Review Define Reconstruction. This man became POTUS when Lincoln was assassinated. This group of politicians wanted to punish the South for rebelling AND wanted full citizenship rights for blacks. Which federal program aimed to help blacks and poor white after the Civil War? Radical Republicans in Congress ________________ Johnson for not enforcing Reconstruction policies and laws. ________________ was elected POTUS in the Election of 1868. Why are the 13th, 14th, and15th Amendments referred to as the “Reconstruction Amendments?”

Review Define Reconstruction. 1865-1877, period of time after Civil War during which the US began to rebuild This man became POTUS when Lincoln was assassinated. Andrew Johnson This group of politicians wanted to punish the South for rebelling AND wanted full citizenship rights for blacks. Radical Republicans Which federal program aimed to help blacks and poor white after the Civil War? Freedmen’s Bureau Radical Republicans in Congress ________________ Johnson for not enforcing Reconstruction polices and laws. Impeached (but found “not guilty” and stayed in office) ________________ was elected POTUS in the Election of 1868. Ulysses S. Grant Why are the 13th, 14th, and15th Amendments referred to as the “Reconstruction Amendments?” They ensured the rights of newly freed blacks in post-Civil War America.

SOCIAL RECONSTRUCTION

Southern Economy Suffers By 1870, all former Confederate states were admitted back into the Union… but tensions still existed between the North and the South. Southern states faced huge economic problems. Land destroyed by battle → difficult to farm, farmers out of work Burned towns/cities → decreased property value Railroad tracks, bridges, and roads damaged → decreased transportation of goods and people Loss of men in battle → less men to work, many with post- traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

Public Works Programs Republican politicians and governments worked to: Rebuild roads and railroads Establish hospitals for the mentally ill and physically disabled Create the first public school systems in the south Rebuilding the South was expensive! Northern states did not want to help pay to restore South. Southern states raised taxes on their citizens to help pay for the rebuilding → slowed progress of restoration of the South.

Scalawags and Carpetbaggers To gain readmission into the US, southern states had to elect new gov’t officials, most of whom were Republican (to appease the North). Republican led governments in the South faced opposition from local Democrats (party of the south). Carpetbaggers – negative nickname Democrats gave to Northerners who moved to the South to make money - Came from the idea that they moved with so few possessions, they could all fit in a “carpet bag” - Some were teachers, ministers, or Freedmen’s Bureau agents - But, most were dishonest and bought cheap land and then hired blacks and poor whites to work the land for little wages Scalawags – negative nickname for white Southerners who sided with Radical Republicans Wanted South to recover and industrialize to make $ Some wanted to prevent former wealthy planters from gaining power again

New Conditions for Black Citizens Voting rights – many blacks exercised suffrage despite facing intimidation, discrimination, and even violence Travel – many blacks moved to Southern and Northern cities to reconnect with families and/or start new lives and careers Education – many blacks were illiterate (could not read/write), many enrolled in schools created by the Freedmen’s Bureau

New Conditions for Black Citizens Community building many churches were founded, especially Baptist and African Methodist Episcopal (AME) blacks created community groups → fostered leadership Political participation At first, blacks in politics were born free and educated in the North By 1867, some former slaves were elected to local offices 1870 – Hiram Revels – first black Senator, ironically took the MS Senate seat that once belonged to Jefferson Davis

Segregation By 1866, Republican governments in the South repealed most black codes, but segregation of public spaces still existed. Separate schools, orphanages, seats on public transportation, etc. Most blacks focused more on building their communities and establishing separate black institutions (churches, schools, political groups) rather than fighting segregation.

Blacks and Farming During the Civil War, Sherman issued Field Order No. 15 that promised black males in SC and GA “40 acres and a mule.” Early 1865 – 40,000 newly freed people lived on 400,000 acres of land in GA and SC Late 1865 - Johnson ordered that the original landowners had the right to take their land back and evict the former slaves. For blacks, making money from farming was hard after the war. Could not afford land Could not find a white Southerner willing to sell them land

Blacks and Farming Cotton and tobacco still in demand → Greedy carpetbaggers urged the restoration of the plantation system that needed many laborers… Tenant farming – renting land from land owners and keeping all of the harvest Required some wealth, that not many blacks or poor whites had Sharecropping – land owners divided up land and gave it to former slaves and poor whites on credit in exchange for an increasing portion of each harvest Essentially a legal form of slavery because the workers could never pay back debts

Sharecropping in the South

Increasing Racial Tensions Many Southern whites blamed freed blacks for the South’s economic problems. 1860s-70s – growth of white groups to terrorize blacks and attempt to restrict the exercise of their rights through fear and violence. Ku Klux Klan (KKK) – organization that wanted to restore white supremacy in the South through preventing blacks from exercising rights Originally founded in TN in 1866 as a social club for Confederate veterans By 1868, a KKK group existed in every southern state

Increasing Racial Tensions The KKK killed thousands of blacks and some whites who aided blacks. Burned churches, schools, and other private property The KKK aimed to intimidate blacks through fear and real violence

The Start of the Jim Crow South Black codes eventually turned into Jim Crow Laws – laws that enforced segregation and discrimination Southern Democratic governments used a variety of tactics to prevent blacks from voting poll taxes literacy tests the Grandfather clause (“if your Grandfather could vote then you can.”) – benefited poor uneducated whites Poll tax and literacy tests that prevented blacks from registering to vote in the south will exist until the 1960s

The Start of the Jim Crow South

Congress Responds to Discrimination To prevent KKK violence and stop Southern Democratic intimidation and discrimination, Congress passed a series of Enforcement Acts (1870-71) Federal supervision of elections in Southern states POTUS has power to use federal troops in areas where the KKK is active POTUS Grant was not aggressive in enforcing these acts and discrimination continued History of KKK – start at 10 minutes