Reconstructing the South

Politics in Post War South Carpetbaggers- an unflattering name for a Northerner who moved to the South after the war. Most southerners believed that carpetbaggers wanted to exploit the South’s postwar turmoil for their own profit. However, like the scalawags, carpetbaggers had mixed motives. Some were Freedman’s Bureau agents, teachers and ministers who felt a moral obligation to help former slaves. Others wanted to buy land and start new industries legitimately. Some really were the dishonest businesspeople that southerners scorned.

Politics in Post-War South cont. Scalawags- White southerners who joined the Republican Party. Scorned by their fellow southerners for betraying their region. Some hoped to gain political offices and with the help of the African-American vote and then use those offices to enrich themselves. Some so-called scalawags thought that a republican government was the best way to help the south rebuild and industrialize. The majority were poor white farmers who wanted to improve their economic and political positions and to prevent the wealthy planters from regaining power.

Reconstructing Society After the war, much of the south needed to be rebuilt because most of the war had taken place on Southern soil. Because of this many Southerners were poorer then before the war had started, and this included all classes. The wealth per capita dropped several thousand dollars per year, forms were either destroyed or were in disrepair. Much of the male population had died during the war, about 1/5. Public works programs came into effect. The Republican government built roads, bridges, railroads and constructed orphanages and institutions for the care of the mentally ill and disabled. They also created the first public school systems that most southern states had never had. To raise money since most northerners were not willing to invest in the south, the governments had to raise taxes of all kinds which slowed down the healing of the region and drained its existing resources

Gains made by African Americans during Reconstruction

Freedman’s Bureau Assisted former slaves and poor whites by distributing food and clothing Set up more than 40 hospitals, approx. 4,000 schools, 61 industrial institutes, and 74 teacher-training institutes. Helped with contracts and jobs How did Johnson deal with the continuance of the Freedman’s Bureau?

Education 80 percent of AA over the age of 20 were illiterate in 1870. So there was a mass movement to educate themselves. For the first time they could learn to read and right without fear of punishment. By 1877, more than 600,000 African Americans were enrolled in elementary schools

Civil Rights Act of 1866 Gave African-Americans citizenship and forbade states from passing discriminatory laws such as the black codes that severely restricted African-American lives President Johnson vetoed both of these but the Radicals and the Moderates joined together to override the veto. They then added the 14th Amendment which states that any person born or naturalized in the United States were citizens, which made them entitled to equal protection under the law

New-Won Freedoms Were able to test their new freedom Before they were not able to travel without a pass, now they were able to travel to anywhere they would like to go The majority of free African Americans moved to larger southern cities away from the plantations that they associated with oppression From 1865-1870, the African American population of the ten largest cities doubled. They were also able to travel and find their children, parents or spouses that had been taken from them.

African Americans Elected To office – many hold state legislator positions Republican Party protects right to participate Hirem Revels – 1st African American Senator

Restructuring the Southern Economy

Infrastructure Built Roads and bridges that had been destroyed Established orphanages and institutions to help disabled and mentally ill $ to rebuild railroads

Economy

“40 Acres and a Mule” Field Order 15 Land south of Charleston Extra Mules in the Union Army Abandoned land by planters Rid the Union of Freed Slaves following the army 1865 – Johnson ordered land returned Southern Homestead Act of 1866

Reclaim Property! Plantation owners reclaimed their land Property rights protected by Constitution Land not lost by Due Process Land is returned, but no $ for seed, tools, or labor What is a Southerner to do?

Restoration of Plantations The planter class wanted to restore the plantation system Some wealthy merchants from the north as well as owners of textile mills encouraged planters in their efforts to reestablish plantations and resume widespread cotton production Planters claimed that they needed absolute control over their workers in order to make the plantation system work. Planters feared that they would no longer make a profit since they had to pay their laborers and could no longer force field hands to work such brutal hours. Many former slaveholders also resented that they had to negotiate with former slaves

Sharecropping and Tenant Farming Sharecropping- landowners divided their land and gave each worker a few acres, along with seed and tools. At each harvest time, the worker gave a share of his crop, usually half, to the landowner Tenant Farming- Renting land from landowners for cash from planters but they were able to keep their harvest

Sharcropping: A new Economic System for the South *1/3 each way *difficult conditions *cycle of poverty *tenent= rent v. credit Land Owner Sharcropper General Store

Cotton Tax Law Exempted tax from textile mills that produced cotton in the same county that it was grown Outdated older textile mills move to the south Sharecropping, slow to start, regained production Cotton dropped in price due to overproduction by end of Reconstruction Cotton production declined as attempts to diversify the economy took place-tobacco Economy behind well into the 20th century