The Civil War and Reconstruction 1860-1877

1. “ The Greeks did not understand each other any longer, though they spoke the same language” Thucydides The Civil War and Reconstruction 1860-1877

3. Lincoln Conciliatory toward the south in his inaugural address. He had no intention to interfere with slavery where it existed, but he would preserve the Union. There would be no war unless the south started it, the north did not want to be viewed as the aggressor Southern states seized federal forts and arsenals. 1861- South Carolina seized Fort Sumter, by April 1861 they needed food and supplies and Lincoln notified the government of South Carolina that he was sending supplies. Confederates were suspicious of his motives and they wanted the total surrender of the fort. They began to fire on the fort and Lincoln declared this an act of war April 15 Lincoln asked for 75,000 Union troops to fight against the confederacy The Confederacy began to raise troops and Arkansas, Tennessee, and North Carolina left the Union Both sides predicted a short war….. End of the waiting game

4. Missouri, Kentucky, Maryland, Delaware and later West Virginia • Huge strategic prize in population and manufacturing capacity • KY and WVA strategic because of Ohio River • Maryland- Lincoln sent in troops and declared martial law • To keep border states on side of Union Lincoln would not declare publicly he was fighting to free slaves • Indian Territory- Five Civilized tribes fought on side of Confederacy because many owned slaves • War became “brothers war” in many families Border States

5. Advantage for North and South

6. Foreign Policy Europe’s ruling classes sympathetic to Southern cause (agreed with southern social order) So why did King Cotton diplomacy fail them? Enormous cotton exports of late 1850’s, caused oversupply of fiber Hoped for “cotton famine” never happened, Union supplied Britain through captured cotton, British turned to India and Egypt for cotton production Northern states supplied England with corn and wheat

7. Problems with Confederate Government Confederate government wrote Constitution similar to US Constitution, except it protected slavery Fatal weakness in Confederate government was tension between Southern idea of state’s rights vs. the need for a strong central government

8. Union Government During Wartime North had an established and internationally recognized government Lincoln did suspend some freedoms protected by the Constitution Congress not in session when war started, Lincoln proclaimed blockade and increased size of army Suspended habeas corpus (jailing somebody without telling them of crime) so anti-Union sentiment could be controlled “Supervised” voting in the border states, suspended the pres

9. Volunteers and Draftees When war first started volunteers filled ranks, by 1863 pace had dropped off and Union Army began to draft soldiers Many were immigrants, poor Wealthy could pay substitute to go in their place 1863 draft riots in NYC South had fewer men to draw from and needed manpower more quickly, rich could also buy their way out of service Deserters problem in both armies

10. War Economy North customs fees and tariff fees major sources of revenue Without southern opposition Morrill Tariff Act passed (1861), tariffs raised Money backed by nations credit, not gold (money called greenbacks) Bonds sold to finance war National Banking System established to back bonds and provide sound credit (existed until 1913) South had customs duties choked off because of blockade Had to increase taxes, resisted by states righter's Government printed money was worthless, inflation was a huge problem Confederate government had little international credit or revenue stream South had 30% of national wealth in 1860, 12% ten years later South experienced food and material shortages during the war Many southerners turned to stealing from northern army and blockade running to supply basic necessities

11. War Economy Wartime prosperity for north Protective tariffs, need for war time goods stoked manufacturing Many speculators profited from war Lack of labor caused innovation, made factories more efficient Westward settlement kept growing, Homestead Act 1862 New opportunities for women due to labor shortage in factories

13. Fighting the War The Civil War was the first modern war. New technologies and devices mobilized men and materials- railroad transport, artillery, repeating rifles, ironclad ships, telegraph, trenches, wire entanglements were all battlefield devices used for the first time Photography brought the war to others not involved in fighting living far away Brought violence and life of war home

16. War Turns for the North Anaconda Plan gradually began to work and the Union began to make progress in the western part of the Confederacy by late 1862. They began to cut supply lines, destroy crops and rail lines. The first major blow to the south occurred at Antietam in Maryland in 1862 By the beginning of 1863 the north was beginning to use its advantages of men and materials to defeat the Confederacy

