Problems in the Aftermath of the Civil War

1. Reconstruction and the New South Problems in the Aftermath of the Civil War

2. The Aftermath of War • Devastation • Plantations, towns, infrastructure destroyed • Many wealthy Southerners invested heavily in Confederate bonds and currency • 258,000 Confederate soldiers killed • 20% of the adult male population • Myth of the “Lost Cause” • A romanticized vision of the pre-war South • Confederate heroes were treated with great reverence • Many Southern whites were determined to preserve what was left of their former glory

3. Freedom for the Ex-Slaves • Almost all former slaves agreed that freedom meant independence from white control • Many African Americans withdrew from white society and institutions, creating their own • Some former slaves argued that freedom required a redistribution of resources, specifically the land that their labor developed • Others believed that they could advance in society with legal equality

4. The Freedmen’s Bureau • Established by Congress in March 1865 as an agency of the Army • Had the authority to operate for 1 year • Activities: • Distributed food to former slaves • Established schools (teachers were sent by private groups in the North) • Tried to settle freed slaves on land of their own • Helped poor whites who were impoverished and homeless after the war

5. Conservatism and Radicalism • Conservatism • Provided a relatively easy path for the southern states to gain readmission to the Union • Insisted that the South accept the abolition of slavery • Other conditions were minimal • Radicalism • Insisted on punishment of civil and military leaders of the Confederacy • Wanted to disenfranchise southern whites who supported the Confederacy • Called for the confiscation of property of wealthy Confederate supporters and the redistribution of the property to freedmen • Wanted provisions for the protection of the rights of former slaves • Divided on suffrage for freemen

6. Plans for Reconstruction • Lincoln’s 10% Plan • Amnesty for white Southerners • High officials of the Confederacy would have to pledge loyalty to the U.S. government and accept the abolition of slavery • Whenever 10% of the voters registered in 1860 took the oath of loyalty, they could set up a state government • Suffrage to African Americans who were educated, owned property, and had served in the Union army • Louisiana, Arkansas, and Tennessee were all readmitted through this plan in 1864 • Wade-Davis Bill • Authorized the president to appoint a governor in each conquered state • When the majority of voters pledged their loyalty to the Union, the states could write a new constitution that: • Abolished slavery • Disenfranchised Confederate leaders • Repudiate debts incurred by the state governments during the war • Delegates to the constructional conventions had to take the “Ironclad Oath” • Lincoln used the pocket veto

7. Lincoln’s Death • After Booth murdered Lincoln, conspiracy theories abounded • Many government officials believed Booth and his 8 accomplices were part of a greater Southern plot • Lincoln’s assassination • doomed any hope of an • easy Reconstruction