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The period following the Civil War is most commonly referred to as, “Reconstruction” because is was during this time that American’s attempted to reunite (reconstruct) their shattered nation. PROBLEMS OF PEACEKEEPING To rebuild a nation that has been fighting a major civil war for four years was no easy task, to say the least!!! ? - What kinds of problems would arise between the two regions as they attempted to reunite in the years following the war? The Aftermath of War and Emancipation An extreme sense of bitterness existed between both sides! ? – How were Southerners feeling about the outcome of the war? Still believed that their view of secession was correct* Were angry about the destruction that had taken place to their land, cities, and people Didn’t know how they could go on with 260,000 of their men dead How would their families go on? How could they survive without the men to rebuild their farms and plantations? The future seemed bleak and many still held on to the idea of the “glorious cause” ? – What was the fate of the defeated Confederate leaders? After brief jail terms all were pardoned in 1868 ? – What type of toll did the war have on the economy of the South? The economy was utterly defeated ? – How has the war impacted the life of freed African Americans in the South? Freedom came haltingly and uneven in different parts Furthermore, although the institution is eventually destroyed African Americans are not enjoying a sweet sense of freedom – Why? They have nowhere to go, nothing to start with, and little to no political means. If southern whites thought the war caused them peril, freedmen had it ten times worse. Competing Notions of Freedom For African Americans the notion of “freedom” meant many things: Reparations – some blacks felt that they should be in some way compensated for their years of forced labor and service. They felt that the South and slave owners owed them – monetarily, physically, psychologically, etc. Freedom and Participation - some freedmen simply wanted the right to vote and actively participate in government Regardless of their position about their new found freedom one thing all freed slaves agreed upon was their desire for independence from white control Almost immediately upon their release from slavery, African Americans began to gather in groups, creating their own autonomous communities throughout the South Black neighborhoods, churches, aid societies, and where possible black schools took form AME, Southern Baptist Church* In 1865 freedmen began traveling to test their freedom, search for family members, and seek economic opportunity Many “Exodusters” fled to Kansas* to escape the confines of southern rule, however this faltered when steamboat captains refused to transport any more former slaves across the Mississippi ? – How did white southerners react to this “loss of control?” Many whites were not willing to give up their “authority” and status of supremacy in the South…so they derived alternative means to keep African American in their antebellum, subservient positions. (Black codes, sharecropping) After the war, the north continued to keep Union troops throughout the South in order to restore and keep the peace In March of 1865, Congress established the Freedmen’s Bureau. What was this agency and why was it created? An agency directed by General Oliver Howard Was intended to be a postwar welfare agency for former slaves Distributed food to millions of freedmen Most notably it established schools staffed by missionaries and teachers How effective was this organization?* - President Johnson, much like many southerners, viewed the agency as a meddlesome federal agency that should be killed Issues of Reconstruction Keep in mind that the “absence” of the South from in Congress during the past four years left the Republican Party basically unchallenged. Created many programs that might not have been passed with an opposition party The reunification of the North and South jeopardized those programs along with the dominance of the Republicans….this made them very careful Republicans did not want to lose support, yet many wanted Southerners to pay for what they had done what the Union The party’s disagreement amongst its members on what approach to use caused tension amongst many Republicans Different Approaches, Different Programs: Radicals-----------Moderates--------Conservatives ? – What might each group ask for/demand of the Southern states before they would be readmitted to the Union? Radicals Make them pay!! Don’t go too easy on the Rebs. That have cost us human lives, millions of dollars, etc…they should be dealt with harshly. Moderates Yes, southerners should be made aware of their mistakes; however, we should not punish them too harshly. Let’s take the middle of the road approach. Conservatives We should make the transition as smooth as possible. We must aim to create a country, united, once again. Plans for Reconstruction ? How did Lincoln feel about Reconstruction? Outline his plan. Lincoln’s __10__% Plan Lincoln took a moderate to conservative approach Offered a general amnesty to white southerners – other than high officials in the Confederacy – who would pledge loyalty to the government and accept the elimination of slavery Whenever 10% of the # of voters in 1860 took an oath to be loyal, then those voters could begin to set up a new state government in their state Lincoln also looked to extend suffrage to those blacks who were educated, owned property, or had served in the Union army Understand that according to the congressional Republicans the Southern states were “conquered provinces” that had completely left the Union