Reconstruction (1865 – 1877)

1. Reconstruction (1865 – 1877) • Philosophy: Rebellion of individuals/South never legally left the Union. • Proclamation of Amnesty: Loyalty oaths & pardons. • Proclamation of Reconstruction: Ten-Percent Plan • Radical Republicans Response: Wade-Davis Bill • Philosophy: South was still part of the Union/treason had temporarily disqualified them from political power. • Pardons after loyalty oath (except officers & wealthy). • Readmission after: war debts denied; admit secession was illegal; loyalty oath; ratify 13th Amendment. • Philosophy: Angered by Johnson’s actions, radical and moderate Republicans decided to work together in Congress to shift control of Reconstruction from the Executive Branch to the Legislative Branch • Reconstruction Act: Congress takes over. • Redemption: Southern Democrats return to power by recapturing Southern state governments. • Compromise of 1877: Unofficial deal made during the Election of 1876 marks the end of Reconstruction. • Home Rule: The ability to run state governments without federal intervention

2. Essential Question: • What events from 1868 to 1876 led to the abandonment of federal reconstruction attempts in the South by 1877?

3. Reconstruction in the Grant Administration (1869-1877)

4. The Election of 1868 Arkansas Tennessee Louisiana Alabama South Carolina • In 1867, Thaddeus Stevens’ Radical Reconstruction plan was in place & a southern Republican party hoped to build a New South • By 1868, 8 of the 11 former Confederate states were accepted back into the Union after creating state constitutions & ratifying the 14th Amendment Florida North Carolina Georgia

5. Re-Admission of the South

6. The Election of 1868 • But, the U.S. had lots of problems: • Excessiveprintingofgreenbacks during the Civil War led to high inflation which hurt both the Northern & Southern economies • Southern “Redeemers” & secret societies tried to undermine Congressional attempts to reconstruct the South

7. The 1868 Presidential Election Democrats refused to re-nominate Johnson & chose NY governor Horatio Seymour Republicans nominated Civil War hero Ulysses S. Grant who had the support of Republicans in the North & South as well as Southern freedmen who voted for the 1st time

8. In the election of 1868, both parties “waved the bloody shirt” to remind voters why the Civil War was fought Keeping freed blacks inferior was the most important goal of Southern Democrats Republican goal: Keep ex-Confederate leaders from restoring the “Old South” Southern DemocraticStrategy Southern RepublicanStrategy

9. Grant’s National Reconstruction Plan Deflations hurt indebted farmers the most Enough troops should be sent to work with state militias to protect blacks’ rights, reduce violence, & support Republican leaders in Southern state governments… In 1876, the Greenback Party was formed to support keeping “soft” money • When Grant was elected, he supported: • Shifting back to gold (“sound” or “hard” money) to deflate American currency • Using a limited number of U.S. soldiers in the South to enforce Reconstruction efforts • Civil rights for freed blacks …but not enough to encourage widespread resentment among the Southern population

10. Grant’s National Reconstruction Plan • Republicans sought equal protection for blacks; ratified the 15th Amendment in 1870: • Prohibited any state from denying men the right to vote due to race • But…the amendment said nothing about literacy tests, poll taxes, & property qualifications

11. A Reign of Terror Against Blacks • From 1868 to 1872, southern Republicans were threatened by secret societies like Ku Klux Klan • Hoped to restore the “Old South” • Sought to restrict black voting • Oppose Republican state gov’ts • The KKK was successful in its terror campaigns, helping turn GA, NC, & TN to the Democratic Party

12. The “Invisible Empire of the South” “Of course he wants to vote for the Democratic ticket”

13. A Reign of Terror Against Blacks • In 1870, Congress passed the Force Acts (the “KKK Acts”): • Made interference in elections a federal crime • Gave the president the military power to protect polling places • Allowed for high black turnout & Republicans victories in 1872 • “Redeemer” Democrats openly appealed to white supremacy & laissez-faire government

14. A Reign of Terror Against Blacks • The KKK responded by becoming more open with its terror tactics: • Northerners grew impatient with federal Reconstruction efforts & “corrupt” Southern state gov’ts • Grant began to refuse to use military force against KKK terrorist attacks • By 1876, only SC, FL, & LA were controlled by Republicans

