Reconstruction

1. Reconstruction

2. Effects of the Civil War • Most of the fighting in the Civil War took place in the South. Because of this, the region was destroyed.

3. Effects of the Civil War • Not only was it destroyed physically, the people of the South were ruined socially as well. For instance, many wealthy white people lost their plantations and the slaves who worked on them. This meant that the whites had to do the work themselves. They were not used to working the rough jobs that slaves used to do. Many people believed that by seceding from the Union, the southern states committed treason.

4. Effects of the Civil War • Sharecropping became an important part of southern society. Under this system, the land owner would allow the former slaves to live on his land in exchange for working the land. The former slaves worked the land and could keep some of the profits from farming.

5. Sharecropping

6. Effects of the Civil War • White southerners who supported Reconstruction were known as Scalawags. Carpetbaggers were northern businessmen and politicians who came to the South to make sure federal laws were followed.

7. Lincoln’s Assassination • President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated on April 15, 1865, 5 days after the civil war, at Ford’s theater in Washington, D.C.. John Wilkes Booth shot Lincoln in the back of the head, and leap from the box to the stage. The crowd did not initially react because they were uncertain if it was a part of the play. Lincoln was taken to a house across the street where he passed away the next morning. A 12- day manhunt ended at a barn where Union troops set it on fire hoping John Wilkes Booth would run out. He did not and was shot by a Union soldier.

8. Former Slaves Begin a New Life • The effect of the 13th Amendment: all slaves were freed. • The 14th Amendment made sure the freed slaves would have the rights of citizens. • The 15th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution stated that "the right of citizens… to vote shall not be denied… on account of race." This law meant that African Americans were guaranteed the right to vote.

9. Former Slaves Begin a New Life • The Freedmen's Bureau was started by the U.S. government during the Reconstruction of the South It was a government agency that helped former slaves by establishing schools and finding jobs on farms.

10. Former Slaves Begin a New Life • Fisk University: One of the first U.S. institutions to offer an education to former slaves in the post-Civil War South, Fisk opened its doors in Nashville, Tennessee, just nine months after the Confederate surrender at Appomattox. General Clinton B. Fisk of the Tennessee Freedmen's Bureau donated a former Union Army barracks to the school, and students began attending classes at "Fisk School" in January of 1866.

11. Former Slaves Begin a New Life • Fisk Jubilee Singers: As part of a fundraising effort for the financially strapped institution, Fisk treasurer and music professor George L. White created a singing group comprised of students at the college. On October 6, 1871, the nine-member choir embarked on a national fundraising tour for Fisk. This group, known as the Fisk Jubilee Singers, introduced audiences outside of the U.S. South to spirituals and Christian songs created by African American slaves.

12. Former Slaves Begin a New Life • In April 1866, however, Congress was able to pass the Civil Rights Act of 1866. The Civil Rights Act defined citizenship rights of the freed slaves. It also gave federal authorities the right to sue anyone who violated those rights.

13. Plans for Reconstruction Lincoln’s Plan • never enacted because Lincoln was assassinated shortly after the Civil War ended • focused on reconnecting with the South • did not focus on punishing the South for its actions • required all southern states to ratify the Thirteenth Amendment, abolishing slavery • required an oath of allegiance; once 10 percent of the state's population took the oath, the state could rejoin the Union. • certain people were excluded from taking the oath of allegiance including Confederate government officials and Confederate army officers

14. Plans for Reconstruction Johnson’s Plan • lasted from 1865-1867 • resembled Lincoln's plan • required all southern states to ratify the Thirteenth Amendment • offered a pardon to southerners willing to take an oath of allegiance, excluding Confederate leaders and officers • quite different from what the Republicans in Congress had in mind for Reconstruction because Johnson was seen as lenient • several pieces of Republican legislation were vetoed by Johnson, such as the Freedmen's Bureau, Civil Rights Act, Reconstruction Act, and Tenure of Office Act

15. Plans for Reconstruction Congress’s Plan (Radical Reconstruction) • lasted from 1867-1877 • term radical given to Reconstruction planned by the Republicans in Congress • led by Thaddeus Stevens • enacted the Civil Rights Act of 1866, defining citizenship rights for the freed slaves; it was vetoed by Johnson, but Congress overrode the veto • placed a heavy emphasis on the voting rights of the freed slaves • wanted to see the South punished for their actions during the Civil War, as seceding from the Union was viewed as treason

16. Impeachment of Andrew Johnson • The House of Representatives was able to impeach President Johnson because he violated the Tenure of Office Act. This act stated that if a president wanted to remove any federal officer from office, the Senate had to approve it. Johnson removed Secretary of War Edwin Stanton from office without getting Senate approval. Since he violated the act, he was impeached. The House of Representatives can impeach a president. After this happens, the president faces trial in the Senate. In the case of Johnson's impeachment, he was not convicted by the Senate. When he faced trial, the Senate was one vote short of conviction. This meant he was able to stay in office.

17. The rise of the Ku Klux Klan, black codes, and vigilante justice • Black Codes: Southern states passed these laws as a reaction to the Union victory in the Civil War. They gave African Americans some rights but did not give them the right to vote. They were passed as an attempt to keep control over free African Americans.

18. End of Reconstruction • The election of 1876 pitted republican Rutherford B. Hayes against democrat Samuel Tilden. It was a highly debated election. Rutherford B. Hayes won the election, but many democrats did not see the election as fair. The official end to Reconstruction is tied with the presidential election of 1876. When Rutherford B. Hayes was elected and came into office in 1877, he removed federal troops from the South. This brought an end to Reconstruction.

19. The rise of the Ku Klux Klan, black codes, and vigilante justice •  The Ku Klux Klan was organized in 1866 as a reaction to Reconstruction. People in the South were angry that the Union had won the war and the slaves had been freed. Some people decided to take the law into their own hands and punish African Americans and whites who supported rights for the freed slaves. The KKK threatened people and used violence as a way to get their message across.