and therefore were at the mercy of Congress. ? - How did Congress first attempt to deal with Reconstruction? ___Wade____-__Davis_____Bill It authorized the president to appoint a provisional governor for each conquered state. When a majority of the white males of the state pledged their allegiance to the Union, the governor could summon a state constitutional convention, whose delegates were to be elected by those who would swear that they had never borne arms against the U.S. The new state constitutions would have to abolish slavery, disenfranchise Confederate civil and military leaders, and repudiate debts accumulated by the state governments during the war. After a state had met these conditions, Congress would readmit it to the Union. The Wade-Davis Bill (like the President’s proposal) left up to the state the questions of political rights for blacks ? - Was this bill a success? No, Lincoln disposed of it with a pocket veto Furthermore, the controversy surrounding the Wade-Davis Bill and the readmission of the Confederate states demonstrated the deep difference between President Lincoln and Congress The Death of Lincoln No one knows for sure what type of Reconstruction plan might have passed had Lincoln lived out his second term in office Immediately after the assassination of Lincoln on April 14th, 1865, Vice President, ___Andrew Johnson__________ took the oath of office along with a different take on Reconstruction or as he called it Restoration Johnson and “Restoration” ? - Why was it considered that Johnson was not well suited, either by circumstance or personality for the task of leading the nation through Reconstruction? He was not a “true Republican” in terms of reconstructing a country based on freedom for both blacks and whites. Johnson was openly hostile to the freed slaves and unwilling to support any plans that guaranteed them civil equality or enfranchisement. “White men alone must manage the South” – Andrew Johnson* Presidential Reconstruction (How the president intended to reconstruct the country) President Johnson quickly put his Reconstruction plan into action while Congress was on vacation in the summer of 1865. He aim was to quickly restore the southern states under a few conditions that he felt were most important. ? – What were the major components of Johnson’s plan? How was it similar and different than that which Lincoln had designed? Johnson’s Restoration Like Lincoln, he offered amnesty to those Southerners who would take an oath of allegiance; however, Johnson wanted high ranking Confederate officials and white Southerners with land worth $20,000 or more to apply the President for an individual pardon! (Other than that the rest of his plan resembled, very closely that of the Wade-Davis Bill rejected by Lincoln). For each state the president appointed a provisional governor, who was to invite qualified voters to elect delegates to a constitutional convention. In order to win readmission to Congress, a state had to revoke it ordinance of secession, abolish slavery, ratify the 13th amendment and pay back the Confederate and state war debts. The final procedure before restoration was for a state to elect a state government and send representatives to Congress. Radical Reconstruction Members of Congress were FURIOUS at Johnson! (They even refused to seat the representatives of states that complied and were admitted under Johnson’s plan) Republicans were not willing to sit back and allow Johnson to decide the future of the Unites States; therefore they set up a Joint Committee on Reconstruction to investigate conditions in the South and to help Congress create a Reconstruction policy of its own. All the while the south decided not to wait for Congress to get their act together, instead at the state and local level they began to pull some hi-jinks of their own. The Black Codes ? – What were “black codes”?* Laws designed to reestablish planter control over black workers in the South Varied from state to state – Examples: Codes authorized local officials to apprehend unemployed blacks, fine them for vagrancy, and hire them out to private employers to satisfy the fine Some of the codes prohibited blacks serving on juries, renting land, punishment for idleness, and fines for jumping labor contracts The main purpose was to ensure a stable and subservient labor force ? – How did Congress/Northerners react to the Black Codes? Many felt that the arrogant South was acting as if the North had not really won the Civil War Extended the life of Freedmen’s Bureau and widened its powers Passed the First Civil Rights Act (1866) ? – What did the Civil Rights Act of 1866 do? It declared African Americans to be citizens of the United States and empowered the federal government to intervene in the state affairs when necessary to protect the rights of citizens. The Fourteenth Amendment* 1866 – Radical Republican Governments created the 14th Amendment ? – So what did it protect? It protected the rights of American citizens ? – How did the Constitution define and protect “American citizens”? “Everyone born in the United States, and everyone naturalized, was automatically a citizen and entitled to equal protection of the laws by both states and national governments” The 14th amendment imposed penalties on states that denied suffrage to any adult male inhabitants Feminist leaders put up a fuss because now for the first time did the Constitution reference gender….and it was exclusive to males ? – How did the 14th Amendment punish former Confederates who wanted to return to work in the Federal Government? It also prohibited those who had taken an oath to support the Constitution and later has aided the Confederacy from holding any federal