15. The 1875 Civil Rights Act In the Slaughterhouse Cases (1873), the court ruled that the 14th Amendment protects only national citizenship rights & does not protect citizens from discrimination by the states • Congress passed the Civil Rights Act of 1875 to protect freedmen: • Outlawed racial discrimination in public places & in jury selection • But the Supreme Court ruled it unconstitutional & weakened the 14th & 15th Amendments, leaving southern blacks defenseless against discrimination In U.S. v Reese (1876) & U.S. v Cruikshank (1876), the court weakened the KKK Act by stating that the 14th Amendment does not protect against actions by individuals

16. President Ulysses S. Grant (1869 – 1877) • Stabilized the nation after the Civil War & Reconstruction. • Enforced Reconstruction by enforcing civil rights laws and fighting Ku Klux Klan violence. • Won passage of the 15th Amendment giving constitutional protection for African-American voting rights. • Used the army to build the Republican Party in the South, based on black voters, Northern newcomers ("Carpetbaggers") and native white supporters ("Scalawags.") As a result, African Americans were represented in the U.S. Congress for the first time in American history in 1870.

17. Corruption in Grant’s Administration

18. Jay Gould (1836 – 1892)

19. Jay Gould (1836 – 1892) A Duke Tobacco cigarette card depicting Gould's involvement in railroads, stock, and telegraph.

20. Corruption in Grant’s Administration • The Republicans experienced rampant corruption during Grant’s 1st term as president: • Grant’s Secretary of War was impeached & Attorney General resigned due to corruption • Grant’s VP & others were ruined by the Crédit Mobilier scandal involving railroad stock in exchange for political favors These scandals distracted Americans from Reconstruction efforts

21. The Election of 1872 • Corruption scandals & the failure of Reconstruction in the South led to a split among Republicans: • Liberal Republicans were tired of the Grant scandals & believed in reconciling with the South, not military intervention • In 1872, Liberal Republicans ran Horace Greeley against Grant

22. President Ulysses S. Grant (1869 – 1877) • Scandals: • Black Friday: The 1st scandal to taint Grant. • It was a gold-speculation financial crisis in 1869, set up by Wall Street manipulators Jay Gould and James Fisk. • They tried to corner the gold market and tricked Grant into preventing his treasury secretary from stopping the fraud.

23. Republicans suppressed the KKK in time for the election; Southern blacks enjoyed a voting freedom they would not see again for a century 1872 Presidential Election Grant was the only consecutive, 2-term president from Jackson to Teddy Roosevelt, but is commonly regarded as a failure

24. Grant’s Second Term ½ the nation’s RRs defaulted Over 100 banks collapsed 18,000 businesses closed • Grant s 2nd term was plagued by economic depression & corruption • Panic of 1873 was the longest depression (until 1929); many blamed large corporations & begged Grant to create jobs • Whiskey Ring—Grant’s personal secretary was caught embezzling whiskey taxes Unemployment reached 15% The Grant administration did not see job creation or relief for the poor as its duties

25. President Ulysses S. Grant (1869 – 1877) • Scandals: • Grant’s Secretary of War was discovered to have taken bribes in exchange for the sale of Native American trading posts. • Although Grant himself did not profit from corruption among his subordinates, he did not react strongly even after their guilt was established. • He was weak in his selection of subordinates, favoring friends and colleagues from the war over those with more practical political experience. • At the conclusion of his second term, Grant wrote to Congress that "Failures have been errors of judgment, not of intent."

28. Political Machine:An organized group that controlled the activities of a political party in a city and offered services to voters and businesses in exchange for financial support. Kickbacks:Once a political machines got its candidates into office, it could take advantage of its position. For example, after hiring a person to work on a construction project for the city, a political machine could ask the worker to turn in a bill that was higher than the actual cost of materials or labor. The worker then “kicked back” a portion of the earnings to the machine. Taking these illegal payments made machines very wealthy