18. War Turns for the North Lee took tried to take the war to the north in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania in July of 1863. He was defeated and retreated south. Ulysses Grant was named commander of Union forces in 1864 and he began to purse Lee until he was defeated Union General William T. Sherman led 60,000 troops on a march through Georgia and South Carolina in the fall of 1864. 400 mile “march to the sea” used a strategy called total war - targeted troops, support and supplies needed to feed, clothe and support the army. Troops burned crops, destroyed railroad tracks, homes and plantations. They burned the city of Atlanta in the fall of 1864 By the spring of 1865 the south was exhausted and Lee surrendered to Grant at Appomattox courthouse April 9, 1865

19. Emancipation Proclamation When the war began Lincoln did not think he had the authority to abolish slavery- his chief goal was to preserve the Union In the fall of 1862 after the Battle of Antietam he decided the time was right to issue the Emancipation Proclamation that freed the slaves January 1, 1863 all slaves in the south were declared free. It did not apply to free states or areas of the south already under federal control (to keep border states happy) Union army began to actively recruit former slaves to join their cause This changed the nature of the Civil War from something to preserve the Union and redefined it as to being about slavery, gave war a moral tone Removed any chance of negotiated settlement to war

20. Politics of War 1864 presidential election fell in the midst of war Many Northerners did not support Lincoln Resented expansion of presidential power and the war itself Democrats against the war (Copperheads) obstructed the war efforts in Congress Election of 1864 between Lincoln (R) and George McClellan (D) Lincoln choose Andrew Johnson of TN as his running mate to attract war Democrats and border state vote Lincolns election was secured by a series of Union victories in the months before the election 1865 Five days after Lee’s surrender Lincoln was assassinated at the pinnacle of his fame by a fanatically pro-southern actor John Wilkes Booth

21. Aftermath 600,000 died; 1 million wounded or maimed Generation of men lost to war Idea of states’ rights moot Passage of 13th Amendment officially ended slavery, 14th Amendment guaranteed civil rights US became a singular nation, not a collection of states Power of federal government expanded, banking, judicial system more powerful, government expected to protect rights above state powers Industrial growth kick started because of war effort National legal, industrial and governmental institutions came out of war

22. Results of War

23. The Ordeal of Reconstruction 1865-1877

24. The Problems of Peace • Spring 1865 war was over. War that began as a way to preserve the Union, became a war fought for the abolition of slavery. The next twelve years were known as Reconstruction • By the end of 1865 Lincoln had been assassinated, Thirteenth Amendment had been passed guaranteeing the end of slavery • The north had developed economically, the south was devastated, and over the next three decades civil rights and citizenship became redefined • The questions that faced the country were; how would the south be rebuilt? How would liberated blacks fare as free men and women? How would the South be reintegrated into the Union, and who would be in charge of it?

25. I. The Problems of Peace Across the south: most of the fighting occurred in the there, railroads were destroyed, land values were worthless, labor pool was wiped out, cotton and tobacco production dropped, many southerners left homeless Southern planters no longer had a voice in politics and many remained defiant towards the “Yankees”

26. II. Freedmen Define Freedom What was the meaning of freedom for the former slaves Many planters resisted emancipation either through violence or refusing to recognize it until the local government did so Most were forced to recognize emancipation by the Yankee army of occupation Freed blacks began to take matters into their own hands, some sought to legalize their marriages, work in towns and cities away from their former masters Many settled in black communities that offered mutual protection and assistance Many went north and west 1878-1880 mass exodus to Kansas (Exodusters)

27. ii. Freedmen Define Freedom • Church became focus of black community • Formed own churches and they grew rapidly • Also mutual aid societies were established, helped blacks protect their newly won freedoms • Opportunity to have an education for the first time • Purchased land to build schools and hire teachers

