Download Reconstruction Plans

Reconstruction Plans
Mindset #46
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As we learned last week, the Civil War ended when
the South surrendered, but the war was far from
over. It left devastation and destruction all
throughout the nation.
Summarize the two plans for Reconstruction –
Lincoln and Johnson.
Should the South be punished for its actions during
the Civil War or be forgiven and allowed to recover?
THINKER: What do you think is more important for
the U.S. after the Civil War: restoration of the Union
or helping freed slaves achieve equality? EXPLAIN!
Discussion Questions
The debate over Reconstruction centered
around three issues:
 Under what terms were the former
Confederate States to be readmitted to
the Union, and who should establish those
terms – Congress or the President?
 Who should be punished for the rebellion
and how?
 What was to be done, if anything, to aid
the newly freed slaves?
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Reconstruction
The Confederates had been defeated and their
homes were completely destroyed.
 Charleston, SC was described as “a city of ruins,
of desolation, of empty houses, of widowed
women, of rotting docks, of deserted
warehouses, of weed wild gardens, of acres of
pitiful….barrenness.”
 Between 1865 and 1877 the federal government
implemented reconstruction which was a
program to repair the damage to the South and
restore southern states to the Union.
 This program was extremely controversial.
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After – Effects of the Civil War
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Physical: destroyed 2/3 of South’s shipping
industry and 9,000 miles of railroads. It
ruined farm land, farm buildings, farm
machinery, animals, livestock, bridges, canals
and factories. The value of Southern property
decreased 70%.
Humans: destroyed a whole generation of
young, healthy men.
One out of three southern men were killed or
wounded.
After – Effects of the Civil War
Postwar South:
 Black Southerners: 4 million freed slaves were
starting a new life. As slaves, they received food
and shelter. Now, they found themselves
homeless, unemployed, and starved.
 Plantation Owners: Planters lost slave labor
worth $3 billion. The government seized $100
million in land and cotton.
 Poor White Southerners: high unemployment
rate because of competition, many started
moving West
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Lincoln’s Reconstruction Plan
 Offered
a pardon (official forgiveness of
a crime) to any Confederate who took an
oath of allegiance.
 Denied pardons to all Confederates who
had killed African American war prisoners.
 Permitted each state to create a new state
constitution (only when 10% of voters
had sworn their allegiance)
 States should hold elections and resume
full participation in the Union.
Johnson’s Reconstruction Plan
 Pardoned
southerners who swore
allegiance to the Union.
 Permitted each state to hold a
constitutional convention (without
Lincoln’s 10%)
 States could hold elections to rejoin the
Union ONLY if they voided secession,
abolished slavery and denied the
Confederate debt.
Johnson’s Views on Slavery
Even though Johnson remained in
Washington supporting President Lincoln,
he closely identified with his fellow
Southerners' views on slavery.
 Johnson disagreed strongly with their calls
to break up the Union over the issue.
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Johnson the Hero
Johnson was deemed a traitor; his
property was confiscated and his wife and
two daughters were driven from the state.
 In the North, however, Johnson's stand
made him an overnight hero.
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Emancipation
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Though Johnson was deeply committed to
saving the Union, he did not believe in the
emancipation of slaves.
After Lincoln made him the military governor
of Tennessee, Johnson convinced the
President to exempt Tennessee from the
Emancipation Proclamation.
By the summer of 1863, however, he began
to favor emancipation as a war measure.
Equality for Blacks
It quickly became clear that Johnson
would block efforts to force Southern
states to guarantee full equality for blacks.
 The stage was set for a showdown with
Congress, who viewed black voting rights
as crucial to their power base in the
South.
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Stopping the President
In 1866, Congress passed the Freedmen's
Bureau Bill.
 Civil Rights Act of 1866 – granting citizenship
 Congress also passed the Fourteenth
Amendment to the Constitution, authorizing the
federal government to protect the rights of all
citizens.
 Each of these -- except the Amendment -- was
passed over President Johnson's veto.
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Impeach the President
In a final humiliating gesture, Congress passed
the Tenure of Office Act, which stripped the
President of the power to remove federal
officials without the Senate's approval.
 In direct opposition to the act, he fired Secretary
of War Stanton.
 Congress then voted to impeach Johnson by a
vote of 126 to 47 in February 1868.
 He was acquitted by 1 vote.
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Impeach the President
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Citing his violation of the
Tenure of Office Act
and charging that he had
brought disgrace and
ridicule on Congress, an
impeachment trial was
held.
By a margin of one vote,
the Senate voted not to
convict Johnson, and he
served the duration of the
term won by Lincoln.
Radical Republicans in Congress
Strongly antislavery
 Wanted total political change in the south
 Wade-Davis Bill
Majority of white male population had
to swear loyalty to the Union
 Helped to pass many legislative acts to
give rights to newly freed slaves
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13th Amendment
1865
 “Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude,
except as a punishment for crime whereof
the party shall have been duly convicted,
shall exist within the United States, or any
place subject to their jurisdiction.”
 Officially abolished and prohibited slavery.
 CIVIL RIGHTS ACT: 1866 – gives citizenship
to African Americans and guarantees equal
protection under the law.
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14th Amendment
1868
 “No state shall make or enforce any law
which shall abridge the privileges or
immunities of citizens of the United States;
nor shall any state deprive any person of life,
liberty, or property, without due process of
law; nor deny to any person within its
jurisdiction the equal protection of the
laws…”
 Prevented states from denying rights to any
United States citizen.
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15
Amendment
1870
 “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.”
 Gives all citizens the right to vote
regardless of race, color, or former
servitude.
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 Land
African Americans’ New
Freedoms
ownership: could purchase land
 Worship: formed their own churches,
volunteer groups, clubs, and associations.
 Education: In 5 years, they founded 30
African American learning institutions.
 Sharecropping: provided land and capital
for workers; both parties working together
 Freedmen’s Bureau: gave clothing,
medical supplies, education, and meals to
black and white war refugees.
Radical Reconstruction
 The
free movement of blacks terrified
the less populated whites.
 Black Codes: laws restricting the rights
of newly freed African Americans; such
as, contract negotiation, travel,
weapons, and property ownership.
(some states were more radical)
 Ku Klux Klan (KKK): lynching blacks and
any whites who might support them.
Radical Reconstruction
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US v. CRUIKSHANK (1875)
A mob of whites attacked and killed 100
blacks over black voting rights.
 The court ruled that the Reconstruction
amendments only applied to state
governments and not individuals.
 This made it difficult to prosecute groups
such as the KKK for civil rights violations.
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End of Reconstruction
The end of Reconstruction was met with
extreme racism and corruption.
 By 1877 Reconstruction was dead and the
North had lost interest in helping Southern
blacks.
 Many factors contributed to its demise:
1. Economic troubles in the country
2. A more conservative turn in the nation
3. A general feeling that Reconstruction failed
4. The resurgence of the Democratic party
5. Allowance of racist attitudes.
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Closure
What were the similarities and differences
between Lincoln and Johnson’s
Reconstruction plans?
 What were the 13, 14, 15 Amendments?
 How did the Freedmen’s Bureau and Black
Codes effect African Americans?
 Why did Reconstruction fail?
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