Reconstruction II 1869-1877

Radical Republicans at Their Peak Black citizens demanding their rights Congress passes the 15th Amendment Guaranteed all citizens the right to vote regardless of “race, color, or previous condition of servitude” Texas v. White made secession illegal Upheld the right of Congress to restructure the southern governments

Freedmen influence Freedmen registered to vote under the Reconstruction Act of 1867 Voted integrated delegations to the constitutional conventions Louisiana and South Carolina had majority black delegations Electing Black leaders P.B.S. Pinchback served as governor of the state of Louisiana in 1872 Hiram R. Revels was the first black U.S. Senator P.B.S. Pinchback Governor of Louisiana, 1872 Sen. Hiram R. Revels (R-MS)

Republicans In the South Carpetbaggers – Republicans who moved into the post war south looking to prosper during Reconstruction Named after the cheap suitcases made of carpet scraps that they carried Perceived by southerners as greedy and opportunistic people looking to profit from the south’s demise Scalawags – White southern Republicans Poor disenfranchised white people Viewed as traitors by their neighbors

Sharecropping and Tenant Farming Sharecropping – Living on and farming someone else’s land in exchange for a portion of the crops Often times, it was simply another form of slavery The farmer’s portion often times didn’t cover the expenses incurred by the farmer (rent, expenses) Only option for several Freedmen and Poor whites Another way for white southerners to control free African Americans Tenant Farming – land that is actually rented by the farmer, who controls what is grown, and the working conditions Better for the farmer Higher social standing

Sharecropping Cycle of Debt

The End of Reconstruction Ku Klux Klan Secret society that was created to avenge the southern soldiers who died in the war Wore robes and hoods in order to resemble the ghosts of the dead Confederate soldiers Pledged to defend the superiority of the white race Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest, first Grand Wizard

Ku Klux Klan idiots at a cross burning Sought to eliminate Republican voters, either by intimidation or outright murder Long term goal was to keep African Americans in servitude Targeted many different groups Africans Americans Jews Catholics Carpetbaggers Scalawags The Enforcement Act of 1870 Prohibited the use of terror, force or bribery to prevent people from voting Ku Klux Klan idiots at a cross burning

Reconstruction Ends in the 1870s Democrats return to power in the south As more troops were removed from the south, the terror tactics of the Klan and other groups increased New blocs of Democratic voters form the solid south Blocked many Republican attempts at reform Reverse many Reconstruction policies Election of 1876 Tilden wins the popular vote, and Hayes wins the Electoral college Tilden was supported by the solid south Compromise of 1877 – Hayes wins the Presidency in exchange for removal of federal troops from the south