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The South After the War and Reconstruction

Post War Fires and illness affected the people War shattered economy Huge unemployment for Confederate veterans 4 millions emancipated slaves were homeless

Freed Slaves- Post War Thought freedom would be much better than it is – Connect with family members that had been sold – Didn’t have much money or often a job to support a family and own land General Sherman thought it was the divine right of slaves to own land and divided South Carolina into 40 acre parcels for freedpeople

Reconstruction- African Americans Gave further rights for equal citizenship Civil Rights Act and Fourteenth Amendment – Registered to vote – Began lobbying Joined political groups – Union League- Republican views – Helped build schools and churches

African American Reconstruction cont. Involved in politics (more than 600 elected to state legislatures) – Served as delegates( state and constitutional conventions) – Louisiana and South Carolina outnumbered white delegates – Largest group involved in Republican voters – Hiram Revels (Mississippi) elected to fill senate seat formerly occupied by Jefferson Davis

Government Tensions Northern republicans arrived in south to participate in legislatures – Resented by white southerners – Called the newcomers carpetbaggers because they were “needy adventurers” and low in class Confederates called southern white Reconstruction supporters scalawags (scoundrels/ traitors of race and country)

Republican Alliance Alliance formed between reconstruction supporters – Disagreed on land reform – Party of progress and civilization – Wanted to rebuild south and seize economy by capturing power from southern planters – Drafted new state constitutions – Abolished property qualifications for jurors and political candidates – Gave African American men right to vote

Republican Alliance Dissolved Panic of severe economic depression – Farmers and workers threatened strike lost universal voting rights – New immigrants joined democrats party( called cheapened ballot) – Also lost support from African Americans

Democrats Gain Power After the Panic 1873 gained sixty seat power Attracted white voters in the south Civil Rights Act of 1875 final Republican attempt – Prohibited public businesses from discriminating against African Americans Did not work as democrats continued to gain power Democrats called redeemers tried to win back republican voters

Election of 1876 Tilden (D; New York) and Hayes (R; Ohio) Tilden won popular vote by 250,000 Hayes won with one electoral vote – Democrats were furious – Compromise of Democrats can accept Hayes as president and Republicans will draw federal troops from south

Ku Klux Klan Started by white southerners in response to rising African American power Nathan Bedford Forrest “General Wizard” Head of Klan Passed by congress on April 20, 1871 Used to undermine African American Attracted lawyers, professionals, poor farmers and laborers Many other groups were formed for similar reasons: White Brotherhood, Men of Justice

The Ku Klux Klan cont. Wanted to destroy Republican party to not allow African Americans to vote Murdered or attacked many republican legislature, leaders, and Republican voters Killed and assaulted thousand of people Burned schools and churches Stole livestock

End of Reconstruction Reconstruction governments no longer had federal protections Redeemers from democratic party rewrote constitutions and overturned reforms African Americans as well as reconstruction supporters protested the changes