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CH. 12-3 REPUBLICANS IN CHARGE

AMERICAN HISTORY. CH. 12-3 REPUBLICANS IN CHARGE. REPUBLICAN GOVERNMENT BRINGS CHANGE TO THE SOUTH. Congress & the army took control of Reconstruction Political power shifted in the south General James Longstreet and other white SCALAWAGS chose to the support this change.

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CH. 12-3 REPUBLICANS IN CHARGE

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  1. AMERICAN HISTORY

    CH. 12-3 REPUBLICANS IN CHARGE

  2. REPUBLICAN GOVERNMENT BRINGS CHANGE TO THE SOUTH Congress & the army took control of Reconstruction Political power shifted in the south General James Longstreet and other white SCALAWAGS chose to the support this change. SCALAWAG—a scoundrel and a traitor in the eyes of former Confederates
  3. Longstreet had to rely on the Republican Party for government jobs until his death in 1904 SCALAWAGS AND CARPETBAGGERS Many scalawags were farmers who didn’t own slaves and had opposed the war Others were wealthy farmers from before the war that were ruined after it
  4. These people hoped the new state governments would protect them from their debts Scalawags allied themselves with northern Republicans who came south to take part in the region’s political and economic rebirth Southern critics called these people CARPETBAGGERS The newcomers were scorned as low-class person who could carry everything they owned in a carpetbag
  5. Many carpetbaggers were educated people and came from a variety of backgrounds AFRICAN AMERICANS IN GOVERNMENT Carpetbaggers and scalawags allied to control state governments They were joined by freedmen SC & LA—African American delegates outnumbered whites at constitutional conventions
  6. African Americans formed the largest group of Republican voters in the south Nearly 700 African Americans served in southern state legislatures during Reconstruction NEW STATE GOVERNMENTS New state constitutions guaranteed male freedman the right to vote
  7. Republican governments created the region’s first public school systems They also built hospitals and institutions for orphans and people with mental disabilities These places were open to all southerners but were usually segregated by race Property requirements for voting were eliminated Divorce laws were modernized and the rights of married women were expanded
  8. To help the South’s economy, thousands of miles of new railroad were built Railroads got grants of land and money from state governments These grants came from taxes on large landowners Taxes were reduced on poor farmers Freedman were unhappy because the government did little to help them obtain their own land
  9. LIFE AFTER SLAVERY FOR AFRICAN AMERICANS SEEKING ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY Some freedman searched for relatives sold into slavery Others searched for employment by moving into urban areas The African American population in the 10 biggest southern cities doubled 1865-1870 Some former slaves went west and worked as miners, soldiers, cowboys
  10. Most former slaves stayed in the south to work for their former owners EDUCATION AND RELIGION 1877—600,000 African Americans had enrolled in elementary schools The Freedmen’s Bureau started over 4,000 schools Schools were started by many different groups
  11. African Americans established other institutions, especially churches Churches became centers for community life THE MEANING OF FREEDOM Freedmen created a wide variety of organizations to help themselves These included debating clubs, drama societies, trade associations, fire companies, and mutual aid societies
  12. RECONSTRUCTION AND LAND OWNERSHIP The main symbol of personal freedom for African Americans was their own land HOPES OF LAND FADE African Americans were given land after the Civil War in SC and GA President Johnson returned that land to the original owners
  13. SOUTHERN HOMESTED ACT (June 1866) 45 million acres of government-owned land in southern states to provide free farms for African Americans Few freedmen had the means to buy seed, animals, and equipment Only about 4,000 families took advantage and the law was repealed in 1872
  14. SHARECROPPERS AND TENANT FARMERS Most freedman were not content to work for the low wages planters were willing to pay Instead of receiving wages, freedmen began receiving a portion of the planter’s crop—SHARECROPPING Employer provided land, seed, tools, a mule, and a cabin. The sharecropper provided the labor
  15. TENANT FARMING—farmers rented the land they farmed from the landowner. This allowed the farmers to grow whatever crops they wanted to Several factors kept sharecroppers and tenant farmers in poverty --neither group had money until harvest --to meet daily needs they had to promise their crop to someone and buy their items on credit --if they crop didn’t pay off the debt it was continued into the next year
  16. A nationwide depression caused cotton prices to fall steeply in the 1870s. Farmers grew more cotton to help pay for debts This caused the prices to fall further INDUSTRIAL GROWTH IN THE SOUTH Southern cities grew quickly Southern railroad lines were linked to the north Southern business leaders joined with northern investors to build textile mills
  17. Most southern industrial growth occurred after Reconstruction had ended THE END
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