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Reconstruction &
the New South
Condition of the South
Conflict began to
arise in Congress on
how to go about
Reconstruction.
Rebuilding the
former
Confederate
states and
reuniting the
nation.
No Mr. Connery
we were looking
for “What is
Reconstruction?
”
What is YOLO?
Two theories on Reconstruction
1)
Work together with the
South to bring about
peace and reunification
2)
Be stern and hard on the
ex-Confederate states in
order to prevent another
uprising
Lincoln’s Plan
 Proclamation of
Amnesty and
Reconstruction.
 This proclamation
enabled southern states
to rejoin the Union if:
1. at least 10% of those
who had cast ballots in
the election of 1860
would take an oath of
allegiance to the Union
2. accept emancipation
 Exceptions were high-ranking Confederate
leaders
 They would need a presidential pardon
Congress’ Plan
 Radical Republicans,
led by Charles Sumner
of Massachusetts and
Thaddeus Stevens of
Pennsylvania, stressed
any Reconstruction
Plan must “revolutionize
Southern institutions,
habits, and manners.”
 Congress passed the Wade-Davis Bill in
July 1864
 The bill called for the Confederate states to
abolish slavery and to delay Reconstruction
until a majority of each state’s white males
took a loyalty oath.
 Lincoln vetoed the bill because he was not
ready to “be inflexibly committed to any
single plan of restoration.”
Lincoln Assassinated
 The country would never know how
Reconstruction would have gone with Lincoln
as President.
 On April 14, 1865, Lincoln was assassinated.
 The assassin, John Wilkes Booth, shot Lincoln
as he and his wife watched a play at the Ford
Theatre in Washington.
 Americans mourned his death, especially
Southerners…why?
President Johnson and
Reconstruction
 Andrew Johnson was Lincoln’s Vice
President and a Democrat.
 He was chosen to run with Lincoln to
appeal to Northern Democrats and
southern Unionists.
 He was unprepared for the challenges of
Reconstruction.
Johnson shocks Congress
 In May 1865, with congress out of
session, Johnson issued his own plan for
Reconstruction:
 All Southerners who took an oath of
allegiance would be given amnesty and
given all their property back (except slaves)
 Exception were Confederate officeholders and
rich plantation owners
 They would need a presidential pardon
 For readmission into the Union, rebelling states
would need to nullify their acts of secession, abolish
slavery, and refuse to pay Confederate debts
 New state governments were elected and exConfederates dominated them
 What kind of laws do you think were passed
regarding newly freed slaves?
 Johnson was too lenient towards these newly
formed governments even overlooking
Mississippi’s refusal to ratify the 13th
Amendment
 13th Amendment abolished slavery in the U.S.
Black Codes
 Black codes were laws passed in Southern
states during Reconstruction that greatly
limited the freedom of former slaves.
 Examples of Black Codes:





Promoted racial segregation in some places
Prohibited interracial marriage
Jury service by blacks
Court testimony by blacks against whites
All codes had provisions in them which basically
barred former slaves from leaving the plantation
Quotes regarding Black
Codes
 Of the Black Codes, one African American
veteran demanded, “If you call this Freedom,
what do you call Slavery”
 The Chicago Tribune proclaimed, “The men of
the North will convert the State of Mississippi
into a frog pond before they will allow such
laws to disgrace one foot of soil in which the
bones of our soldiers sleep and over which the
flag of freedom waves.”
Violence in the South
 Race Riots were becoming widespread
across the South.
 Johnson’s call for leniency towards the
ex-Confederate states were becoming
absurd in the wake of such violence.
Who were the Radical
Republicans?
 Radical Republicans, led by Charles
Sumner of Massachusetts and Thaddeus
Stevens of Pennsylvania, stressed any
Reconstruction Plan must “revolutionize
Southern institutions, habits, and
manners.”
“
Hi…..I’m Charles Sumner.
“
Hi…..I’m Thaddeus Stevens.
Congress vs. Johnson
 Freedmen’s Bureau
 What was it?
 An organization that helped millions of southern
freedmen left homeless and hungry after the war.
 It distributed food and clothing, as well as, set up
hospitals and schools.
 What did Johnson do?
 He vetoed an attempt to extend the
organization’s life.
Congress vs. Johnson
 The Civil Rights Act of 1866
 What was it?
 First civil rights law in U.S. history; it declared
everyone born in the U.S. was a citizen with full
civil rights.
 What did Johnson do and what happened as
a result?
 Johnson vetoed the bill; however, Congress
voted and passed it over his veto.
Congress vs. Johnson
 14th Amendment
 What was it?
 It was an amendment passed requiring states to
extend equal citizenship to African Americans. It
held the core aspects of the Civil Rights Act of
1866.
 Why did Congress pass this amendment?
