Chapter 16 The Union Reconstructed

1. Chapter 16The Union Reconstructed The American People, 6th ed.

2. The Bittersweet Aftermath of War

3. The United States in 1865 • At the end of the war, Lincoln’s official position was that the South had never left the Union • Lincoln’s opponents argued that by declaring war, the Confederacy had broken their Constitutional ties and reverted to a territory status • The North was stronger than ever, the South lay in ruins

6. Hopes Among the Freedpeople • Blacks tested their new freedom gradually • Most freed slaves made education a priority • Many left their plantations in search of a family member who had been sold • The primary goal for these freedpeople was to secure jobs and land; they expected a new economic order and some compensation for their years in slavery

8. The White South’s Fearful Response • The dominant emotion in the Southern post-war white community was fear of newly freed slaves; of rape and revenge • Almost all societal norms in the South had been reversed as a result of losing the war • Southern legislatures passed “Black Codes” the first year after the war to secure white dominance

10. National Reconstruction Politics

11. The Thirteenth Amendment • Abolished slavery and ratification was the first requirement for Southern states to rejoin the Union • Renouncing succession, acknowledging Confederate debts, and electing new state officials and members of Congress were other requirements.

13. The Fourteenth Amendment • Promised perpetual protection of the civil rights of black Americans by legally defining them as citizens • Granted suffrage to black males in the South • Denounced by President Johnson

14. Acts of Reconstruction • The southern states were divided into military districts for federal administration • Congress redefined the qualifications for readmission as a state: blacks must be included in selecting representation to create new state constitutions • The Tenure of Office Act restricted presidential appointment powers in light of Johnson’s aggressive racism and determination to foil any reconstruction process; he became the first president to be impeached

15. The Lives of Freedpeople

16. The Freedmen’s Bureau • Officially called the Bureau of Freedmen, Refugees and Abandoned Lands • Issued emergency food rations, clothes and shelter for the homeless victims of the war • Tasked with an extensive education program for the freed slaves • Served as an early employment agency for African Americans

17. Economic Freedom • The failure of Congress to provide 40 acres and a mule for the freedmen resulted in a new economic dependency on their former masters • Land ownership consolidated into huge holdings and concentrated on one cash crop, usually cotton • African American signed work contracts with white landowners to toil under the lash as if slavery still existed