RECONSTRUCTION

WHAT WOULD YOU HAVE DONE TO RECONSTRUCT THE UNION AFTER THE CIVIL WAR? RECONSTRUCTION WHAT WOULD YOU HAVE DONE TO RECONSTRUCT THE UNION AFTER THE CIVIL WAR? (what do you think the South would need to do in order to rejoin the Union?)

13th Amendment – abolished slavery 14th Amendment – nationalized citizenship 15th Amendment – gave all male citizens the right to vote **Northern & Southern Invaders -Carpetbaggers — Northerners who went South to prey on the poor -Scalawags — Southerners who worked with fed. govt. to hurt South govt. & take money from states

**Freedmens Bureau -to provide food, clothing, & ed. (greatest accomplishment -supposed to give out 40 acres of abandoned or confiscated land to Black settlers -would eventually be dissolved due to inability to accomplish its’ goals

RECONSTRUCTION PLANS -Lincoln did not believe the South needed to be severely punished -dev. the 10% Plan (required only 10% of a state to swear allegiance to the US) -but he died before it could be put into action -Radical Republicans (wanted to punish the South) were “happy” -believed VP Andrew Johnson would do as he was told

**Johnson’s Surprise -he believed the same way as Lincoln -To come back into the Union, Southern States (1) took away certain Confed. voting rights (2) special state conventions to nullify the secession orders, (3) to ratify the 13th Amendment

**Dec 1865 — Southern leaders came to Cong. to claim their seats -Radical Rep did not want them there because they would take away their exclusive control of Congress -but Johnson did not agree & on Dec. 6, 1865 he said the South had met the requirements & Union now restored

1866, Congress, now controlled by the Radical Rep & took the opportunity to pass Military Recon. Act of 1867 -divided South into 5 military districts -each commanded by Union generals & troops -took away voting rights of former Confederates -condition for readmission: (1) had to ratify the 14th Amend. & (2) in state const. had to allow former slaves the right to vote

1869 — Tenn was first to be readmitted By 1877 troops were removed, all had been readmitted & it became solid Dem.

-new southern govts. created these to regulate Black’s actions **Black Codes -new southern govts. created these to regulate Black’s actions -they were created to limit freedoms >-they could marry freely, -not serve on juries, -some forbad them from leasing property, -punished them for unemployment by putting them on chain gangs, -none could vote -many became sharecroppers

*To keep people from voting: -Grandfather Clause -Literacy Tests -Poll Taxes **Ku Klux Klan (1866) frightened Blacks not to vote Congress tried to stop them with the Force Act of 1870-1871 but did not work

**Johnsons Impeachment -Congress still upset with Johnson’s behavior & decided to remove him -Congress passed the Tenure of Office Act 1867 which required the Pres. to get Sen. approval to remove an appointee {to keep Sec. of War Edwin Stanton & to get him to break the law}

-Johnson wanted to see how far Sen -Johnson wanted to see how far Sen. would go (he believed it to be unconst.) so he fired Stanton -House moved to impeach him 126 to 47 & now on to the Sen. -May 16,1868 only one vote saved him 1867 Sec. of State Seward purchased Alaska from Russia for $7.2 million