Reconstruction Chapter 12-1

1. ReconstructionChapter 12-1

2. President Andrew Johnson The war is over, Lincoln is dead, the country is still divided and over 600,000 soldiers are dead. Hundreds of thousands have life-long wounds The country needs a strong leader Instead, they got Johnson

3. Lincoln�s Reconstruction Plan Before his assassination, Lincoln had moderate plans to admitting the seceded states back into the Union Many radical Republicans in Congress thought his plan was too generous

4. Lincoln�s Reconstruction Plan Lincoln�s plan called for States were admitted as soon as 10% of the voters swore an oath of allegiance to America Radical republicans wanted the South punished and not admitted until 50% pledged allegiance

5. Who were the Radicals? Thaddeus Stevens Charles Sumner William Seward They wanted to give blacks political power and positions while stripping all power away from planters

6. Wade-Davis Bill In response to Lincoln�s 10% Plan, the radicals passed the Wade-Davis bill which Wanted Congress to control reconstruction 50% of the voters had to swear an oath of loyalty before they were re-admitted into the Union

7. Wade-Davis Bill Lincoln allowed the bill to die with a pocket veto The radicals were irate Before any further conflict occurred, Lincoln was assassinated in April 1865

8. Johnson�s Plan The radicals thought Johnson would be easier to work with He frequently spoke of his distain for Southern planters As a southerner who stayed loyal to the Union, the radicals felt he would be harsher than Lincoln

9. Johnson�s Plan Johnson�s plan was actually more moderate than Lincoln�s He pardoned confederate officers and planters He allowed generous terms for re-admittance

10. Johnson�s Plan Under President Johnson, soon the South looked very similar to the South of 1860 Blacks were tied to the cotton fields and had no freedoms Whites, including former CSA officers, had all the power

11. Johnson�s Plan Some states didn�t even ratify the 13th Amendment but were allowed to return to the Union Johnson declared Reconstruction complete The radical republicans disagreed

12. Freedman�s Bureau Started before the war ended, the organization provided food, housing, jobs, education, located family members, married couples and helped freed slaves adjust to freedom

13. Freedman�s Bureau In 1866 Congress voted to approve expanding and continuing the Freedman�s Bureau Surprisingly, Johnson vetoed the bill

14. Civil Rights Act, 1866 In 1866 Congress also voted to approve a Civil Rights Act to prevent discrimination and give blacks citizenship Surprisingly, Johnson vetoed this bill too

15. Black Codes Since the South seemed to have a friend in the White House, they began passing black codes Exactly like slave codes, they prevented blacks from having any freedoms

16. Black Codes Black codes made it illegal to loiter (hang out with no money) Blacks were arrested and made to pay off their fines by working the fields � just as they did in 1860

17. Moderate and Radical Republicans Johnson�s actions cause the more moderate republicans to join forces with the radicals to override Johnson�s vetoes

18. 14th Amendment Congress drafted the 14th Amendment giving all people citizenship It also provided equal protection, no state could deprive a person of life, liberty or property without due process

19. 14th Amendment It took away the privilege of holding elected office for former Confederate leaders unless 2/3s of Congress agreed Johnson advised Southern states to reject the amendment and all did but TN

20. 1866 Mid-term Elections Johnson campaigned against the radical republicans Grant, the war hero, campaigned for them Voters turned away from Johnson and his platform and republicans increased their seats in Congress

21. Reconstruction Act, 1867 With the votes they needed in Congress, Reconstruction began in 1867 The new Reconstruction Act refused to recognize southern state governments (except TN) Johnson vetoed the bill and it was overridden

23. Reconstruction Act, 1867 Voters, mostly blacks, voted for new Congressional representatives

24. Reconstruction Act, 1867 Fed up with Johnson, Congress looked for a way to impeach him They passed the Tenure of Office Act which made it unlawful for him to fire any member of his cabinet To challenge the law, Johnson fired his Sec. of War Edwin Stanton

25. Impeached Prez It was Congress� opinion that if they approved of the appointment, they should be the ones to approve his removal Johnson faced 11 charges of impeachment It was the OJ trial of 1867

