Chapter 22

Reconstruction

Reconstruction 1865-1877 Period of rebuilding after the Civil War Successful?

Questions Should Confederates be punished? Who? How? Do the southern states need to be readmitted to the Union? If so, how? Should the north help the south rebuild? Physically? Financially? Should the government compensate freed slaves? Are freed slaves citizens? What rights should they have?

Southern perspective “And I don’t want no pardon for what I was or am, I won’t be reconstructed for I don’t give a damn.”

Responses to Emancipation Slave owners: Violence Refusal Unable to prevent

Responses to Emancipation African Americans: Confusion Joined Union troops Violent towards masters New names Marriages  strengthen families Church life Education

Movement/Migration 1878-1880- 25,000 freedmen moved from LA/TX/MS to KS “Exodusters”

What would you do if you were a 17 year old freed by the 13th Amendment? Why?

What would you do if you were a 55 year old plantation owner whose 40 slaves were freed because of the 13th Amendment?

Freedmen’s Bureau Created by Congress on March 3, 1865 For freedmen and poor whites Provided food, clothing, medical care, education Education

Freedmen’s Bureau Expired in 1872 Hated by lots of whites and southerners

Reconstruction Plans

Lincoln Views: secession not legal so southern states never left Union Plan: 1863, 10% Plan: Southern states form new state governments 10% loyalty oath

Republicans in Congress Thought Lincoln was being too easy Wade-Davis Bill- 50% loyalty oath Lincoln vetoed Split Republican party into factions Radicals

Johnson Views: from TN, refused to secede, democrat Plan: mostly same stuff as Lincoln: Disenfranchised some Confederates (pardon) State governments had to “repeal secession” and ratify 13th Amendment

Because of Johnson’s plan… Lots of southern states began rejoining the Union Republicans in Congress worried South has lots of new representation Started overriding Johnson’s stuff

Congressional/Radical Reconstruction Presidential: 1865-1867 Congressional: 1867-1877

Congressional/Radical Reconstruction 10% Plan 14th Amendment: Blacks are citizens (cannot vote) Reduced representation of a state if they didn’t allow blacks to vote Disqualified former Confederates from gov’t office Guarantees federal war debt, not Confederate debt

Radical Reconstruction

Political Parties Republican: north and freedmen Democrat: south

March 2, 1867: Reconstruction Act Divided the south into 5 military districts each with a military governor Disenfranchised thousands of former Confederates Had to ratify 14th Amendment before “reentering” the Union

15th Amendment: 1869 The “right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude."  Black males could vote

“Reconstruction Amendments” 13th: Freed slaves/slavery illegal 14th: Blacks are citizens 15: Black males can vote

Reaction

Women Had been loyal supporters of the abolitionist cause “shall not be denied based on race, color . . .” Add 2 words: OR SEX 19th Amendment not passed for another 50 yrs

Effects of Radical Reconstruction in the South Union League: black males organizing 1868-1876: 14 black congressmen and 2 black senators in DC 1872: black governor of LA (P.B.S. Pinchback)

Effects of RR in the South Carpetbaggers Scalawags

Black Codes Designed to “regulate the affairs of emancipated slaves” and “ensure a stable and subservient labor force” Varied in severity but common all through the south

Black Codes Labor contracts Fined for “crimes”, hired out to pay off fine “idleness” No marriage/no jury duty

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/jimcrow/themap/map.html

Sharecropping A system of agriculture in which a landowner allows a tenant to use the land in return for a share of the crops produced on the land

Crop Lien A credit system that became widely used by cotton farmers in the United States in the South from the 1860s to the 1930s. Sharecroppers and tenant farmers who did not own the land they worked obtained supplies and food on credit from local merchants

The Ku Klux Klan The “invisible empire of the south” TN- 1866 First Grandwizard: Nathan Beford Forrest

KKK During 12 years of Reconstruction: estimated 1500 lynchings

Force Act- 1870 and 1871 Tried to curb KKK violence

Effects of RR in the South Corruption One governor “saved” $100,000 in a year on an $8,000/year salary

Impeachment

Andrew Johnson

Process of Impeachment 1. President accused of crime 2. evidence of crime brought to House of Representatives 3. H of R votes to impeach president 4. Senate votes (2/3rds) to remove president from office

1867: Congress passes Tenure of Office Act Trap for Johnson Johnson falls into trap H of R votes 126 to 47 to impeach Johnson Senate- fails by one vote to convict Johnson/remove from office

Alaska Disclaimer: This is so unrelated to everything in this unit but it happens so we will now briefly discuss.

1867 William Seward buys Alaska from Russia for $7.2 million.

“Seward’s Folly” “Seward’s Icebox” “Frigidia” “Walrussia” “Seward’s Polar Bear Garden”

Election of 1868 “Let’s Have Peace” Republicans: “wave the bloody shirt” “vote as you shot”

Grant as President Corruption

Election of 1872 Grant re-elected

Panic of 1873 15,000 American businesses bankrupt

Election of 1876

3 Contested states LA SC FL

Compromise of 1877 Hayes gets the 3 (southern) states Hayes becomes President Removes federal troops from the south/ends Reconstruction