29. The following selection illustrates the way the politicians of the city recruited followers: What tells in holdin your grip on your district is to go right down among the poor families and help them. I've got a regular system for this. If there's a fire in Ninth or Tenth or Eleventh Avenue, for example, any hour of the day or night, I'm usually there with some of my election district captains as soon as the fore engines. If a family is burned out I don't I don't ask them if they are Republicans or Democrats, and I don't refer them to the Charity Organization Society, which would investigate their case in a month or two and decide if they are worthy of help about the time they are dead from starvation. I just get quarters for them, buy clothes for them if their clothes were all burned up, and fix them up until they get things runnin' again. It's philanthropy, but it's politics too - mighty good politics. Who can tell me how many votes one of those fires brings me? The poor are the most grateful people in the world, and, let me tell you, they have more friends in their neighborhoods than the rich have in theirs... Another thing, I can always get a deserving man a job. I make it a point to keep track of jobs, and it seldom happens that I don't have a few up my sleeve ready for use. I hear a young feller that's proud of his voice... I ask him to join our Glee Club. He comes up and sings, and he's a follower of Plunkitt for life. Another young feller gains a reputation as a baseball player in a vacant lot. I bring him into our baseball club. That fixes him. You'll find him working for my ticket at the polls next election. I rope them all in by givin' them opportunities to show off themselves off. I don't trouble them with political arguments. --George Washington Plunkitt, Politician, New York, 1889

30. The “Bosses” of the Senate Boss Tweed of the NYC Democratic Political Machine, Tammany Hall

31. Thomas Nast denounces Tammany as a ferocious tiger killing democracy; the tiger image caught on.

32. Decline of the Machine Political machines began to decline in importance after 1900. Led by Thomas Nast's cartoons the Tammany Hall machine came down and others soon followed. The cartoon below was titled The Tammany Tiger Loose "What are you going to do about it?"

33. Weakened by defeats, the tiger is hunted by enemies in 1893. Cartoon by F. Opper

34. William “Boss” Tweed Head of Tammany Hall Corruption in NYC Pocketed as much as $200 million in payoffs Indicted on 120 counts of fraud & extortion & sentenced to 12 years in prison

35. The Politics of the Gilded Age

36. Politics of Stalemate No more than 1% of the popular vote separated the candidates in 3 of 5 elections • The 5 presidential elections from 1876 to 1892 were the most closely contested elections ever • Congress was split as well: • Democrats controlled the House • Republicans held the Senate • This “stalemate” made it difficult for any of the 5 presidents or either party to pass significant legislation for 20 years Pendleton Civil Service Act of 1883 Interstate Commerce Act of 1887 Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890 McKinley Tariff Act of 1890

37. The Two-Party Stalemate: 1876-1892

38. Pallid Politics in the Gilded Age • 1869-91: control of House switched parties 6x, presidential elections close. • Dems and Reps agreed on most national matters (tariff, civil service reform, currency), but were fiercely competitive & well organized.

39. Voting Blocs in the Gilded Age Democratic Bloc Republican Bloc • Supported by white southerners, farmers, immigrants, & the working poor • Favored white supremacy & supported labor unions • Supported by Northern whites, blacks, & nativists • Supported big business & favored anti-immigration laws

40. Politics in the Gilded Age (2) • Voter turnout reached 80%, “ticket splitting” was rare. • Difference between parties was ethnic/cultural/religious. • Rep traced roots to Puritanism, personal morality, gov’t involvement in moral/economic affairs.

41. Politics in the Gilded Age (3) • Dems mostly Lutheran/Catho-lic, resisted single moral standards, affirmed toleration. • Issues like prohibition, education produced contentious campaigns at the local level. • Dems strong in South, northern cities (immigrants).

42. Politics in the Gilded Age (4) • Reps strong in Midwest, rural Northeast (generally won Northeast states), among freedmen in South, GAR. • Patronage was lifeblood of both parties: reformers believed spoils system was cause of corruption.

43. Politics in the Gilded Age (5) • 1870-80s led to Rep. infighting: “Stalwart” faction led by Sen. Conkling embraced patronage; “Half-Breeds,” led by Blaine considered civil service reform but were really interested in using patronage for own benefit as well.

44. President Ulysses S. Grant (1869 – 1877) • Stabilized the nation after the Civil War & Reconstruction. • Enforced Reconstruction by enforcing civil rights laws and fighting Ku Klux Klan violence. • Won passage of the 15th Amendment giving constitutional protection for African-American voting rights. • Used the army to build the Republican Party in the South, based on black voters, Northern newcomers ("Carpetbaggers") and native white supporters ("Scalawags.") As a result, African Americans were represented in the U.S. Congress for the first time in American history in 1870.