1. Reconstruction
1865 – 1877

2. Discussion: The South was “broken” by the end of the Civil War
Discussion: The South was “broken” by the end of the Civil War. Who broke it: the South that seceded or the North that destroyed it in war? Should the North help repair the South? Explain your answer.

3. Problems that Need Fixed:
Property damage on a massive scale. How would structural damage in the South be repaired?
Emancipated slaves lacked land, jobs, and education. Where would they go, and how would they rebuild their lives?
Dispossessed plantation owners: How would plantation owners, who suffered property damage and now lacked a source of labor, rebuild their lives?
Thousands of wounded and displaced people: How would those Southerners, both black and white, who needed medical care and services, be given relief?
Many Southerners remained resentful. How could the North and South rebuild unity?
While the Emancipation Proclamation abolished slavery in the Confederate states, slavery existed in the border states and many of the territories. Would Northern and Southern politicians agree to abolish slavery nationwide?

4. Background
Reconstruction- period of rebuilding the Union following the Civil War
Things to consider:
The South was physically & economically destroyed by the Civil War
Southern whites feared giving African Americans “power” in gov’t
The federal gov’t did NOT believe they should “fix” the South’s problems
BUT, the federal gov’t DID believe they should help protect freedmen from the dominant southern white society