The End of Reconstruction Big Questions: What key factors killed Reconstruction and why didn’t anyone seem to care?

Weak Response by Government (395):  President Grant’s use of Enforcement Act: 18710 – 1871 Federal supervision of elections in the South President could use troops to fight the Klan Grant didn’t use the powers fully Supreme Court ruled the laws unconstitutional in 1882 Impact of Amnesty Act of 1872: gives voting rights and the right to hold political office back to former confederates End of Freedmen’s Bureau: Congress let it expire – ends help for African Americans and the poor

Grant was a Weak President:   Scandals, due in part to Grant’s habit of hiring friends (patronage) weaken President Grant and divide the Republican party. List examples of scandals (395-396): Credit Mobilier – construction company working with the Union Pacific Railroad had skimmed profits from the government contract – it went all the way to the VP of the US  Whiskey Ring – tax collectors and officials had accepted bribes from whiskey companies that wanted to avoid paying taxes – it cost the government millions in lost taxes. President Grant’s own secretary was indicted The Secretary of War, Secretary of Navy and secretary of the interior were all caught accepting bribes

Supreme Court Cases begin undermining 14th and 15th Amendments (398): 1873 – Slaughterhouse cases: interpreted the 14th Amendment to only apply to rights covered by the federal government. They claimed most civil rights came through the state, so it wasn’t the federal government’s job to cover them Cruikshank 1876 – court ruled the government couldn’t punish individuals who violated other people’s rights US v Reese – said the 15th Amendment only listed the grounds on which states could not deny voting And don’t forget Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) which legalized segregation

The Panic of 1873 (397): A new business “bubble” had led many investors to go into debt to try to start businesses A large banking company went bankrupt, setting of a chain reaction Many small banks closed and the stock market temporarily shut down 89 railroads went bankrupt 18000 companies closed 3 million people unemployed Triggered a 5 year recession

Northern Support Fades (398): many northerners grew tired of the issue – the economic problems distracted them and many began to vote for more neutral Republicans rather than radicals

Democrats “redeem” South (399): define “redemption” – reclaiming 1869-1875, democrats recaptured: government in Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Mississippi, NC, Tenn, Texas, Virginia Pushed out Republican governments that had supported African Americans’ rights  The last Republican governments in the South ended after President Hayes removed federal troops

Election of 1876 (399): Republican candidate: Rutherford B Hayes Democratic candidate: Sam Tilden Winner of popular vote: Tilden Problem with the electoral college vote: Tilden was one vote short in electoral college and some votes were in dispute The secret deal between Democrats in the House of Reps and the commission run by Republicans: Republican Rutherford B. Hayes became President with the help of votes from democrats and he then takes troops were taken out of the South.