Reconstruction to Jim Crow

1. Reconstruction to Jim Crow The South in Post Civil War Era

2. Main Idea…. (What to remember twenty years from now…) • While the bitter war fought to preserve the union was won, the Reconstruction era would leave the US with many unresolved divisive issues for decades to come.

3. Why the War Was Fought • Economics: • 85% to 90% of all businesses in the South were either plantation farms or supportive of plantation farming • Slavery labor made cotton plantation economically feasible • Cultural / Citizenship: • Africans sees as lesser human in the South • Government: • The United STATESof America.

4. Results of the War (1861-65)Devastation in the South • 1 out of every 3 white males killed or injured. • 85% of war fought in the South consequently….. • Whole plantations, farms and cities destroyed (70% a total loss) • 1/3 of all livestock • 9,000 miles of railroads destroyed • 2/3 of the south’s shipping industry • With emancipation of slaves, plantation owners loss $3 billon in slave labor

5. Results of the War (1861-65)Not So Bad for North While loosing over 360,000 soldiers…. • Hardly any territory destroyed (Gettysburg; parts of Maryland) • War effort produced a boom in heavy industry. • With victory won the political and moral high ground. • In the best financial position to “rebuild” the south.

6. THE BIG QUESTION… After 4 years of bitter conflict, how would the nation bring itself back together or…… “RECONSTRUCT” itself?

7. Reconstruction: The Second Civil War A PBS American Experience documentary

8. Constitutional Amendments The 14th Amendment (1866) • Declares former slaves to be citizens of the United States and guarantees all citizens equal protection under the law. • Called the “Due Process” clause, it makes state governments the guarantors of “civil rights.” • Civil Rights = freedom of life, liberty or property • Thinking ahead: If that was the case, then why was the South segregated for over a hundred year after reconstruction?

9. Act II: Congressional Reconstruction 15th Amendment • Guarantees the right to vote cannot be denied because of race 1870. • Even before the 15th amendment was ratified, the military had begun to register freedmen under the Reconstruction Act of 1867. • In 1867 and 1868, voters in southern states chose delegates to draft new state constitutions… • 80% of the newly registered African Americans went to the polls, while most registered white voters did not participate. (Why???) As a result, one quarter of the more than 1,000 delegates were black.

10. Then and Now… Question: It would seem that combination of the 13th, 14th and 15th Amendments of the Constitution would create a racially equal south. Why did it not work out that way?

11. The End of Reconstruction A PBS American Experience documentary

12. The End of Reconstruction Answers: Two factors which contributed to the failure of Reconstruction: • The KKK: terror and intimidation • Corruption and ineffective federal governance This leads to a “New” South that looks like the Pre Civil War South

13. The End of Reconstruction Reason 1: The KKK and Intimidation • Founded in 1866, Klu Klux Klan (KKK) members were largely of ex-Confederate officials and plantation owners wore robes • They works masks to symbolically represent the ghosts of Confederate soldiers • Klansmen pledged to “defend the social and political superiority” of whites against what they called “aggressions of an inferior race”

14. The End of Reconstruction Spreading Terror • The Klan’s goal: intimidate scalawags, repel carpetbaggers, but most importantly, terrorize blacks into their place • Tactics included, horsemen in long robes and hoods appeared suddenly at night, carrying guns and whips. • They encircled the homes of their victims, and planted huge burning crosses in their yards. • People were harassed, tortured, kidnapped, or murdered

15. The End of Reconstruction Reason 2: Government Ineffectiveness • Ulysses S. Grant, the great Union General elected President in 1868: while a great general, many historians consider to be one of the most highly ineffective Presidents • Grant’s administration, and the Republican Congress come to symbolize corruption, greed, and poor government

16. Supreme Court Limits Scope of Amendments • In Plessy v. Ferguson, the Supreme Court narrowly interpreted the 14thamendments and created the “separate but equal doctrine. • The Court’s decisions allow southern state to enact laws which violated the civil African Americans .

17. S Imposing Segregation (cont.) • In the late 1800s, Southern states began imposing restrictions that, while not mentioning race, were designed to make it difficult or impossible for African Americans to vote. • In 1890, Mississippi began requiring all citizens registering to vote to pay a poll tax of $2. • Mississippi also instituted a literacy test, requiring voters to read and understand the state constitution.

18. Imposing Segregation (cont.) • Other Southern states adopted similar restrictions, and the number of voters declined significantly. • African Americans in the North were often barred from public places, but segregation in the South was far worse. • Southern states passed Jim Crow laws. • These laws established racial segregation in virtually all public places.

19. Imposing Segregation (cont.) • In 1883, the Supreme Court set the stage for legalized segregation when it overturned the Civil Rights Act of 1875. • In the 1896 case of Plessy v. Ferguson, the Supreme Court set out a new doctrine of “separate but equal” facilities for African Americans.

20. The African American Response Some African American leaders focused on practical vocational education, while others pushed for full civil rights and education opportunities.

21. The African American Response (cont.) • Between 1890 and 1899, there was an average of 187 lynchings each year. • In 1892, Ida B. Wells launched a crusade against lynching. • Mary Church Terrell fought a lifelong battle against lynching, racism, and sexism. • She helped found the National Association of Colored Women and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.

22. Section 5 The African American Response (cont.) • She also formed the Women Wage-Earners Association. • Booker T. Washington proposed that African Americans concentrate on achieving economic goals rather than political ones. • Booker’s Atlanta Compromise speech provoked a strong challenge from W.E.B. Du Bois, who saw no advantage to giving up civil rights, even temporarily.

23. Sources: • Pro Quest Historic Study Center Reconstruction Study Guide • Reconstruction: The Second Civil War A PBS American Experience documentary • Textbook: Chapter 3