28. III. The Freedmen’s Bureau • Most freed slaves had few skills, no property or money • Did not know how to live like free people • To cope with problem Congress creates Freedmen’s Bureau (1865) • Primitive welfare agency- provided food, clothing, medical care and education to freed slaves and white refugees • Greatest success was education • Tried to provide former slaves with 40 ac. of land, little passed to them and many blacks were tricked into signing labor contracts with their former masters • President Johnson tried repeatedly to kill it and it expired in 1872

29. IV. Johnson the Tailor President Johnson was a self made man from humble beginnings Used by Lincoln in 1864 to garner votes from war Democrats Supporter of the Constitution and states’ rights Not up for job of Reconstruction , supported by nobody

30. V. Presidential Reconstruction Lincoln believed that south never really left the Union and he wanted to reunite it as quickly as possible Formal restoration would be simple 1863 came up with 10% Plan-10% of voters would pledge allegiance to the Union, pledge to abide by emancipation and formally elect a new state government they would be restored to the Union Many in Congress wanted to punish the South

31. V. Presidential Reconstruction 1864 Wade-Davis Bill required 50% to sign oath of allegiance, stronger safeguards for emancipation Refused to seat a delegation from Louisiana in that followed Lincoln’s 10% plan Felt that South had forfeited all rights and were conquered provinces Minority radical group wanted to uproot social structure and protect freed blacks with federal legislation Group became known as Radical Republicans

32. V. Presidential Reconstruction Johnson agreed with Lincoln’s plan and came up with his own plan Took away right to vote for leading Confederates, and those with property They could petition him for pardons (which he granted) States had to call special conventions and ratify 13th Amendment that freed slaves Last half of 1865 many southern states did reorganize but run by the old regimes All Republicans became furious

34. VII. The Baleful Black Codes One of the first things the new Southern governments did was pass black codes Varied in severity from state to state All tried to regulate affairs of freed blacks and assure a stable and subservient labor force Work contracts resembled slavery itself Blacks were left out of the political process Although a few new rights were recognized (freedomish, marriage) they mocked the idea of emancipation

35. VII. The Baleful Black Codes Freedmen lacked capital, had little to offer except labor Many blacks and poor landless whites became slaves to soil and creditors and slipped into the status of sharecroppers This lasted well into the 20th century After the Civil War many in the north wondered if these people were still being enslaved, had the North really won the war?

37. VIII. Congressional Reconstruction • December 1865 Congressional delegations from the south came to reclaim their seats, northerners shut them out • Voters across south turned to experienced leaders, many leaders were tainted with association of Confederacy • While war went on Republican leaders had a free hand and passed legislation favorable to the North • Politicians became attached to northern business interests, western farmers and free labor. • Congress passed tariff legislation, financing of a transcontinental railroad, Homestead Act (offered land to settlers that occupied the land for 5 years), Morrill Land Grant Act (provided land for colleges)

38. VIII. Congressional Reconstruction • Republicans worried that he South would increase power in Congress • Blacks were now counted as a whole person, not 3/5ths of a person • South gained 12 electoral votes, 12 more Congressional members • Republicans feared that they would perpetuate black codes, get rid of Republican economic program

39. IX. Johnson Clashes with congress • 1866 Republicans wanting to keep Johnson in check pass Civil Rights Bill to strike back at the Black Codes • Johnson tried to veto, overturned by Congress • Civil Rights bill became 14th Amendment • Citizenship to all men regardless of race • Reduced representation if conditions not met • Disqualified former Confederates from federal and state office • Guaranteed federal debt • Did not grant the right to vote • Issue between Congress and President was Reconstruction to be carried on with or without 14th Amendment • 1866 Congressional elections showed country favored Republican plan

40. X. Republican Principles and Programs • Republicans won a veto proof control of Reconstruction policy in Congress • Radicals opposed rapid restoration of Southern states (led by Thaddeus Stevens and Charles Sumner) • Wanted to transform society and economy of south with federal government • Moderates did not want states to take away rights of A-A’s but did not want federal government involved in people’s everyday lives • Both groups wanted blacks to have the right to vote

