1. The End of Reconstruction
18.3

2. Robert B. Elliott
Elected to the US Congress from South Carolina in 1871
Brilliant speaker
Gave famous speech to Congress in favor of the Civil Rights Act of 1875
In 1877, federal troops left the South because Reconstruction was over
White Southerners quickly took back control
Civil Rights Act of 1875 was overturned

3. Protecting African American Rights
In the election of 1868 former Union General Ulysses S. Grant won the presidency
The Republican Party seemed stronger than ever
Grant won with 214 electoral votes- his opponent received only 80
He won the popular vote by a close 305,000 votes
Would not have won without the freedman’s vote

4. 15th Amendment
After Grant’s victory, Radical Republicans feared the Southern states might keep African Americans from voting in the future.
Some already prohibited voting
Radical Republicans proposed a Constitutional amendment to protect the voting rights.
15th Amendment stated that citizens could not be stopped from voting “on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude”
Still did not apply to Native Americans or women- upset most abolitionist
Ratified in 1870

5. Fighting the Klan
Despite obtaining the right to vote African Americans in the South were still terrorized by the Klan
In 1871, President Grant asked Congress to pass a tough new law against the Klan. Congress approved the Anti-Klan Bill.
Thousands of Klansmen were arrested
Attacks declined
1872 election was much more peaceful
Grant easily won reelection

6. Reconstruction Weakens
Support for the Republicans and pro-African American rights began to weaken due to a scandal in Grant’s presidential administration
Grant did not select his advisors well, many were friends and wife’s relatives
Many of whom were unqualified for the positions, some even accepted bribes
Example: one of Grant’s privates secretary's was involved in whiskey distillers who were trying to avoid paying taxes.
In 1872, upset Republican officials broke away and formed the new Liberal Republican Party
This weaken the Republican party.

7. Panic of 1873
The political corruption lead to a more serious problem- Eastern banks ran out of money after making bad loans
Worried people then withdrew all of their money from banks
Many banks closed
The stock market collapsed (went down a lot)
The panic caused an economic depression- a time of low business activity and high unemployment

8. Panic of 1873
By 1875, more than 18,000 companies had gone out of business
500,000 workers lost their jobs
Many people blamed the Republicans
They were the political party in charge
They were having problems within their own parties
As a result election Democrats won (congress)
Nation was losing interest in Reconstruction

9. Civil Rights Reversals
To make things worse for the Republicans, The Supreme Court started to undo some of the progress for Civil Rights
1876 case US vs Cruikshank, the court ruled that the federal government could not punish individuals who violated the civil rights of African American but only the states had the power punish them
Southern states would not punish

10. Civil Rights Reversals
Also in 1876, US vs Reese the court ruled in favor of white Southerners who barred African Americans from voting. It stated that the 15th Amendment did not give everyone the right to vote, it merely listed the grounds on which states could not deny the vote. Which meant, states could prevent African Americans from voting for other reasons.
States later imposed poll taxes
Unfair literacy test

11. Reconstruction Ends
During the 1876 presidential election Reconstruction received it’s final blow
Democrats- Samuel J. Tilden- Governor of NY
Republicans- Rutherford B. Hayes- governor of OH
Election forced a compromise- Republicans felt they gave up the most

12. Compromise of 1877
The victory in the 1876 presidential election depended on 3 Southern states.
South Carolina, Louisiana, and Florida
Votes were so close both sides claimed victory
A commission of Republicans and Democrats struck a deal- Compromise of 1877
Republican Rutherford Hayes became president but other parts were a blow to Republicans in the South.

13. Compromise of 1877
The government would remove federal troops from the South
The government would provide land grants and loans for the construction of railroads linking the South to the West Coast
Southern officials would receive federal funds for construction and improvement projects
Hayes would appoint a Democrat to his cabinet
The Democrats promised to respect African Americans’ rights

14. Compromise of 1877
Abolitionist Wendell Phillips was against the compromise because he doubted the South would ever respect African Americans’ rights.
“The whole soil of the South is hidden by successive layers of broken promises. To trust a Southern promise would be fair evidence of insanity.”
After the presidential election, Republican Reconstruction in the South ended- Democrats returned to power.

15. Legacy of Reconstruction
The success of Reconstruction is still debatable
The government did achieve its most important goal- unify the Union, but the effects on African American’s is unclear
African American’s legal situation changed greatly, slavery was outlawed, gained the vote, and ability to hold office.
However, the Supreme Courts recent decisions practically reversed the 14th and 15th Amendments!
African Americans continued to face widespread violence and prejudice.
Felt like 2nd class citizens