office unless 2/3 of Congress voted to pardon them The 14th Amendment did NOT meet the necessary requirements for ratification (3/4 of the states approval), and therefore was put on hold for some time…… ……in the meantime, the Radical Republicans were getting stronger The Congressional Remedy For almost two years after the war had ended, the Republican party was unable to create and pass a Reconstruction plan. This delay actually made it more difficult for the South to swallow once a plan was finally put into action. ? What was the Congressional Reconstruction Plan? A not so simple plan! Under this plan, the state of TENNESSEE, which had ratified the 14th Amendment and had been admitted under the Johnson plan would be readmitted to the Union All of the other former Confederate states readmitted under the Johnson and Lincoln plans were rejected and would have to reapply – meeting new criteria The 10 remaining Southern states would be combined in the five military districts Each district would be overseen by military commander in charge of registering qualified voters Note: A “qualified voter” would be adult black males and those white males who had not participated in the rebellion These voters would elect members to a convention to prepare a new state constitution, which had to include provisions for black male suffrage Once voters ratified the new state constitutions, states could hold elections for a new state government Congress approved of the state’s new If constitution, if the state legislature ratified the 14th Amendment, and if enough states ratified it to make the amendment a part of Constitution, then the state was to be restored to the Union By 1870, all 10 of the Former Confederate states had met the requirements and been readmitted to the Union The Fifteenth Amendment ? – What did the 15th Amendment protect? It forbade the states and the federal government to deny suffrage to any (Male) citizens on account of “race, color, or previous condition of servitude” ? – What kind of an impact did the 15th Amendment have on African American voters? On paper, it seemed like an honorable pursuit of justice, however in reality, it did very little to truly guarantee African Americans their right to vote Whites found ways to prevent African Americans, and poor white Americans, from voting for years to come (poll tax, literacy tests) Impeaching the President* Radical Republicans went to great lengths to stop Andrew Johnson from interfering with their programs. In 1867, they created the Tenure of Office Act. ? – What did this state? The president would not be allowed to remove civil officials, including members of the cabinet, without the consent of the Senate (an obvious attempt to protect Edwin Stanton’s job as Secretary of War, because he was cooperating with the Radicals) They also created the Command of the Army Act in 1867. this law prohibited the President from issuing military orders except through the commanding general of the army (Grant) whose headquarters were to be in D.C. and who could not be relieved or assigned elsewhere without the consent of the Senate So what in the world was Congress hoping to accomplish? They wanted to get rid of Johnson! He was “in their way.” However the only Constitutional ground for impeachment to find him guilty of high crimes and misdemeanors ? – How did Johnson react to the newly created laws of Congress? He was outraged and reacted exactly the way Congress had hoped that he would. He purposely violated the Tenure of Office Act by dismissing Secretary Stanton, for he felt the law was unconstitutional ? – What happened next? Radicals in the House impeached the President on 11 charges and sent them to the Senate for trial ? – What happened at the trial? The trial took place during April and May of 1868 The final count was 35 to 19, one vote short of the required 2/3 majority necessary Some Senators finally realized they should not abuse the system of Checks and Balances The Senate was also concerned with who would follow Johnson in office and feared a destabilizing period Johnson also promised to stop obstructing all Republican policies The Radical Republican Congress also threatened the power of the Supreme Court during the Reconstruction Period. How? What did they do? Radicals were unhappy with the Court’s ruling in Ex parte Mulligan. Why? The justices declared that the military tribunals set up in places were civil courts already existed were unconstitutional – this decision threatened Congress’ system of military rule in the South Congress immediately proposed legislation that would make the ordinary functioning and decision making process of the Supreme Court difficult…the justices felt the pressure and backed off Over the next two years, the Supreme Court refused to accept any cases involving Reconstruction Supporters of the Republican Party Following Johnson, northern favorite Ulysses S. Grant would serve two terms as president. Although he served as one of the Union’s most capable generals, his time in office was less than mediocre. Regardless, the Republican Party continued to dominate national politics until 1877 due to several groups that lent their support. ? Who were scalawags and why did they support the Republicans?* Southern white Republicans, given the name by other Southerners that felt these people were traitors (Longstreet would have been considered a scalawag of the worst kind) They shared a belief that the Republican Party would serve their economic interests better than the Democrats ? Who were carpetbaggers and why were they given this title?