26. Impeached Prez but not Removed Johnson beat removal by 1 vote

27. 1868 Election Johnson was not nominated by his party The Democrats nominated Horatio Seymour The Republicans nominated war hero Grant

28. 1868 Election Grant won a decisive victory in the electoral college He won an overwhelming number of African American votes This makes the Republicans push for the 15th Amendment Blacks will back republicans until 1932

29. 15th Amendment To prevent the South from ever taking the vote from blacks, they passed the 15th Amendment in 1870 It did not prevent the South from enacting literacy tests and poll taxes

30. ReconstructionChapter 12-2

31. Republican Control Once the radical republicans controlled Congress, African-Americans held many public offices in the South Congress worked on improving the economic conditions of the devastated South

32. Public Works Programs Road and rail construction School system Orphanages Health care establishments Very expensive projects which the north was hesitant to spend money to accomplish

33. Public Works Programs Fraud and corruption With the federal government funding, these projects were filled with graft, paybacks and use of illegal laborers

34. Carpetbaggers and Scalawags Many northerners came to the South to re-build Others came to make money quick They became known as carpetbaggers for the cheap bags they brought with them

35. Carpetbaggers and Scalawags Many southerners also took advantage of the poor southern economy They bought land cheap when owners could not pay their taxes They were called scalawags

36. 15th Amendment Republicans gave freedmen the right to vote. They backed Grant and their votes assured his win In some areas, they had up to a 90% turnout (today, we get about 30-40%)

37. Freedmen One of the first things that newly freed slaves did was find their family members They also got legally married

38. Freedmen Not restricted by slave codes, freedmen took advantage of their new freedoms by traveling They left their former plantations to the cities to look for work

39. Freedmen Freedmen flocked to schools Classrooms were filled with adults learning how to read Hampton Institute was opened for black students Initially, most teachers were white women from the north

40. Freedmen Black churches were always important to the black community They now assumed an active role in politics, employment and financial support

41. Freedmen During Reconstruction, a total of 16 black representatives were elected to Congress Hiram Revels was elected to the seat once held by Jefferson Davis

42. Freedmen The Republican Congress abolished all black codes but the black community segregated themselves to build their own churches, political organizations and leadership

43. Freedmen Economically, blacks remained poor Lacked money to buy land Did not get the �40 acres and a mule� like some heard they were entitled to

44. Freedmen The Southern Homestead Act, 1866 set aside land for former slaves, but it was not suitable for farming Planters still needed labor Soon they would find a way to get it

45. Sharecropping Former slaves had little choice but to sign labor contracts with the landowners, sometimes their former owners Freedmen farmed for low wages and were forced to do as they were told

46. Sharecropping During the growing season, the sharecroppers bought food, seed and equipment on credit After the harvest, they gave a share of the crops to the landowner, paid back their loans and kept the profits

47. Sharecropping In reality, after paying back the loans and high interest, there was nothing left over When they didn�t make enough to pay off their debts, they were indebted to the landowner and forced to work their land until the loans were paid

48. Tenant Farmers Some had a little money to lease land With their own tools and equipment it was hoped they could move up the economic ladder Landowners made sure it never happened

49. Tenant Farmers Freedmen who worked the fields, stayed in the fields The price of cotton fluctuated so badly, farmers grew more to sell more Which drove up the supply and drove down the prices

50. Tenant Farmers Freedmen who worked the fields, stayed in the fields The price of cotton fluctuated so badly, farmers grew more to sell more Which drove up the supply and drove down the prices, so they�d plant more the next year

51. White Southerners From 1866, whites lost economic and political power The reacted violently

52. Reconstruction12-3

53. Ku Klux Klan Nathan Bedford Forrest and other Confederates formed the KKK in Pulaski, TN in 1868

54. Ku Klux Klan Their goals were to frighten blacks away from voting, taking away any freedoms given by the Republicans and putting them back in pre-war conditions

55. Ku Klux Klan The Klan killed freemen, burned homes and farms, killed supporters of black rights They concealed their identities with hoods and robes

56. Enforcement Acts, 1870, 1871 Congress and Pres. Grant passed laws to stop the violence None were effective and the USSC found one to be unconstitutional

