Notes #10 Reconstruction and Life after the Civil War

Reconstruction After the Civil War ended in 1865, the South faced the challenge of building a new society not based on slavery. The process the federal government used to readmit the Confederate states into the Union is know as Reconstruction. It lasted from

To assist former slaves, the president established the Freeman’s Bureau. This federal agency set up schools and hospitals for African Americans and distributed clothes, food, and supplies throughout the South. 2

When Lincoln was killed, Vice-President Andrew Johnson became president. Johnson was a former slave holder and, unlike Lincoln, was a stubborn, unyielding man. Johnson believed that Reconstruction was the job of the president, not Congress. During Reconstruction, there were many conflicts between Congress and President. These conflicts eventually led to a vote for impeachment. He got out of impeachment by one vote. 3, 4, 5

As the Southern states rebuilt, they set up new state governments that seemed very much like the old ones. The Southern states passed laws, known as black codes, which limited the freedom of former slaves. Examples included African Americans were forbidden to meet in groups or carry guns. 6

Slavery Officially Ended! On December 18, 1865, the 13 th Amendment was added to the US Constitution and officially ended slavery. 7

To make sure equality was protected by the constitution, Congress proposed the Fourteenth Amendment in It stated that all people born in the United States were citizens and had the same rights. All citizens were to be granted “equal protection of the laws.” However, it did not establish black suffrage (voting rights). 8, 9

Sharecropping Under the sharecropping system, a worker rented a plot of land to farm. The landowner provided the tools, seed, and housing. At harvest time, the sharecropper gave the landowner a share of the crop. This system gave families without land a place to farm. In return, landowners got cheap labor. 10

Problems with sharecropping – – Farmers and landowners had opposite goals. Farmers wanted to grow food to feed their families. Landowners forced them to grow cash crops like cotton. - Farmers had to buy their food but could not afford to do so. They then had to borrow money and were always in debt. 11

During Reconstruction, African Americans in the South faced violent racism. Such feelings spurred the rise in 1866 of the Ku Klux Klan. The members of this secret society wanted to keep former slaves powerless. 12

Gave African American Men the right to vote This amendment stated that citizens could not be stopped from voting “on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.” This amendment became law in Because states still controlled elections, they implemented a series of “dirty tricks” to prevent blacks from voting, these included literacy tests, poll taxes, and grandfather clauses that many poor black could not afford to pay. 13

Reconstruction Ends The final blow to Reconstruction came in the 1876 presidential election. The race was between Democrat Samuel Tilden and Republican Rutherford B. Hayes and ended in dispute. Congress appointed a special committee to decide the election. Rutherford B. Hayes Samuel J. Tilden

This group made a deal known as the Compromise of Under this agreement, Republican Rutherford B. Hayes became president. In return, Republicans granted Southern Democrats several requests. -They would remove federal troops from the South. - They would provide federal funds for construction and improvement projects. 14

Historians still argue about the success of Reconstruction. The nation did rebuild and reunite. However, Reconstruction did not achieve equality for African Americans. 15