* Northern Republican men who moved to the South after the war They were stereotyped as penniless lower class men taking advantage of the political opportunity in the south ? What group contained the largest number of Republican supporters in the South after the Civil War? Black Freedmen ? How did they try to take advantage of their new found freedom? Created “color conventions”, African American churches, ran for office Example – Senators Hiram Revels and Blanche Bruce Ending Reconstruction As the years went by the Southern state governments slowly drifted back into the hands of the Democrats. During this time several legal and illegal activities began to emerge to influence the way the local governments kept their power. Fear and Intimidation - The Southern States “Redeemed” White majority aimed to overthrow the Republican control imposed on them By 1872 most Southern whites had regained suffrage –now they aimed to vote together Ku Klux Klan and the White Camellia were groups that used fear and terrorism to prevent blacks from voting or exercise citizenship Redshirts and White Leagues armed themselves to “police” elections and force white males to join Democratic party The Klan* formed in 1866 by former Confederate Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest, became the most successful organization for white power devised rituals, costumes, secret languages, and participated in hooded “midnight rides” the main goal was to recreate white supremacy of plantation class and southern Democratic power Black political power discouraged even more by the economic pressure placed on Republican Blacks by planters who refused to rent land, extend credit, or give work ADD TO NOTES Congress was in fact outraged over the night-riding lawlessness in the South They passed the harsh Force Acts of 1870 and 1871 Federal troops were granted permission to stamp out much of the “lash law” However, the Invisible Empire had done its work of intimidation already Many groups disguised themselves as dancing clubs, missionary societies, and rifle clubs Compromise of 1877 Grant sought Reelection in 1876 but shaken Republican leaders were looking for a leader away from the bad stigma that Grant’s administration carried Republicans looked to unite party (and bring back Liberals) by throwing support behind Rutherford B. Hayes, a former Union officer and champion of civil service reform Democrats picked Samuel J. Tilden both were similar in the fact that they were conservatives who supported moderate reform Tilden looked to be the winner with a popular margin over Hayes of about 300,000 disputed returns in LA, SC, ORG, and of course FLA, caused the Reps. to dispute if Hayes won all 20 electoral votes who could squeeze out a win In Jan. 1877, Congress created an electoral commission, and they voted right down party lines with an independent (Republican sympathizer) tipping the scale in the Republicans favor Hayes would go on to win; however Republicans compromised with Democrats by pledging that Hayes would withdrawal the last of federal troops from the South ( a deal which Hayes was already thinking of before the meeting at the Wormley Hotel in Washington) The real deal included much more – appoint. of southerner to cabinet, internal improvements, and federal aid to the Texas and Pacific Railroad This marked the end of the national government trying to control Southern politics and improve life for blacks in Southern Society for the next 90 years The Verdict on Reconstruction The Legacy of Reconstruction Largely a failure – did not solve racial problems in our country Conservative obstacles embedded in our society were still not willing to give way The 14th and 15th Amendments were added to the Constitution and things would rest on those two achievements for several decade The Birth of Jim Crow Civil Rights and the Supreme Court In 1883 the court stripped the 14th and 15th Amendments of much of their significance ruled that the 14th amendment prohibited state governments from discriminating against race but did not restrict private organizations from doing so (i.e. railroads, hotels, theaters) Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) – case that allowed states to segregate facilities as long as they were “equal” Voting Rights Franchise restrictions occurred from the beginning of Reconstruction and only got worse poll tax - some sort of property qualification needed to vote literacy test – required voters to demonstrate an ability to interpret the Constitution (often impossible even for literate blacks) by the late 1890s black voting decreased by 62 %and white vote by 26 % grandfather laws passed in order to allow illiterate whites to vote ( if ancestors had voted before Reconstruction you can too) Williams v. Mississippi 1898 – voided grandfather clause, but supported the literacy test Supreme Court would allow disenfranchisement as long as it wasn’t so obvious that it was ripping up the 15th Amendment Jim Crow Laws* restricting franchise and segregating laws fell under the title of Jim Crow laws customs in the rural south would become law in the urban south lynchings still occurred at an alarming rate in order to silence black objection 187 lynchings a year in the nation in the 1890s Lynching Occurred in cities and townsusually with cooperation of local authorities seized black prisoners and hung them in public rituals large ones rarely occurred but were more often performed by local vigilante groups controlled blacks through terror and intimidation In conclusion Reconstruction might have been more successful had the ambitions of those like Thad Stevens been seriously considered. The economic and political reforms of the day only seemed to be temporary. A stronger commitment was needed by our Congress to ensure the tranquility and progress of all in our country.