ANDREW JOHNSON: PROCLAMATION OF AMNESTY Vice President Andrew Johnson became president after Lincoln’s assassination. Johnson agreed with Lincoln that a moderate policy was needed to bring the S. back to the Union & issued a new Proclamation of Amnesty (1865) Offered to pardon all former citizens of the Confederacy who took an oath of loyalty to the Union & to return their property (except former officers/officials & wealthiest property). Johnson was a white supremacist, but blamed the rich planter elite for the war. Each former Confederate state calls a constitutional convention to repeal its order to secede & to ratify the 13th Amendment abolishing slavery. Johnson was against the 14th Amendment. *Pardon = Excluded from the plan were all former Confederate officers/officials & all former Confederates who owned property worth more than $20,000. --Saw them as the rich planter elite who Johnson believed caused the civil war These people could individually ask the president for a pardon. At conventions, Confederate states also had to reject all debts acquired during the Civil War. They also had to reject all debts acquired during the Civil War. The Southern states, for the most part, met Johnson’s conditions. Johnson granted pardons to thousands of Southerners Many members of Congress were angry that several former Confederate officers and political leaders were elected to Congress. Radical and moderate Republicans voted to reject these new members of Congress.

BLACK CODES New Southern state legislatures passed laws, known as black codes, that severely limited Af Ams’ rights in the South. Varied from state to state, but intended to keep Af Ams in conditions similar to slavery. Reconstruction policies of radical republicans Angered many Southerners, who began to fight back against the federal gov’s policies.

14th Amendment Congress passed the Civil Rights Act of 1866 The black codes enraged Northerners  Congress takes control of Reconstruction Civil Rights Act of 1866  14th Amendment = granted citizenship to all persons born or naturalized in U.S. No state could deprive any person of life, liberty, or property“without due process of law.” No state could deny any person“equal protection of the laws.” In late 1865, House and Senate Republicans created a Joint Committee on Reconstruction to develop their own program for rebuilding the Union. Congress passed the Civil Rights Act of 1866 Gave citizenship to all persons born in the U.S., except Native Americans Allowed Af Am to own property & be treated equally in court Granted the U.S. gov the right to sue people who violated these rights Feared Civil Rights Act might be overturned in court, so Republicans introduced the 14th amend *Congress passed the amendment in June 1866. It was sent to the states for ratification. President Andrew Johnson was against the 14th amendment. Wanted Northern voters to elect new congressional majority (not Radical Republicans) that would support his plan for Reconstruction Increased violence against African Americans & their supporters erupted in the South. The Republicans won a three-to-one majority in Congress. ***WHY WAS JOHNSON AGAINST 14th AMEND?? The Fourteenth Amendment became the major issue in the congressional election of 1866. Johnson wanted voters to turn against the Radical Republicans and get new majority in congress -Republicans accused Democrats of being traitors and starting the Civil War *President Andrew Johnson, a Democrat, had been elected vice president in 1864 on a National Union ticket with Republican President Abraham Lincoln.  During the first half of 1866, the divergent views of Johnson and Republicans on Reconstruction became increasingly apparent and his working relationship with Congress deteriorated rapidly.  Consequently, the president and close advisors hoped to transform the National Union Party into a new coalition of Democrats and conservative Republicans that could win control of Congress in the 1866 elections, or at least enough seats to allow the president to wield his veto power without the threat of congressional overrides. 

1867: MILITARY RECONSTRUCTION ACT Did away with Johnson’s reconstruction programs. Divided former Confederacy (except Tennessee since it had ratified the 14th Amend), into 5 military districts placed under a Union general Each former Confed. state had to hold another constitutional convention to write a constitution Congress would accept All adult male citizens could vote (regardless of race) Must ratify 14th Amend before could elect people to Congress In March 1867, Congress passed the Military Reconstruction Act. The constitution had to give the right to vote to all adult male citizens.  After the state ratified its new constitution, it had to ratify the Fourteenth Amendment. Then the state could elect people to Congress.

CONGRESS v. JOHNSON Republicans feared Johnson would refuse to enforce the Military Reconstruction Act  Congress passed the Tenure of Office Act = required Senate to approve the removal of any gov. official whose appointment had required the Senate’s approval Sec. of War Edwin M. Stanton agreed with the Radical Republican Reconstruction plan, so President Johnson challenged the Tenure of Office Act by firing Stanton. House of Representatives voted to impeach Johnson. Senate did not convict him. -Congress passed the Command of the Army Act, which required all orders from the president to go through the headquarters of the general of the army (Grant) -After Johnson fired Stanton, the House of Representatives voted to impeach Johnson. They charged Johnson with “high crimes & misdemeanors” for breaking the law by refusing to uphold the Tenure of Office Act & with trying to undermine the Reconstruction program (he removed commanders in the Southern military districts who supported Republicans). After more than two months of debate, the Senate vote was one vote short for conviction (wasn’t removed from office). Put on trial, 2/3 had to find guilty. Vote was 35-19 that he was guilty (one short). (7 republicans senators joined democrats in not convicting johnson----would set a dangerous precedent to impeach a president simply because he did not agree with congressional policies).***

1868: GRANT ELECTED The impeachment took away what little power President Johnson had left  did not run for election in 1868. General Ulysses S. Grant was the Republican candidate. The presence of Union soldiers in the South helped Af. Ams. vote in large #s. Grant easily won the election. General Grant popular war hero from the North. Unanimously nominated as Rep candidate -ongoing violence in south convinced northern voters that south couldn’t be trusted to reorganize its state governments without military supervision, & af am were voting in south -> grant wins 6 southern states and most of the northern states (Rep maintain large majorities in both houses of congress)

1870: 15th Amendment The right to vote “shall not be denied….on account of race, color, or previous servitude.” Changed Southern politics by bringing hundreds of thousands of Af. Ams. into the political process for the 1st time. African American rights - 13th: Free 14th: Citizens  15th: Voters http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bHNbSn2NsNk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oIC8ifQlDVY *aftershock reconstruction video -Republicans kept majorities in both houses of Congress -The Republican-led Congress passed the Fifteenth Amendment to the Constitution.  The amendment became part of the Constitution in 1870.