1. Pursuing Equality for African-Americans During Radical Reconstruction
Freedmen in the South Carolina Sea Islands

2. Jefferson Davis, President of the Confederacy
The End of the Civil War
When the Union won the Civil War the big questions were:
What should Southern states have to do to be readmitted to the Union?
What should happen to southerners who participated in the war effort?
What should happen to the newly emancipated slaves?
Jefferson Davis, President of the Confederacy

3. Views of Reconstruction
Republican leaders agreed that slavery had to be permanently destroyed and all forms of Confederate nationalism had to be suppressed
Moderates thought this could be accomplished as soon as Confederate armies surrendered and the southern states repealed secession and ratified the 13th Amendment
All of this happened by the end of September 1865
General Lee surrendering to General Grant at Appomattox Courthouse

4. Black Codes
White Southerners sought ways to control newly freed African Americans
They wrote Black Codes to regulate civil and legal rights, from marriage to the right to hold and sell property
In many ways the codes guaranteed African Americans would continue working as farm laborers
African American men who were arrested for vagrancy due to unemployment

5. Johnson Alienates Radical Republicans
President Johnson supported the 13th Amendment but not black equality.
By late 1865 Johnson was pardoning hundreds of former confederate officers and officials and allowing them to gain back their property and right to be elected to office.
He vetoed the 1866 Civil Rights Bill and did not support any more amendments for African Americans.
President Andrew Johnson

6. Radical Republicans Gain Control of Congress
Members of Congress known as Radical Republicans refused to work with Johnson.
Many voters were angry with Johnson.
The Radical Republicans took control of Congress in 1866 and came up with their own plan for Reconstruction.
Their goal was to give blacks equality in the South.
“Time Works Wonders” by Thomas Nast

7. Plans for Reconstruction
Led by Charles Sumner and Thaddeus Stevens, the Radical Republicans wanted the Southern states to be punished for their treasonous behavior
They called for harsh punishment of Confederate officers and soldiers and equal rights for Freedmen

8. Radical Reconstruction
Radical Republicans implemented a federal reconstruction plan
The passed the Civil Rights Bill of 1866 and the 14th & 15th Amendments
They used the army to occupy the South and enforce Federal laws.
They set up Freedmen’s Bureau’s to help blacks with education & work.
They would not let former confederate officers vote or hold elected offices.
Radical Republican Leaders

9. The Civil Rights Act of 1866
The Civil Rights Act of 1866 gave rights to freed slaves including the rights to make contracts, sue, witness in court, and own private property
President Johnson vetoed the bill saying it would "operate in favor of the colored and against the white race“
Congress overrode the presidential veto in April of 1866
The act declared that all persons born in the U.S. were now citizens, without regard to race, color, or previous condition of servitude, excluding Indians
Former Slaves and Wounded Union Veterans Celebrating the Passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1866

10. The 14th Amendment
In order to ensure permanent change the 14th amendment granted citizenship to African Americans
The amendment also guaranteed the right to due process under the law to African Americans

11. The 15th Amendment Granted African American men suffrage in 1870
This did not guarantee African American men would be allowed access to their local polls
Violence against African Americans at polling places was common
Literacy tests, poll taxes and other voter qualification laws became common
The First Black Voters

12. African Americans Vote
Slowly Southern states held elections in which Freedmen voted
These elections usually produced Republican state governments
For the first time African Americans were elected to local, state and federal offices
Hiram Revels, the first African American elected to the U.S. Senate

13. The Republican Party in the South
Blacks ran for office and voted for Republican Candidates.
White Northerners went south to buy up property and run for office as Republicans: “Carpetbaggers”.
Southerners felt they were taking advantage of them and grew to despise both black and white republicans.

14. White Southerners React with Violence
White Southerners resented Federal occupation and having to give blacks their rights.
This led to growing use of violence against black voters and whites who belonged to the Republican Party.
The Rise of the Klu Klux Klan.

15. The North Loses Interest
By the mid-1870s many Northerners lost interest in Reconstruction.
Country was suffering from economic problems.
Many felt enough had been done for African-Americans and that the South had been punished.
Racism was still a big problem in the north as well.

16. The End of Radical Reconstruction
Federal Reconstruction ended in 1876 with the election of Rutherford B. Hayes to the presidency
A few weeks after taking office Hayes issued an order for the removal of all federal soldiers stationed in the South
The end of Reconstruction led to a drastic reduction of rights for African Americans
President Rutherford Hayes