RECONSTRUCTION

Reconstruction was…. The federal government’s controversial effort to 1. repair the damage to the South and The federal government’s controversial effort to 1. repair the damage to the South and 2. restore southern states to the Union 2. restore southern states to the Union

Timing of Reconstruction Lasted from Lasted from That would be 12 years and involved four presidents! That would be 12 years and involved four presidents!

Physical Damage Farmland, machinery, work animals, livestock, and buildings destroyed 9,000 miles of railroads 2/3 of all shipping

Ruined building in the burned district – Richmond, VA

Ruins of a papermill and machinery – Richmond, VA Destruction ranges from buildings and factories…

Ruins of Gallego Flour Mill - Richmond, VA

Ruins of a paper mill w/ waterwheel - Richmond, VA

Charleston, SC April 1865

Charleston, SC April 1865

Charleston, SC April 1865

Atlanta, GA April 1865

Vicinity of Atlanta, GA

…to roadways, bridges, tunnels (infrastructure)

Death Tolls Northern Death Toll 364,000 deaths (38,000 were African Americans) Southern Death Toll 260,000 deaths 1/5 th of all adult white males were dead 1 out of 3 males were killed or wounded! Devastating physical toll to the South Civil War Aftermath: Devastating physical toll to the South

Consider This... Who are the workers in the economy? Who are the workers in the economy? What now happens to the women and children? What now happens to the women and children?

Southern Hardships  Freed Slaves (Freedmen) New life in poor economic area New life in poor economic area Homeless Homeless Hungry Hungry Unemployed Unemployed

Stay or Go?

Southern Hardships, cont. Plantation Owners Loss of slave labor Land was often seized by the government

Southern Hardships, cont. Poor White Southerners Competing against former slaves (freedmen) for jobs Many became migrants looking for jobs Loss of social and political status

Plantation Life Changes Freedman now have choice – to stay or to leave Freedman now have choice – to stay or to leave Plantation owners now have to pay salaries for labor Plantation owners now have to pay salaries for labor

Reintegrating the South Problem #1 Determine the role of the freedmen

Problem #2 Define the role and acceptable power of former Confederates within their states and within the nation

Problem #3 Determine which branch of government would be responsible for overseeing reconstruction

Three Plans for Reconstruction Lincoln’s Plan …..Also called the 10% plan!

Lincoln’s Plan 1. Required 10% of white men to swear allegiance (loyalty) to the constitution and the Union. 2. Plan included the emancipation of slaves

Lincoln’s Plan, cont. 3. Former Confederates can run local governments 4. Full participation in the Union

Lincoln Plan problems … Republicans in Congress felt this plan was way too kind! HE DID NOT PUNISH THE REBELS! FELT LINCOLN WAS TOO EASY ON SOUTH

Lincoln’s Plan - PROBLEMS No role for freed men identified No guarantee of rights or future rights

Lincoln’s Plan is never implemented! April Lincoln assassinated

Andrew Johnson, (southern democrat, former slave owner) administered his own new policy

The Johnson Plan 1. Granted amnesty (forgiveness) to some former Confederates who signed loyalty oath 2. Restored all property, except slaves and confiscated lands

Johnson’s Plan 3. Voided secession laws and ratify the 13 th amendment 4. Cancelled war debts

Johnson’s Plan - PROBLEMS Very similar to Lincoln’s plan so most of the same problems plus: 1. Amnesty awarded to “certain” southerners (not the wealthy or high-ranking) 2. Flawed election process (blacks excluded from voting)

Johnson’s Presidency He lacked Mandate to govern Support of Congress Also was anti- civil rights “white men alone must manage the South”

Consider This... Who are not considered in the two plans? Who are not considered in the two plans? What will the freedmen do? What will the freedmen do? How did the freedmen’s lives change? How did the freedmen’s lives change?

Radical = extreme in their beliefs Moderates = mainstream views of the political party, not extreme at all We had moderate plans for reconstruction (Lincoln & Johnson), but now they change to the RADICAL version called...

