Reconstructing Georgia  The South was in ruins after the Civil War. - Why?  The Southern States had to meet requirements to reenter the Union.  13 th Amendment - Abolished slavery  The Former Slaves had to adjust to living as freeman.

Freedmen’s Bureau  Created in 1865 by the US Government  Provided food, clothes and supplies to poor whites and free blacks and helped blacks function as free persons and protected rights  Main purpose was to provide education, training, and social services for newly freed slaves  They set up thousands of primary schools, industrial or vocational schools, and teacher training centers for African Americans in the South

Black Codes  The passage of Black Codes restricted the civil rights of freemen in Georgia  Put African Americans in prison if they didn’t have a job  Black codes limited the political and civil rights of former slaves, as well as their ability to control their own labor and jobs  Worked excessive hours, from sunrise to sunset, six days per week  Could not testify in court against a white person

Reconstruction Amendments  14 th Amendment – Granted blacks citizenship and equal protection under the law – was passed in response to the black codes which restricted the rights of freedmen  15 th Amendment – Granted black males the right to vote

What is Reconstruction?  The unions attempt to: Rebuild the South and restore them to the Union  All southerners except for high ranking Confederate officials were pardoned & took an oath of allegiance  When 10% of voters in each state took the oath, the state could form a government and rejoin the Union

2 different views on Reconstruction  Lincoln’s plan was to rebuild the South and restore the southern states to the Union As soon as possible.  Congress wanted to punish the South and monitor the treatment of freedmen. Wanted to treat the South like conquered provinces.

Presidential Reconstruction Lincoln’s plan to reunite the south  Would name an acting governor for each state  Southerners, except for Confederate leaders would be granted full citizenship rights  A new state constitution must include: declaring seccession null and void, abolishing slavery, and canceling all war debts

Presidential Reconstruction Andrew Johnson’s plan  Pardoned many Confederate leaders  Allowed ex-Confederates to control their state government, their land, and black people  furious with Johnson’s leadership, the radical Republicans impeached him (filing charges to remove from office), however, he was saved from removal

Formal stages of Reconstruction  Presidential Reconstruction – Abraham Lincoln & Andrew Johnson attempted to quickly reunite the country  Radical Reconstruction – Emphasized civil rights & voting rights for the Freedmen  Redemption – White supremacist Southerners (redeemers) defeated the republicans & took control of each southern state. This marked the end of Reconstruction

Henry McNeal Turner  He was one of the first African Americans elected to the Georgia state senate.  He was expelled from office because redeemers said that while he had the right to vote he did not have the right to hold office.

Farming in the South  Most Freedmen were forced to work as sharecroppers or laborers, for jobs were not all open to them.  Sharecropper owned nothing but their labor – rented land, tools, farm animals, housing  Tenant farmers owned farm animals and equipment to use in working other people’s lands – rented the land

KU Klux Klan  Founded in 1866 in Tennessee  Originally used to restore southern Democrats to power  Attempted to intimidate blacks through vigilantism

Reconstruction Revisited  U.S. Congress did not believe that Georgia was “adequately reconstructed” because of the KKK  Georgia Act of 1869: Federal Legislation returning Georgia to military control because of KKK terrorism against freedmen.  Republicans were the political party most associated with Reconstruction in Georgia

End of Reconstruction  Republican Governor Rufus Bullock resigned  Radical Republicans lost interest in helping southern blacks  Congress granted amnesty (forgiveness) to nearly all Confederates, allowing them to hold public office  The Freedmen’s Bureau was abolished  White conservative Democrats called Redeemers took full control of Georgia’s government