Download Civil War Era Essay Info and Reconstruction Notes

 Essential Question:
– What were the success &
failures of federal attempts to
reconstruct the Union after the
Civil War (1865-1877)?
 Who wins the Civil War?
Carl Von Clausewitz
 “War is the continuation of politics
by other means.”
 What does it mean?
The Successes of Reconstruction
Based upon the image below, what was the
major success of Reconstruction?
Successes of Reconstruction
 Through Reconstruction, the
national gov’t achieved Lincoln’s
original goal: “Preserve the Union”
– By 1870, all 11 Confederate
states had been re-admitted
into the United States
– The states’ rights & nullification
arguments came to an end
America
Americaat
atthe
theEnd
StartofofReconstruction
the Civil War (1861)
(1877)
Successes of Reconstruction
 Reconstruction led to the end of
slavery & protections for all citizens,
including African-Americans:
– 13th Amendment ended slavery
– 14th Amendment guaranteed all
citizens, regardless of race, equal
protection under the law
– 15th Amendment gave voting rights
to African-American men
Successes of Reconstruction
 Reconstruction was the “golden age”
of voting for African-Americans:
– With the right to vote, military
districts, & federal troops in the
South to protect voters, AfricanAmericans were empowered
– The first black politicians were
elected to state & national offices
– Republicans took control of state
governments in the South
The First African-American Congressmen
The “Invisible Empire” of the South
The Failure of Federal Enforcement
Failures of Reconstruction
Credit
Mobilier,
Whiskey
Ring,
 …The inability of the federal gov’t
& Indian Ring scandals
to sustain Reconstruction
– Corruption scandals during
Grant’s presidency & economic
recession in 1873 distracted
northerners from Reconstruction
– The Supreme Court ruled
against civil rights laws designed
to protect African-Americans
Failures of Reconstruction
 …Supporting the return of the
Democratic Party to state gov’ts:
– The KKK & black codes became
successful in limiting black voting
– Federal troops & military districts
had difficulty protecting blacks
– One-by-one, Southern state gov’ts
shifted from Republican control to
the Democratic Party
– These “Redeemer Democrats”
hoped to restore the “Old South”
The Rise of “Redeemer Democrats” in the South
 In 1877, Reconstruction ended:
– The Democratic Party returned to
power in all 11 Southern states
– The only thing protecting blacks were
federal troops; but by 1875, Grant
had stopped sending reinforcements
 The “Compromise of 1877”:
– In the 1876 election, neither Democrat
Tilden nor Republican Hayes won a
majority of electoral vote
– Democrats in Congress agreed to
vote for Hayes if the remaining federal
troops were withdrawn from the South
1876 PresidentialPresident
Election
Hayes
removed federal
troops & ended
military zones
Reconstruction
officially ended in 1877
Jim Crow Era (1877 to 1954)
 With Reconstruction over, the
Jim Crow era began (1877-1954)
– Jim Crow laws, such as literacy
tests (reading requirements) &
poll taxes (fees to vote) kept
African-Americans from voting
– Grandfather clauses allowed poor
whites to avoid these laws & vote
 In Plessy v Ferguson (1896), the
Supreme Court said segregation
was OK (“separate but equal”)
“Jim Crow” South from 1877 to 1954
You will be writing a 5-paragraph
Essay
The question you will answer  Who wins the Civil War?
Smaller questions and ideas you’ll need to keep in mind to answer the
bigger question.
1.How is victory defined during the Civil War?
How does Abraham Lincoln define the goals of the war?
2.How do you define freedom for freed slaves after the war?
Civil Liberties?
Economic Liberties?
3. Does the North achieve their goals?
At the end of reconstruction does the South fulfill your ideas of
freedom?
Use your notes from the Gettysburg Address and reconstruction to answer the
questions above.