration.
 Officials were accused of accepting
bribes, bribing others, using federal $$
for themselves, etc.

In 1873 one of the largest banking firms in the
country went bankrupt, causing the Panic of
1873.
 Smaller banks closed and the stock market
temporarily collapsed.
 The panic triggered a 5 year economic
depression across the country.
 It also caused a debate over the nation’s
currency-gold standard vs. greenbacks
 The
Supreme Court also passed
decisions that undermined the 14th and
15th Amendments.
 As the SC rejected Reconstruction
policies, Northern voters began to focus
more on nat’l issues than events in the
South.
 R.party also began to back off.

Throughout all of this, Democrats began to
regain control in the South and they called
this redemption.
 During the Election of 1876 the R.party
nominated Rutherford B. Hayes and the
D.party nominated Samuel Tilden.
 Tilden won the popular vote, but Hayes won
the Electoral College vote and became the
next President.

The Compromise of 1877 brought an official
end to Reconstruction in the South.
 After the election the D.party created home
rule where state gov’ts could run without
federal intervention.
 The Democrat “Redeemers” said they would
rescue the South from rule by Northerners,
Republicans, and AfrAmer.
 With
the end of Reconstruction and the
rise of groups like the KKK, African
Americans soon lost whatever political
position they gained in the years
following emancipation.
 Southern states passed Jim Crow laws
that required blacks and whites to use
separate public facilities.
 Tactics
used to prevent AfrAmer from
voting included:
 Literacy
tests-required that a citizen prove
he could read/write.
 Poll taxes-required voters to pay a set
amount of $ in order to vote.
 Grandfather clause-exempted citizens from
restrictions on voting if they, or their
ancestors, had voted in previous elections
(before 1867) or had served in the
Confederate military.