57. Amnesty Act, 1872 Congress passed the Amnesty Act which returned the vote to most white men They also allowed the Freedman�s Bureau to expire

58. Amnesty Act, 1872 By the early 1870s, northerners were becoming tired of Reconstruction It was expensive and they did not see the need to keep financing southern rebuilding and the betterment of freedmen

59. Panic of 1873 Poor management and over construction of railroads drove the country into a panic This further removed Northern interest in the South reconstruction

60. Corruption in the Grant Administration Grant was honest but na�ve about others in power His administration was plagued with corruption

61. Cr�dit Mobilier A construction company was found to have taken profits from federal railroad construction projects Grant�s VP, Schuyler Colfax, was involved Grant had no knowledge of this

62. Election of 1872 Republicans re-nominated Grant Democrats nominated NY Tribune editor, Horace Greeley Grant won decisively and Greeley died a few weeks after the election

63. Election of 1872

64. Whiskey Ring Scandal In 1875, Grant was caught in another corruption scheme Revenue collectors and government officials took bribes from whiskey makers to avoid paying taxes It cost the treasury millions of dollars

65. Scandals Continue In 1876, Grant�s Sec. of War was caught accepting bribes Grant�s Sec pf the Navy was caught taking bribes Grant�s Sec of the Interior also was involved in some shady land dealings

66. Scandals Continue Although Grant was never involved in any of the schemes and it is unlikely that he was even aware of them, he did not seek re-election in 1876.

67. Panic of 1873 Cities and states were eager to fund railroad construction They loaned money to risky construction firms Their bankruptcies caused a panic Banks closed and railroads went broke

68. Panic of 1873 The economy floundered for the next 5 years with 3 million people unemployed Some wealthy entrepreneurs, including William Vanderbilt, began buying the railroads and will later create a monopoly

69. Currency Issues Lincoln began using currency, greenbacks, during the Civil War After the war, many wanted to call in the greenbacks and only allow currency backed by gold This would mean less money in the economy

70. Economics 101 When less money is available Only people with excellent credit get loans Loan interest rates rise Prices fall Bankers and industrialists wanted this

71. Economics 101 When more money is available Lenders are eager to loan money Interest rates are low Prices go up Farmers wanted this so their crop prices would go up and it would be easier to pay off loans

72. Specie Resumption Act, 1875 The government decided to pull the greenbacks out of the economy The economy was beginning to improve (after the Panic of 1873) so the issue died for a short time

73. Reconstruction � Let�s get it over already By 1875, Reconstruction had been going on for 9 years People, north and south, were tired of it and wanted it to end The USSC made decisions that took power from the 14th and 15th Amendments

74. Slaughterhouse Cases, 1873 The USSC decided that most rights of citizens come from their state, not the country, therefore, the Court did not protect any denied state right

75. US v. Cruikshank, 1876 The USSC decided that the federal government did not have the right to punish whites who oppressed blacks

76. US V. Reese, 1876 The USSC decided that the 15th Amendment only gave the minimum requirements to allow blacks to vote, states could use other methods to deny suffrage Each of these decisions would later be overturned, but in the mid 1870s, they were law

77. Northern Reaction to Reconstruction Northerners were tired of the �Negro question� Many radical republicans, Stevens and Sumner, are dead Republicans started to back away from reconstruction and monitoring Southern actions

78. Election of 1876 Republicans nominated Hayes Democrats nominated Tilden Because of irregularities, there were questions about votes in3 southern states Although never proven, it appeared that a deal was agreed upon

79. Compromise of 1877 Rutherford B. Hayes was given the presidency He immediately began pulling troops from the South

80. Redeemers Take Control Democrats, called Southern Redeemers, took over official positions throughout the South Black codes were put in place, violence escalated, lynchings increased and southerners got home rule

81. Redeemers Take Control The redeemers passed laws that wiped out almost every freedom given to freedman Blacks were arrested for minor infractions and made to labor to pay off their fines

82. Was Reconstruction a Failure? Historians still disagree over this question Yes, blacks given too many freedoms to fast No, many institutions established set the basis for later programs and slavery was over forever