Reconstruction- Part 2

1. Reconstruction- Part 2 Chapter 8, Section 2

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. 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”.

5. 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.

6. 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)

7. Reconstruction- Part 3 Chapter 8, Section 3

8. 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.

9. 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.

10. 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.

11. 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