Reconstruction Era

1. Reconstruction Era Chapter 8, Section 1

2. War’s End and Impact • On April 14th, 1865 President Lincoln was assassinated at Ford’s Theater by John Wilkes Booth. • Andrew Johnson became president. • Effects of the war: • U.S. is a global economic power • Increased migration of African Americans to North and West • Reaffirming of federal power

3. Plans for Reconstruction • Reconstruction refers to the era (1865-1877) in which the government sought to address the issue of returning states to the Union, addressing the South’s economy, and what to do about former slaves’ rights. • Three distinct plans emerged to answer these questions, by three very distinct groups. • Lincoln’s Plan– 10% Plan • Johnson’s Plan • Radical Republicans’ Plan– Wade Davis Bill

4. Plans for Reconstruction • Lincoln’s Plan • Sympathetic towards Southerners easy to rejoin after the war. • Radical Republicans’ Plan • Saw secession and slavery as crimes that require punishment • Promote African American equality • Johnson’s Plan • Bring the states back in as quickly as possible • Supported states’ rights– dislikes wealthy plantation owners

5. Same Old, Same old • Many southern states quickly met Johnson’s requirements to rejoin the Union. • Since Johnson did not support African American equality, most Southerners wanted to pass laws to restrict their freedoms after the Civil War. • Black codes laws that sought to limit rights of African Americans and keep them landless workers. • However, the Radical Republicans were dominant in Congress, bringing about many changes to the South.

6. Congressional Reconstruction • Congress passed measures to increase support for African Americans during Reconstruction. • Freedman’s Bureau goal was to provide food, clothing, healthcare and education for both black and white refugees in the South. • Civil Rights Act of 1866 response to the black codes; federal guarantees of civil rights, superseding state laws.

7. Reconstruction Legislation- Amendments • Reconstruction amendments: • 13th abolishes slavery and involuntary servitude • 14th guarantees African Americans citizenship; prohibits states from passing laws to take away citizens’ rights. • 15th no citizen can be denied the right to vote because of “race, color, or previous servitude.”

8. Reconstruction Legislation- Other laws • Additional legislation: • Reconstruction Act of 1867 divided the Southern states not yet readmitted to the Union into 5 military districts. • Each was governed by a Union general. • States had to write a new Constitution that granted suffrage to African Americans and ratify the 14th amendment. • Enforcement Act made voter intimidation a crime.

9. Attempt to Impeach Johnson • Andrew Johnson and the Radical Republicans shared very different views on Reconstruction. • Congress passed the Tenure of Office Act to limit the President’s power. • When Johnson attempted to fire Edwin Stanton, Secretary of War, Congress voted to impeach (accuse of wrongdoing) Johnson.

10. Reconstruction- Part 2 Chapter 8, Section 2

11. African Americans Gain power • During Reconstruction, there was a growth of the Republican Party in the South. Why? • African Americans joined the party that freed them– Republican. • African Americans were able to hold offices, and Hiram Revels became the first African American senator in 1870. • Many white southerners had not yet taken the loyalty oath, so often times African Americans represented the majority of voters in a state.

12. Other groups gain recognition • African Americans were not the only group to welcome the Republican Party. • Scalawags (poor white southerners who had not been involved in politics before the Civil War) found representation with the Republican Party. • Groups of white and black northerners moved to the South for two reasons: • Look for better economic/political opportunities • Help rebuild the South • These individuals were known as carpetbaggers because of the carpet-cloth suitcases they carried with them.

13. Redistribution of land • The biggest economic problems in the South stemmed from uneven distribution of land. • 90% of southern land was owned by ~1/2 the South’s population. • African Americans and poor whites were vying for land after the Civil War. • Thaddeus Stevens had proposed taking land from wealthy planters and giving it to freedman. • General Sherman’s plan proposed that freedmen would receive “40 acres and a mule”.

14. A new type of Economy • Three new methods of farming developed during Reconstruction to combat the loss of capital and land. There were pros and cons to each method.

15. Violence comes to the South • Struggle to make a living in the South caused a lot of competition and tension. • White southerners were angry that Republicans were dominating local politics and due to the federal occupation by Union troops. • They were united over their dislike for African Americans to have citizenship. • The Ku Klux Klan started in Tennessee in 1866. • They used scare tactics to intimidate African Americans. (Hence the need for the Enforcement Acts)

16. Reconstruction- Part 3 Chapter 8, Section 3

17. Other Issues • Outside of the South, other problems drew focus from the crises in the South • Ulysses S. Grant’s presidency was marred by scandal he gave high-ranking positions to untrustworthy acquaintances. • Grant was seen as unable to target corruption in his own party, and pubic distrust grew. • The public lost confidence in the government due to the following: • Failing economy • Corruption and greed in government • These problems caused the public to lose focus on the South’s problems.

18. End of Reconstruction • Supreme Court started chipping away at the rights of African Americans gained in the 1870s. • Southern whites gained power, by using violence and legal interpretations. • They adopted a strategy of discrediting black politicians while promoting racial segregation. • The common goal of both white southern Democrats and Republicans was to regain political standing in Congress. • These individuals were known as Redeemers because they wanted to ‘redeem’ the South in the eyes of Congress.

19. End of Reconstruction • The election of 1876 pitted Rutherford B. Hayes against Samuel Tilden. • Tilden won 51% of the popular vote, and carried all the southern states. • There was dispute over votes in three of the southern states. • The dispute between Republicans and southern Democrats facilitated a need for a compromise. • Compromise of 1877 Hayes elected president in exchange for withdrawal of federal troops from the South. • Reconstruction ended with this compromise.

20. Effects of Reconstruction • Reconstruction had many positive effects: • South begins using tax money to pay for schools • South’s economy expands • African Americans make political, economic and social gains more freedoms. • Negative effects • Women were not granted the right to vote • Did not heal sectional tensions between North and South

21. Review Today’s Topics • Which of the new methods of farming gave workers the most independence? • Sharecropping b) Share-tenancy c) Tenant-farming d) Slavery • What did Southerners pass to limit rights of African-Americans following the war? • Enforcement act c) Reconstruction Act of 1867 • Black codes d) Civil Rights Act of 1866 • Why were the Enforcement Acts necessary? • Groups like the KKK intimidated voters • The military generals were not doing their job in the South • Slaves were starting riots in the South • Andrew Johnson was being impeached • Ticket-out-the-door: What factors brought Reconstruction to an end?