Reconstruction 1865-1877 (1910)

Early Plans for Reconstruction The Freedmen’s Bureau was created in March 1865 Ten Percent Plan- Lincoln’s plan was lenient, 10% of state voters pledged allegiance, and accept the Emancipation Proclamation. Rejected by Congress Wade-Davis Bill- passed by Congress. 50% white males take loyalty oaths and the states had to allow Blacks to vote. Pocket Veto by Lincoln Thirteen Amendment (1864)- prohibit slavery throughout the US. This Freed slaves in the South and any slaves in the Border States who were in the US Lincoln will be assassinated making Andrew Johnson the President

Johnson’s Plan vs Congress’s Plan Johnson was a former slaveowner. He refused to offer a general amnesty to Confederate Leaders. Leaders had to personally request amnesty. Johnson issued pardons to these leaders, gave them back their citizenship and their property, outraging the North and Congress. These Leaders are then voted back into office and Congress He also felt that African Americans not to be equal to White Americans Black Codes- Laws passed by Southern States not allowing persons of color from voting, serving in juries, testifying in court against whites, holding office, serving in the militia. It also made it illegal for Blacks to travel and leave their jobs Congress refuses to sit these former Confederate Leaders. Moderate Republicans and Radical Republicans believe that the South should be punished and African Americans be granted full political and civil equality

Johnson’s Plan vs Congress’s Plan Republicans will pass the Civil Rights Act (1866) overturning Black Codes and enlarging the Freedmen’s Bureau. Johnson will veto both but Congress will overrule his veto Congress will rewrite this act into the 14 Amendment to ensure it cannot be challenged by the Supreme Court. This amendment prevents states from denying African Americans or others the rights and privileges on citizenship To be readmitted into the Union each state had to ratify the 14 Amendment and former Confederate Leaders were deprived of the right to hold elected office.

Congress’s Plan and Impeachment Congress splits the South into 5 military districts to ensure the new state governments would survive. Johnson tries to veto this but it still passes Congress then pass the Tenure of Office Act which limits the President from dismissing his own cabinet members, like the Secretary of War Johnson tries to dismiss him but is denied by Congress and they start Impeachment Proceedings (1866). He is impeached by the House but it fails in the Senate by one vote so it doesn’t pass. Grant is elected president later that year. The 15th Amendment passes in 1870. It prohibits states from denying any citizen the right to vote on the basis of race or previous servitude (slavery)

Reconstruction Governments in the South Northerners came down to help create new governments and got the name Carpetbaggers. It meant that they were poor and could fit their stuff in a bag Southerners who helped out with Reconstruction were called Scalawags Africans became a large part of local government with over 600 of them serving as state legislators Hiram Rhodes Revels became the first African American to sit in Congress when he was elected senator from Mississippi Recon govt’s built system of public schools, laws banning racial discrimination, and encourage investment in railroads. Ultimately corruption, no support from whites, and lack of resources will doom these governments

Economics of Reconstruction After the war plantation owners could not afford to pay former slaves wages. So they entered into a sharecropping arrangement with them. The owner provided housing, tools, mule, and land and the laborer payed them a large part of their crop Other became tenant farmers, renting the land and bring their own equipment, but very few actually became landowners If the laborer owed any money they could not leave until the debt was paid, this was called debt peonage

Reconstruction Comes To An End State legislatures quickly move to bar African Americans from voting or being part of the political process. Election of 1876 Republican Rutherford B. Hayes and Democrat Samuel Tilden are competing for president. Tilden has the popular vote but not the electoral votes because of disputed results in Oregon, South Carolina, Louisiana and Florida Reconstruction Fails Legacy of Racism Economic Dependence of African Americans Freedmen lacking education and Political Experience Compromise of 1877- Electoral votes given to Hayes who agreed to remove troops from the South and end Reconstruction White Terrorism Loss of Northern Interest in Reconstruction

Segregated South and Losing the Right to Vote With reconstruction over White Southern leaders sought to segregate the South via different methods African Americans are terrorized by Ku Klux Klan and other groups Lynching (hanging someone without trial) became commonplace Sheriffs , police, judges, juries were all white and enforced laws selectively against blacks Passing laws to prevent African Americans from voting Literacy Tests- had to be able to read, asked more of black than white citizens Poll Taxes- registration fee for voting and had to be paid prior to voting Grandfather Clauses- if you were able to vote in 1867 then your descendants did not have to pay Poll Taxes or take the Literacy Test. Later declared unconstitutional. This will lead to whites regaining control of the states and for the next 100 years they will vote Democrat

Racial Segregation aka Jim Crow New white legislatures will write new laws separating blacks and white in schools, railway cars, restaurants, public toilets and water fountains, public benches, beaches and swimming pools. The facilities for African Americans were generally inferior Plessy v Ferguson- Plessy challenged The Jim Crow Law over railroad cars. He sat in a whites only car and told the conductor of his mixed heritage. He is arrested and fights all the way to the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court will uphold Racial Segregation. They say separate but equal is legal African Americans will respond by leaving the South and developing strong community and church ties.

Florida and Reconstruction African Americans were very active during Reconstruction, having 19 of the 53 members elected in the state legislature in 1868 Jonathan C. Gibbs will be Florida’s Secretary of State. He is a preacher and a graduate of Dartmouth College Josiah T. Walls first black Floridian elected to the US House of Rep. where he served 3 terms Democrats regain control in 1877 and in 1885 impose poll taxes, literacy tests, and residency qualifications Florida will have debt peonage in the form of turpentine camps. Accepting a bus ride to the camps put a worker in debt and later on food and housing added to that debt. They became virtual prisoners for camps that produced 1/5 of the world’s turpentine