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Reconstruction
Identifying the Different Plans
for Reconstructing the South
What Are the Issues?


Reconstruction: The
process of readmitting the
11 southern states back
into the Union, rebuilding
its economy, and protect
the rights of former slaves
Issue #1: What
requirement will there be
for readmission?



Are Confederate leaders
traitors?
Quick vs Slow?
Oath of loyalty to the
US?
What Are the Issues?

Issue #2: How will the Southern economy
be rebuilt?



Half of livestock gone, ¼ of white men killed in
war
4 million freed blacks in the South with no homes
or jobs
Who should control the land?


40 acres and a mule to freed blacks?
Is is constitutional to take land away from some?
What Are the Issues?

Issue #3: What rights
will African Americans
have?



Slaves had been freed,
but blacks still had no
rights of citizens
White northerners vs.
white Southerners
Why might Southerners not
want to give blacks full
citizenship at this time?
Lincoln’s Plan


Lincoln wanted to go easy
on the South (moderate
plan)
Ten Percent Plan:


Each state needed 10% of
its voters to swear loyalty
to the Union before it could
form an official state
government
If a state abolished slavery
and gave education to
blacks, it could be
represented in Congress
Lincoln’s Plan

Lincoln was generous
to Southerners



Granted pardons to
Confederate officials
Did not provide for
equality of AA’s
Lincoln wanted
Reconstruction to be
done with “malice
toward none”
A Presidential pardon saved this Turkey’s
life on Thanksgiving. Way to go George!
Opposition to Lincoln’s Plan


Members of Lincoln’s own party didn’t think his
plan went far enough
This group is known as the Radical Republicans

Led by Thaddeus Stevens and Charles Sumner
Beliefs of Radical Republicans

Believe:
 Confederates committed crimes by enslaving
AA’s
 Confederates committed crimes by starting
the Civil War


Advocate for full citizenship for AA’s,
Sherman’s “40 acres and a mule”
Harsh punishment of the South
Radical-Republicans Plan

The Radical Republicans
in Congress helped pass
the Wade-Davis Bill:


A majority of pre-war
voters in South must swear
oath of loyalty to Union
Demanded guarantee of
AA equality

Abe Lincoln blocked this
bill by a pocket veto:
Meaning he just never
signed it
The Government Supports Freedmen

Radical Republicans
and the President did
agree on one thing


Established the
Freedman’s Bureau
Goal to provide clothing,
healthcare, and
education for black and
white refugees in the
South
President Johnson



Andrew Johnson
would replace Lincoln
after the assassination
in 1865
Born in Raleigh NC
He wanted the quick
re-admittance of
Southern states to the
Union
Johnson’s Plan



Offered pardons to
any Confederate
swearing allegiance to
Union and Constitution
Each state must ratify
the 13th amendment
Supported states
rights and did NOT
want equality of
African Americans
Southerners Return to Old Ways


Most Confederate states
quickly were readmitted
under Johnson’s plan
But problems remained



Black codes were
established
These laws limited the
rights of African
Americans
Prevented freedman
from owning land, kept
them working it though
The Black Codes

Jobs were limited for AA’s




Servants
Farm laborers
Law stated any black
person without a job could
be arrested and sent to
work in a prison camp
Violence and intimidation
was used to enforce these
black codes
Congress Fights Back



Republicans refused to
allow Southerners to sit
in Congress
Republicans also tried to
force the South to treat
AA’s equally
Republicans passed
legislation to help freed
slaves, but President
Johnson vetoed these
attempts
Congressional Plans for
Reconstruction


Congress blamed violent
and disobedience in the
South on Johnson’s
lenient policies
2/3 majority in congress
decide to override one of
Johnson’s vetoes


Civil Rights Act of 1866
passed
This gave a federal
guarantee of civil rights
for AA’s (outlawed
black codes)
Radical Reconstruction Begins

14th amendment: Guarantees citizenship
for all AA’s



Also prevented any state from passing laws that
take away civil rights from citizens
Any state not following this could not take
part in Congress
No former Confederate officials could take
part in government
Radical Reconstruction Begins


Congress also divided 10 southern states into 5 military
districts
Union Generals would govern each district and make
sure laws are enforced
Radical Reconstruction Begins

In order to be welcomed into the Union, each
state had to write a new constitution that granted
suffrage for AA’s

Also must ratify 14th amendment
Johnson Is Impeached!


Tenure of Office Act:
This limited the power
of the President by
requiring Senate
approval before firing
certain government
officials
Johnson tested this by
firing the Sec. Of War
(a Radical Republican)
Johnson Is Impeached!

