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Reconstruction 1865-1877
State of the South
Ruins in Front of the Capitol – Richmond, VA, 1865
Grounds of the Ruined Arsenal with Scattered Shot and Shell
- Richmond, VA, April 1865
Guns and Ruined Buildings Near the Tredegar Iron Works - Richmond,
VA, April 1865
Above: Charleston, South
Carolina
Right: Atlanta, Georgia
Crippled Locomotive, Richmond & Petersburg Railroad Depot Richmond, VA, 1865
A Southern armored railroad gun
has gone as far as it can on these
rails, typifying Civil War
destruction of Southern railroad
tracks. (Virginia)
This famous photo was taken
looking across the ruins of the
railroad bridge in
Fredericksburg, Virginia
· Newly freed slaves, freedmen, had no land, jobs, or education.
Left and
right:
post-Civil
War Ohio
Atlanta, GA
After the Civil War
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The Civil War was the most costly war in American History in
terms of total devastation.
At least 618,000 Americans died in the Civil War, and some
experts say the toll reached 700,000.
These casualties exceed the nation's loss in all its other wars,
from the Revolution through Vietnam.
Amazing War Losses
300,000
250,000
200,000
North
South
150,000
100,000
50,000
0
Battle
Sickness
Obstacles to Overcome
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1. What to do with the leaders of the
Confederacy
Johnson wanted to pardon them, congress
wanted to hang them
2. What was the legal and constitutional status
of Freedmen (freed slaves)
3. How does a state return to the Union?
Lincoln wanted it done quickly but the Radical
Republicans wanted to punish the south and
occupy it with the military
Reconstruction Plan
• President Lincoln wanted to reunite the
nation as quickly as possible.
• Any southern state with at least 10% of its
voters making a pledge to be loyal to the
U.S. could be readmitted to the Union.
• The South also had to accept a ban on
slavery.
Lincoln is assassinated
• Just six days after the war ended, on
April 15, 1865, President Abraham
Lincoln was assassinated while
watching a play.
• Lincoln was assassinated by John
Wilkes Booth, a Southerner who was
angry at Lincoln.
• Vice-President Andrew Johnson
became president.
Presidential Reconstruction
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Presidential Reconstruction was
controlled by Lincoln and Johnson
Its goal was to reunite the country as
quickly and painlessly as possible
The 13th amendment had been passed
abolishing slavery
Johnson was sympathetic to the South
a.
b.
10% pledge oath of loyalty to union
Rewrite state Constitution outlawing slavery
and secession
The South Mistreats the Freedmen
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After the war Southern State governments will issue
Black Codes
Black codes denied African Americans
 Voting rights
 The right to to own property
 The right to preach
 The right to testify in court or serve on a jury
 The right to leave their plantations
 The right to own guns
 The right to public meetings
 Some will say it was worse than slavery
Tenant Farming
- Many former slaves will have no money or skills and will
continue to work on the same land as Sharecroppers or
Tenant Farmers
- Sharecroppers were people who worked for a landlord,
using the landlords equipment for a portion of their crop.
- Landlords took advantage of the slaves and forced them
into permanent debt
Sharecropping
Disenfranchisement
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Many laws were passed to prevent former slaves
from voting
The grandfather clause said that if your
grandfather could not vote, neither can you
“Literacy Tests” would be given before you could
vote if you were black
The Pole Tax was a law that would require people
to pay a tax to vote, former slaves could not afford
this
The KKK was created to “protect southern values”
and disenfranchise black voters
Ku Klux Klan
• In 1866 a group of white southerners created
the Ku Klux Klan.
• The KKK was a secret society opposed to
African Americans obtaining civil rights,
particularly the right to vote.
• The KKK used violence and intimidation to
frighten blacks.
• Klan members wore white robes and hoods to
hide their identities.
• The Klan was known to have murdered many
people.
Radical Republicans
• The Black Codes angered many Republicans in
Congress who felt the South was returning to its
old ways.
• The Radical Republicans wanted the South to
change more before they could be readmitted to
the Union.
• They were angry at President Johnson for
letting the South off so easy.
Freedman’s Bureau
- Established by Congress
to help freed slaves
and some poor whites
- Often help educate the
former slaves building
schools and hiring
teachers
- Many of these teachers
came from the north
and were distrusted
by the former
Confederates
- Northerners who came
south were known as
Carpetbaggers
- Southerners who worked
with the Bureau were
known as Scalawags
Johnson Blocks Congress
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When Congress attempts to continue the
Freedman’s Bureau Johnson will Veto it.
Congress will try to pass the Civil Rights Act of
1866 which will give equal rights to former
slaves
Johnson will veto it as well
Congress will also try to pass the Military
Reconstruction Act
Johnson will also Veto it
Congress has a 2/3 majority of Radical
Republicans so it will override Johnson’s Veto
Congressional Reconstruction (1866-1877)
1. Radical republicans wanted to punish the South,
viewed them as conquered territories
2. Majority of citizens must pledge loyalty, not just 10%
3. Passed 14th, 15th Amendments
4. Led by Thaddeus Stevens
5. Reconstruction Act of 1867 – divided former
Confederacy into 5 military districts (military
occupation), set up new requirements to gain
readmission to the Union
This will be known as Military Reconstruction
Johnson Impeached:
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Impeached means to be ACCUSED of a crime
Johnson is impeached for violating the Tenure
of Office Act
The Tenure of Office Act said it was illegal for
a president to fire a cabinet member without the
consent of the Senate
The House of Representatives can impeach a
president, but he is tried in the Senate
Senate saved Johnson by 1 vote
The 14th Amendment
• The 14th Amendment guaranteed
citizenship to all people born or naturalized
within the U.S. except for the Indians.
• It said that state governments could not
“deprive any person of life, liberty, or
property, without due process of law.”
15th Amendment
• In 1870 the 15th Amendment became law.
• The 15th Amendment gave African
American men the right to vote.
• Women’s rights activists were angry
because the amendment did not also
grant women the right to vote.
Military Reconstruction
New President
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In 1868 Ulysses S. Grant will be elected
president, he will be considered one of the worst
presidents
His presidency will be filled with corruption like
The Whiskey Ring- Where a group of
congressmen stole money from the tax on
whiskey
The Gold Ring- Where 2 men tried to buy a
majority of the country's gold and then sell it at a
huge profit, thus ruining the economy
Credit Moblier Scandal- Where members of
Grant's cabinet set up a railroad company that
didn't exist and then got federal money to build
railroads they didn't build
Election of 1876
Compromise of 1877
(2nd Corrupt Bargain)
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The election of 1876 was disputed and to become
president Hayes had to make a deal with the
south
Hayes agreed to end reconstruction if the south
would agree to his presidency Hayes also agreed
to help industrialize the south
As soon as he is elected he pulled troops out of
the southern states
The result is the “Solid South” which was the
south voting for democrats in every election from
1860 to 1964
Hayes will never industrialize the south like he
agreed
Solid South
Jim Crow
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After the troops leave the south Jim Crow laws will
go into effect
These laws will deny blacks rights despite all of the
amendments passed to secure those rights
Jim Crow will later be known as segregation, it
would deny blacks equal facilities such as
restaurants, water fountains, and schools
Jim Crow will also deny blacks the right to vote