The Civil War and Reconstruction A Nation Rebuilds

A. The War Begins 1. The Civil War was fought between the Union (North) and the Confederate (south) states when some Southern states wanted the right to secede.

A. The War Begins 2. The ability to make your own choices, as a state, is known as States’ Rights. ~Decide if they want Slavery ~Decide if they want to be a part of the Union Federal Powers State Powers

A. The War Begins 3. Slavery had grown so fast in the South because cotton was a huge Cash Crop that needed lots of man hours. ~As King Cotton grew, so did slavery, and so did the tensions with the Union

A. The War Begins 4. The Civil War officially began when Union troops fired on Fort. Sumter, a naval base that was created by the Union but was now in Confederate territory. ~The war lasted from April 1861 to April 1865 and it is the deadliest war American has been in

A. The War Begins 5. Although Texas enlisted many soldiers, most of the action did not take place in Texas because it was so far away.

A. The War Begins 6. One exception is the Battle of Palmito Ranch. This battle was fought in South Texas on May 12, 1865.

A. The War Begins ~The armies didn’t know that the war had officially ended before they fought (too far away to know)!

A. The War Begins 7. Once word of General Robert E. Lee’s surrender to General Ulysses S. Grant became known at Appomattox Court House, people wondered what would happen to the confederate slaves.

B. Slavery after the War 1. Confederate states did not want to release their slaves, and since most were illiterate and uneducated there was no way for the slaves to know that President Abraham Lincoln had called for their freedom with his Emancipation Proclamation.

B. Slavery after the War 2. Releasing the slaves in the south was also halted when Lincoln was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth, a confederate supporter on April 15, 1865.

B. Slavery after the War 3. Slaves were eventually aware of their freedom in June of 1865, when the information had leaked into the South after General Gordon seized control of Galveston on June 19. ~Juneteenth is still celebrated today in many southern communities

B. Slavery after the War 4. Freedom however was not easy for most slaves. Slaves had no rights, no citizenship, and often could not find work. Some freed slaves offered to stay on their master’s plantation and work for little pay. ~This was often the only place and people they knew.

C. Reconstruction 1. The period of time after the war is known as Reconstruction because the country had to rebuild itself politically, economically, and socially.

C. Reconstruction BeforeAfter PoliticallyTwo Countries One country EconomicallyTwo independent money systems One integrated money system SociallyOne superior class of Whites A socially mixed system of people with different rights and liberties

C. Reconstruction 2. Once the war was over, the Union mandated that the old Confederate states follow a series of laws and obligations before they could have full rights like Northern States.

C. Reconstruction 3. The South was divided into five military districts, known as Martial Law, making sure the South was fairly treating all people (Including African Americans).

C. Reconstruction ~Martial Law: A temporary enforcement of rules by the Military in a time of emergency.

C. Reconstruction 4. Also to ensure African American’s rights, the Freedman’s Bureau was created to protect the rights of former slaves. ~Carry out these rights was often hard because many whites opposed these new laws.

D. Effects of War on the South 1. The south faced many challenges of rebuilding their states after the war.

D. Effects of War on the South 2. The southern economy was in ruins. ~Their money was worthless, railroads and farms were destroyed, not many jobs available

D. Effects of War on the South 3. Freed blacks faced even more problems: ~the Klu Klux Klan violently protested African American Rights, owning land was often unobtainable, and education was scarce and limited.

D. Effects of War on the South 4. Freedom for Blacks often meant a life of poverty and setbacks.

D. Effects of War on the South 5. Black Codes were created to keep African Americans from improving their life financially and politically.

D. Effects of War on the South ~These codes were unofficial laws put in place in the south to limit the basic human rights and liberties of blacks during the era of Reconstruction

D. Effects of War on the South 6. Sharecropping, or renting land from a plantation owner and paying them in crops, was also a way to keep African Americans down.

D. Effects of War on the South ~Rent was so high that people usually only grew enough to eat and pay rent, leaving nothing for profit.

E. Getting Past the War 1. Reconstruction lasted four years and during this time Texas had to create a new Constitution.

E. Getting Past the War 2. This constitution had to remove slavery from Texas and protect freedmen (not the same as equal rights).

E. Getting Past the War 3. Texas created the Constitution of 1876, which is still the one that governs our state today.

E. Getting Past the War 4. Texas faced many challenges after the war, but Texas was able to recover faster than some states due to the new and booming cattle industry that would soon sweep the state.