Congress responds by
impeaching Johnson



Impeach: to charge with
wrongdoing in office
Congress was one vote
shy of removing Johnson
from office
Before leaving, Johnson
would let Radical
Reconstruction take its
course
15 Amendment



15th amendment: No
citizen can be denied the
right to vote because of
“race, color, or previous
condition of servitude”
Enforcement Acts: This
made intimidation of
voters a federal crime
Both of these ensure a fair
voting process
Reconstruction In
the South
African Americans Use Political
Power

By 1870 the Union
was pieced back
together



Million of southern black
men were now able to
vote
The result was many
southern states with
black elected officials
Republican Party gains
a lot of strength from
this group of voters as
well
Scalawags In the South



Scalawag: Southern white men who voted
for the Republican Party
Most white southerners viewed the
scalawags as traitors to the South
This gave the hated Republican party even
more strength in the South
Carpetbaggers In the South


Carpetbaggers:
Northerners who came to
the South for economic or
political gain
Southerners view them as
opportunists trying to
make a fortune off the
devastated Southern
economy
Successes

and
In the South, women
had opportunity to
work in medical field,
child care, education,
or relief work



Failures
School were
segregated between
blacks and whites
Education was poor in
the South
Racial violence in the
South
Freed People Build New Lives

With freedom, most blacks still suffered from
poor housing and food, while still working the
land for someone else
Remaking the Southern Economy



Most of Southern land was owned by
wealthy white men
This leaves many landless white and black
men
This left 3 options:



Sharecropping
Share-tenancy
Tenant farming
Sharecropping

Sharecropping: A system
where landowners
determine which crop will
be grown


Landowner provides place
to live for the farmer, as
well as any seed or tools
needed to farm
The farmer would receive
a small “share” of the
harvested crop and give
the rest to the landowner
Sharecropping

Problem: The landowner used credit to buy the supplies


He simply passed this cost along to the sharecropper, who was
always in debt
This system was often just as bad (or worse) than slavery
Share-tenancy

Share-tenancy: Similar to sharecropping, except
the farmer chose the crop to be grown


Farmer buys own supplies
This allows the farmer to control his money more
Tenant Farming

Tenant Farming:
Farmer pays rent (in
cash) to landowner


Farmer was free to do
whatever he wanted
with the land
This was more rare as it
required one to already
have money (of which
former slaves had none)
Violence Hurts Reform Efforts


Southerners resented
the Republican party,
military occupation,
and harsh economic
conditions
The KKK was one
group (Ku Klux Klan)

Use terrorism against
AA’s and any who
support AA rights
The Government Responds


The KKK burned buildings, murdered
freedmen and their allies
To curb this violence, Congress passed the
Enforcement Acts

This made it against the law to interfere with any
citizen’s right to vote
This did help reduce violence, but it did not
eliminate it
End of
Reconstruction
Corruption During Grant’s Presidency


US Grant had a
disappointing
Presidency
He gave high level
government jobs to
friends


What is this called?
These “friends” used
their jobs to become rich,
often involving illegal
activities
Corruption During Grant’s Presidency

As more and more corruption was exposed,
the public lost confidence in its leaders
Economic Trouble

1873 – A major bank
failed as a result of
giving out risky loans
that weren't being paid
back




This big bank ran out of
money
Now, businesses can’t
afford to pay employees
That leads to job losses
People aren’t buying,
so businesses fail
Economic Trouble



This leads to the Panic
of 1873
It was a time of an
uncertain and weak
economy
High unemployment
and not many people
buying goods
Causes For the End of Reconstruction

Northern support goes
away




Corruption in politics
became a more important
issue to Northerners
The economy distracted
Northerners
Cost of military occupation
in South was viewed as
too high
Radical Republican
leaders were dead
Causes For the End of Reconstruction

Supreme Court Stalls
Equality Efforts


Slaughterhouse cases
attempted to take away
equal rights
US vs. Cruikshank: This
stated that the AA’s
were not protected from
individuals, only the
state government
Causes For the End of Reconstruction

Southern Whites Gain
Power



Redeemers: Southern, white
politicians who wanted to
“redeem” the South in
Congress
In other words, they wanted
to break free from
Republican, northern control
This support for the
Democratic party by
Southerners is known as the
solid south
Reconstruction Ends

Election of 1876



Republican = Rutherford B. Hayes
Democrat = Samuel Tilden
Both were devoted to fighting corruption
Election of 1876



The results were disputed, with Tilden winning the
popular vote
Republicans claimed the votes were miscounted
The Compromise of 1877 decided Hayes would be
president, but…




Military withdrawn from the South
Southerner appointed to President’s cabinet
South given $ to improve RR’s and ports
Official end of Reconstruction
Effects of Reconstruction

On the South



A tax supported school system for the 1st time
Money to improve RR’s
No more dependence on cotton, now its several
crops
Effects of Reconstruction

On African Americans



Now could vote, own
land
Freedmen’s Bureau
helped to reunite
families and educated
freed slaves
13th, 14th, 15th
amendments all helped
AA’s
Effects of Reconstruction

On Women’s
Attempts to Vote


Women did NOT receive
the right to vote
Women like Elizabeth
Cady Stanton formed
National Woman
Suffrage Association
(NWSA)

Called for immediate
right to vote for women
Effects of Reconstruction

On State and National
Politics

AA’s and northerners
were primarily Republican


Party supporting Big
Business
White Southerners
dominated the Democrats

Party supporting laborers