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- Full civil rights, such as “life, liberty, and property”
given to freedmen
- Suffrage for freedmen, so they could voice opinions
about laws and leaders
- African Americans allowed to serve in the state
legislatures
- Forced all southern states to accept the end of
slavery before rejoining the Union
- Wanted property for freedmen, “40 acres and a
mule”
- Historically Black Colleges and Universities
(HBCUs) established for African Americans
- Freedmen’s Bureau: Government department
created to help African Americans find jobs,
education, or reunite families
- Military oversight in southern states to ensure
enforcement of new laws
- Freedmen must pass a literacy test or pay poll taxes
before voting
- Segregation: separation of white southerners from
African Americans
- KKK and other organizations protected by
government leaders and law enforcement
- Confederate leaders receive full amnesty, or
forgiveness, for rebelling against the Union
- Former Confederates allowed to serve in Congress
Reconstruction: Republicans vs. Democrats
Radical Republicans
After the Civil War ended in 1865, President Abraham Lincoln, a Republican, asked Congress to reunite the
country as quickly as possible while ensuring new civil rights for the freedmen. Most Republicans were moderates who
wanted the individual southern states to resolve their own issues. However, a small group of Radical Republicans held
extreme views about Reconstruction. They demanded full equality and citizenship for all African Americans. To
accomplish this, Radical Republicans pushed the Civil Rights Act of 1866 through Congress. This bill declared all
persons born in the US were citizens and entitled to equal rights regardless of their race. Although President Andrew
Johnson, a Democrat, vetoed the bill, Congress voted to override his veto with a 2/3 vote and succeeded. The Civil
Rights Act of 1866 became law.
Radical Republicans also wanted equal rights to be protected under the Constitution. To achieve this goal,
Congress proposed the 14th Amendment stating all people born in the United States were citizens and had the same,
equal rights. Every former Confederate state except Tennessee refused to support the amendment, which infuriated
Radical Republicans. As a result, Congress passed the Reconstruction Acts of 1867 instead. This law divided the South
into five military districts supervised by the federal government. Before a southern state could rejoin the Union, it had to
do two things: 1) create new state constitutions that gave suffrage (voting rights) to all adult men, including African
Americans and 2) ratify the 14th Amendment.
Delegates in from each southern state met to draft their new state constitutions. About ¾ of these delegates were
Republicans. Many of these Republicans were poor white farmers who were angry at wealthy planters for starting what
they called the “rich man’s war.” They supported most ideas of the Radical Republicans. Another ¼ of the Republican
delegates were known as carpetbaggers. They were northerners who rushed to the South after the war seeking political
power or wealth. Southerners were suspicious at these delegates. In addition, African Americans also sided with
Republicans and attended the conventions to create new state constitutions. They were mainly men who were free
before the Civil War, able to read, and most were skilled workers, ministers, or teachers. By 1870, most Southern states
had adopted the new state constitutions created by the Republicans. As a result, they were let back into the Union and
allowed to send representatives to Congress.
During the time Radical Republicans dominated Congress, they set up new public schools for African Americans
and also extended suffrage to all adult males. They also established the Freedmen’s Bureau, a government organization
dedicated to assisting former slaves. They helped reunite families, establish schools, and find jobs for freedmen.
Democrats
After Lincoln’s death, Andrew Johnson, a Democrat and former slaveowner, took office. He and other Democrats
resisted the idea of giving African Americans equal rights such as suffrage because they would “operate against the white
race.” Johnson believed the goal of Reconstruction was to reunite the nation quickly, not to extend equal rights to African
American freedmen. To accomplish his goal of reunification, Johnson offered amnesty to most white Southerners. He
promised to return their property as long as the former Confederates remained loyal to the United States. President
Johnson also demanded all Southern States ratify the 13th Amendment abolishing slavery across the nation.
When Congress resumed in 1866, it refused to seat representatives from the South, many who were Democrats,
because they had been Confederate leaders only months before. They were already limiting the rights of freedmen
through various Black Codes. In some states Black Codes stated African Americans could not carry weapons or had to
show proof of employment. In addition, southern organizations such as the Ku Klux Klan started to emerge. Their goal
was to restore Democratic control of the South and keep former slaves powerless. They intimated voters at the polls,
beat people, and burned homes of African Americans as well as white Republicans. The Democratic Party gained power
in the South and purposely ignored the illegal activities of the KKK.
President Andrew Johnson and Republicans in Congress argued about the Civil Rights Act of 1866. President
Johnson and Southern states refused to support the 14th Amendment as well. This angered Republicans in Congress
who felt he favored the Democrats of the South. The House of Representatives voted to impeach the president. This
means they formally accused Johnson of improper conduct while in office. The case moved to the Senate for a trial. After
several weeks of testimony, the Senate voted whether to impeach Johnson. He was acquitted (released) by a single vote.
Many of the reforms initiated by Republicans were ignored by the Democrats in power and little could be done to
stop the Democrats. When the federal government left the South in 1877, twelve years after the Civil War’s end, white
Southerners quickly took back control of the region and began to undo some of the changes that had been made.