Radical Reconstruction! Congress bypasses President Johnson and enacts the Reconstruction Act of passed by radical republicans -state governments declared illegal 1. south divided into 5 military districts

Radical Reconstruction cont… To rejoin the Union: 2. Adopt a constitution guaranteeing all male citizens the right to vote 3. Elect a new government 4. Ratify the 14 th amendment (no white southern who served as conf. soldier/official could vote on new constitution)

Johnson not Cooperating! Vetoes legislation that would extend help to freed blacks (Freedman’s Bureau) Vetoes the Civil Rights Act of 1866 that would extend citizenship and equal rights to all freed slaves Fires the Secretary of War (a Radical Replublican)

Impeachment! - Congressional power growing “impeach” -The House votes to “impeach” Johnson (to accuse of wrongdoing and bring to trial) by only 1 vote! -President escapes removal by only 1 vote!

Civil War Amendments 13 th Amendment Unlike the Emancipation Proclamation, this change to the Constitution ends ALL slavery in the United States

Declared former slaves CITIZENS Equal Rights for ALL CITIZENS

15 th Amendment Election of 1870 – many angry white southerners refused to (or couldn’t) vote More than 600 African Americans were elected to southern legislatures and 16 black men were elected to congress The right to vote regardless of race, color, or previous condition of servitude (if you were a slave)

Freedom The joys of freedom… Freedom of movement, land ownership, education, etc. The realities of life… Food, Clothing and Shelter?

Freedmen’s Bureau Developed to help former slaves Provided food, schools, legal help, etc Unpopular with many white southerners Vetoed by Johnson

anger at being forced to submit to the acts of Reconstruction leads to defiance Fear of loss of power leads to…

BLACK CODES set limits on the rights and opportunities of African Americans

“Now that the slaves have become emancipated, it is necessary to pass regulations that preserve public order. These regulations must also preserve the correct behavior of the former slaves.” Therefore, the following rules have been adopted Every Negro is required to be in the regular service of some white person or former owner No public meetings or congregations of Negroes shall be allowed after sunset. Negroes may not serve on juries. A Negro may not testify against a white person in a Court of Law. It shall be illegal for a Negro or a person of Negro descent to marry a white person. No Negro shall be permitted outside in public after sundown without permission in writing from the government. No person may vote in this county who does not own land, cannot read or whose grandfather could not vote

These “codes” later become actual “LAWS” “Jim Crow” laws lead to legalized segregation or separation, first in the South, then throughout the U.S.

Plessy vs Ferguson 1896, legalized segregation throughout the United States Areas that still felt threatened by freedmen…

Rise of KKK – an attempt to keep African-Americans from exercising their rights through fear and intimidation

Ku Klux Klan Started in 1866 by 6 former Confederate soldiers Members wore robes and masks to look like the ghosts of dead Confederate soldiers who returned for revenge against enemies of the South.

The goal of denying African- Americans their rights and keep them in the role of submissive laborers

A cartoon threatening that the KKK would lynch carpetbaggers, Tuscaloosa, AL, Independent Monitor (1868)

Sharecropping a landowner allows a tenant to use the land in return for a share of the crop produced on the land (e.g., 50 percent of the crop). Tools, seed, mules and other equipment had to be paid for with the remainder of the crop (to the landowner) Who gets the money?

Tenant Farming Only slightly better…these farmers have managed to purchase their own equipment and only rent the land.

Carpetbaggers Northern Republicans who moved south. Seen as greedy men seeking power and a quick dollar. Most were honest and educated.

Scalawags a Southern white who joined the Republican Party in the ex- Confederate South during Reconstruction

The End of Reconstruction Why did Reconstruction efforts finally end? Heavy taxes Heavy taxes Corruption Corruption Lack of northern support for racial equality Lack of northern support for racial equality The Solid South – Southern Democrats reversed many of the reforms The Solid South – Southern Democrats reversed many of the reforms

The Compromise of 1877 Samuel Tilden wins popular vote; a dispute over electoral votes The Democrats agree to give Rutherford B. Hayes the presidency in return for the removal of all federal troops from the Southern States Hayes’ removal of troops from the south is regarded as the end of reconstruction!

How successful was Reconstruction?