Reconstruction US History

Reconstruction (1865-1877) At the end of the war, the South was in ruins economically and politically. Refugees and freed slaves needed assistance.

Presidential Reconstruction President Johnson’s Plan Amnesty for those who took loyalty oath to U.S. Required states to abolish slavery

Radical Republicans Thaddeus Stevens led the Radical Republicans They wanted to punish the South

Congressional Reconstruction (aka “Radical Reconstruction”) Passed the “Civil War” Amendments: 13th – Freed all slaves and abolished slavery 14th - Granted citizenship and equal protection to African-Americans 15th - Gave African-American men the right to vote

Congressional Plan Divided the South into 5 military districts where the military enforced laws (Reconstruction Act).

Scalawags and Carpetbaggers Scalawag: Southern supporter of Reconstruction Carpetbagger: Northerner who moves south for Reconstruction

Freedman’s Bureau The Freedman’s Bureau was established to help feed and clothe war refugees in the South, and help them find work and education.

Sharecropping Many former slaves worked as sharecroppers or tenant farmers.

Freedman’s Bureau The Freedman’s Bureau helped open over 2000 colleges and universities in the South

Southern Reaction Many ex-Confeds had been banned from working for the government. Others refused to participate. Some formed secret societies (KKK) and intimidated freedmen.

U.S. Grant’s Presidency Political scandals and economic problems marred Grant’s two terms Made Reconstruction tensions worse in the South

Election of 1876: Rutherford B. Hayes (R - red) vs. Sam Tilden (D-blue)

Reconstruction Ends . Rutherford B. Hayes was elected President in 1877 (compromise of 1877), and he pulled troops out of the South, ending Reconstruction and creating a “New South.”

Reconstruction Ends Without military protection, many African-Americans again became intimidated. Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)”Jim Crow” Laws. The Southern economy rebounded with some industry (RRs, iron, and cotton mills/textiles), but still mostly agricultural

Efforts to Disenfranchise Poll Taxes Literacy Tests (for Af-Ams…poor Whites got to use the “grandfather clause”)

Anything similar today? Strict Voter ID Laws fewer people (esp. poor, elderly, Black, and Hispanic) are voting 4th Circuit court ruled (July 2016) that North Carolina’s voter ID law “targets African-Americans with almost surgical precision”

TWO APPROACHES to FREEDOM: Booker T. Washington vs. W.E.B. DuBois The Souls of Black Folk “Atlanta Compromise”