41. XI. Reconstruction by the Sword • 1867 Reconstruction Act divides south into 5 military districts controlled by Union general and policed by Union army • Had to ratify 14th Amendment and guarantee suffrage for black men • Purpose was to create electorate that would vote states back into Union and free federal government from direct responsibility of protection of black rights • 187015th Amendment passed that guaranteed suffrage in the Constitution

42. XI. Reconstruction by the Sword • Military Reconstruction of the South took away power of president as commander in chief and set up regimes that were possibly unconstitutional • By 1870 all states had met conditions of readmission into the Union • When federal troops left states they swiftly went back to old governments and became solidly Democratic (Redeemers) • Passage of 13th, 14th, 15th Amendments disappointed advocates for women’s rights, many had been abolitionists and viewed the causes as similar • Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton actively campaigned against passage of the 14th Amendment

43. XII. Realities of Radical Reconstruction to the South • Southern black men began to organize politically • Campaigned and ran for office as Republicans • Union League included educated men, churches and schools represented black grievances in employment and recruited militias to protect black communities • Black and white politicians helped write new state constitutions • Black congressmen were elected to federal and state offices although they were never a majority in any government

44. XII. Realities of Radical Reconstruction to the South • Southern conservatives reaction • Labeled those that helped Reconstruction as “carpetbaggers” and “scalawags” • Carpetbaggers from north came south to take advantage of them • Scalawags were southerners that were former Unionists and Whigs • Radical regime rule did make some reforms in education, tax systems, property rights for women and public works, actually rebuilt the South • Graft and corruption was rampant during Reconstruction (all across the country), many freedmen were used a pawns by white politicians

45. XIII. The Ku Klux Klan • Whites resorted to violent means to protest Union rule • Resented success of black politicians and corruption of government • Formed secret societies, most notorious was KKK formed in 1866 • Harassed free blacks and “carpetbaggers” • Congress tries to outlaw this with Force Acts of 1870,1871; was successful in stamping out activities • Work of intimidation was already done though • White resistance continued to undermine attempts to empower free blacks • Literacy tests, poll taxes, intimidation continued to openly flourish across the south for decades

46. XIV. The Failed Impeachment of Andrew Johnson • Radicals in Congress try to impeach Johnson for his continued obstruction of Reconstruction • Basis was Tenure of Office Act which they claimed Johnson ignored (removed somebody from office without Senate’s consent) • Also had a spy in Executive branch (Edwin Stanton) • 1868 House votes to impeach Johnson and case goes to Senate • In Senate they fail to get 2/3 majority • Kept alive constitutional mechanism of checks and balances • Impeachment would have destabilized government and weakened one of the three branches of government

47. XV. The Purchase of Alaska • One of the few successes during Johnson administration was purchase of Alaska from Russia, although it would not be realized for years • Alaska had become a financial and logistical liability and they did not want it to fall into the hands of the British • Sold it to the US for 7.2 million, for its potential profitability and as a favor to an American ally

48. The Heritage of Reconstruction • Many Southerners were more offended at Reconstruction than the outcome of the war itself • Resented “Yankee” intervention in their social, racial and political affairs • Reconstruction happened without a clear plan from the beginning and was a constant struggle between the executive and legislative branches and of the entrenched white society • Early 1870’s many northerners lost interest in remaking the south, focus was on other political, social, economic issues (western expansion, Indian Wars, Panic of 1873) • Generation of leaders that wanted abolition and change began to pass away. Many racial prejudices in the north began to reemerge. Political scandals brought down Radical Republicans • 1871 troops were withdrawn from the south and Republican state governments were replaced with conservative Democrats . • 1872 Congress abolished the Freedman’s Bureau • Southern Democrats began to discredit African American politicians, former Confederates were elected to office and many African Americans were denied opportunity to participate fully as citizens. • Americans were united as a nation , federal power became dominant over state power • De jure segregation, legal separation of the races became law in all southern states • The election of 1876 marked the official end of Reconstruction as part of the Hayes- Tilden election compromise (Compromise of 1877), all federal troops were pulled out of the south • When troops left Democratic rule returned and many blacks faced harsher discrimination