Reconstruction in the South American History

Goals Students will be able to: Terms to Know: Review the causes and consequences of the Civil War Assess the influence of significant people or groups on Reconstruction. Analyze the sharecropping system and debt peonage Analyze support for and resistance to civil rights for minorities Terms to Know: Scalawag, carpetbagger, segregation, integration, sharecropping, share-tenancy, tenant farming, Ku Klux Klan, Enforcement Acts

Changes in the South By 1870, all former Confederate states had met the requirements set forth by the Radical Republicans and had rejoined the Union Many blacks had begun to find success in their newly freed states Millions of blacks now had the right to vote, and many blacks were serving as school superintendents, sheriffs, mayors, coroners, police chiefs, and representatives in state legislatures This positions were won largely because many white voters were ineligible to vote because they refused to take an oath of loyalty to the Union or because they avoided the new constitutional conventions as to show their lack of support for the new governments The South also dealt with many cultural changes as well Scalawags, or those who supported black rights, were southerners who had largely been ignored in pre- war life, no fought to make freedmen’s life better in the new South The south also dealt with carpetbaggers, who carried their worldly possessions in bags made of cloth These individuals came to the south to buy up cheap land in order to seek their fortunes Sothern's largely took offense to these people and fought against the change that these individuals sought to bring to the south

Failures of Reconstruction While the Radical Republicans had sought equality for African Americans, they had not sought the same time of protections for women It was felt that trying to get Americans to support women’s rights and black rights at the same time was infeasible The south was able to establish school’s for blacks, these schools were however segregated from the rest of the white population This was done because most Republicans and almost all Democrats disliked the idea that schools should be racially integrated Even with the establishment of schools in the south, most southerners remained illiterate The south also lagged behind the north in quality of health care, infrastructure, housing, and economic production The south also dealt with extremely corrupt government as officials took bribes from those looking to take advantage of the southern struggle

Freed Peoples With newly freed status, African Americans took on a wide variety of roles Many newly freed blacks continued to work on the plantations that they had been slaves on This was done under the concept of sharecropping In this system, farmers were provided with seeds and tools by the plantation owner The plantation owner would also control what was to be grown on the land The farmer then paid the farmer back with a share of the crops This ostensibly lead to a new version of slavery, as the sharecroppers almost always owed more than they could produce on their portion of land, preventing them from ever moving Other newly freed individuals became tenant farmers In this arrangement, tenants paid cash rent to a landowner and then was free to choose and manage his own land and crop

Freed Peoples Other newly freemen took to the cities to establish new lives Those skilled laborers, found work as carpenters, blacksmiths, cooks, or house servants Most black workers however, dealt with the poor working conditions and room and board conditions that they had faced as slaves The Freedmen’s Bureau greatly helped newly freed slaves in their post slavery lives The Freedmen’s Bureau established schools that helped blacks develop literacy skills Black colleges were also created in order to help raise the education of African Americans throughout the south Black churches were also created in many cities These churches also helped to educate newly freed slaves These churches also became gather places for civil rights rallies and were a boon for African American culture

Fighting Against Black Rights Many organizations were formed in order to fight against black rights in the United States The Ku Klux Klan was one of the most visible hate groups formed in era of Reconstruction Klan members burned the homes, schools and churches of African Americans and those who supported their rights They also beat, maimed, and killed those who supported black rights In order to try and suppress the power of groups like the KKK, the U.S. Congress passed the Enforcement Acts These acts made it a federal offense to interfere with a citizen’s right to vote This however did not stop the violence from taking place both in the community and at the polling place