 They were afraid that a future Congress
controlled by Democrats could overturn the Civil
Rights Act.
The Radicals Come to
Power
 Black Codes were
causing race riots to
break out in the
south
Elections of 1866
 Citizens grew tired of
Johnson’s calls for
leniency with such
violence in the
South.
 As a result, the
Radical Republicans
won an
overwhelming victory
in the elections of
1866
“Yo Radical
Republicans!!
We did it!!”
Reconstruction Acts
 Once the Radicals gained control of
Congress, they took over Reconstruction
and passed the Reconstruction Acts.
 These Acts essentially did 3 things:
1st – Martial Law
 The former
Confederacy was
divided into 5 military
districts and martial
law was declared to
enforce order
2nd – 14th Amendment
 To gain readmission
to the Union, states
had to ratify the 14th
amendment
rd
3
– New State
Constitutions
 Ex-Confederate
states had to submit
new constitutions to
Congress and allow
African Americans to
vote for delegates.
Activity
 Work with a partner and discuss these
questions – When is martial law (military
rule) acceptable? Is it ever acceptable?
How would you feel if you were living
under martial law?
 With your partner, write a 2 paragraph
response to the above prompts.
Johnson gets into trouble
 Radical Republicans knew that President
Johnson would not go along with
Reconstruction Acts.
 Congress passed the Tenure of Office
Act in 1867 to protect Republican
officeholders
 The act acquired Senate approval of a
replacement before the President could
remove an appointed official.
Johnson Impeached
 Johnson tested the act by removing Secretary
of War Edwin Stanton.
 In response the House of Representatives
voted to impeach Johnson
 The case was weak against Johnson and a few
Republicans in the Senate switched sides.
 In the end, Johnson remained in office
because the Senate fell 1 vote shy of the 2/3
majority needed to remove a president from
office.
The Election of 1868
 Republican nominee –
General Ulysses S.
Grant.
 Democrat nominee –
Horatio Seymour
 Grant won a slim victory
due to the AfricanAmerican vote
15th Amendment
 Ratified in 1870, the 15th Amendment stated,
“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.”
 African-Americans rejoiced at the passage of
the amendment.
 The amendment did not extend to women.
So Let’s Review the Civil War
Amendments…
 13th Amendment
 Abolished slavery
 14th Amendment
 Extended equal citizenship to anyone born
or naturalized in the United States and it
also denied states the right to deprive
anyone of life, liberty, or property without
due process of law.
 15th Amendment
 The right to vote can not be taken away on
account of race
Ku Klux Klan
Origins
 Founded by Nathan
Bedford Forrest
 It grew quickly among all
sorts of whites in the
South
Goals
 Destroy the Republican
Party
 Keep African Americans
from voting
 Frighten African
American leaders into
submission
Steps Against the Klan
Federal Government
African Americans
 They banned together in  Passed the Enforcement Acts,
order to protect
which were 3 laws empowering
themselves.
the combat terrorism with
military force.
WE
GOT
THIS!!!!
Redeemers
 Redeemers were Southern white
Democrats who wanted to “redeem” their
state governments from Republicans.
Republicans get tired of
Reconstruction
 Civil Rights Act of 1875
 This was a last ditch effort to enforce
Reconstruction
 It prohibited businesses that served the
public from discriminating against African
Americans.
 The Panic of 1873, which was an
economic depression, did not help
Republicans either
Election of 1876
 Democrat Samuel Tilden defeated
Republican Rutherford B. Hayes in the
popular vote.
 However, Hayes beat Tilden by one
electoral vote
 The Southern Democrats were furious
over the results!!
The Deal that Changed
History
 The Compromise of 1877
 In return for the Democrats acceptance of
Hayes as President, the Republicans agreed
to withdraw the remaining federal troops
from the South.
 This essentially ended Reconstruction
and led to the New South
With a partner, write down
your thoughts and feelings
regarding the Compromise
of 1877. Who do you think
benefited from the deal?
Who lost? Do you think it
was fair or unfair? Explain
your answer.
Sharecropping
 Sharecropping was the economic system
that arose in the New South.
 In groups of 3, complete the question
sheet regarding sharecropping.
The Rise of Jim Crow
 Southerners kept African Americans from
voting by initiating poll taxes and literacy
tests.
 Laws designed to enforce segregation, or
separation, of the races soon emerged.
 These were called Jim Crow Laws.
Plessy v. Ferguson
 These discriminatory laws were tested
and brought all the way to the Supreme
Court.
 The Supreme Court ruled in favor of the
segregation laws as long as the
accommodations were “separate but
equal”
 Separate but equal became the law of
the South
Responses to the Jim
Crow Era
 Booker T. Washington
 He believed achieving economic
independence was key in gaining equality
 African Americans should not protest
discrimination
 Ida B. Wells
 She called for cooperation with Southern
whites in order to gain equality