1. Bringing the South Back into the Union & Protecting Former Slaves
Reconstruction
Bringing the South Back into the Union &
Protecting Former Slaves

3. Wartime Reconstruction Plans

4. Essential Question:
What were the various plans to reconstruct the Union at the end of the Civil War?
Warm-Up Question:
How should the victorious North treat the South now when the Civil War ends in 1865?
Lesson Plan for Thursday, November 13, 2008: Warm-Up Question, Finish Reconstruction notes

5. Reconstruction Questions
4. What branch of government should control the process of Reconstruction?
1. How do we bring the South back into the Union?
“Reconstruction” refers to the era from 1865 to 1877 when the U.S. gov’t addressed bringing the South back into the Union after the Civil War & the treatment over former slaves in America
2. How do we rebuild the South after its destruction during the war?
3. How do we integrate and protect newly- emancipated black freedmen?

6. Reconstruction Debate
How should Reconstruction or rebuilding the South be carried out?

7. Wartime Reconstruction Plans
The U.S. government was divided in its approach to Reconstruction:
Lincoln favored quick readmission for the South & no formal protection for freed blacks
Lincoln believed secession was illegal & was led by individuals (not by states) so he wanted to use pardons to control the South

8. Ten Percent Plan
Before end war Lincoln proposed in 1863 the Ten Percent Plan
Lincoln wanted Southerners who supported the Union to take charge of the state governments.
Lincoln offered amnesty to all white Southerners, except Confederate leaders.
He supported giving educated African Americans or those who served in the Union army the right to vote.
Louisiana, Arkansas, and Tennessee established governments under Lincoln’s plan in A struggle occurred when Congress refused to seat their representatives.

9. Wartime Reconstruction Plans
In 1863, Lincoln announced a lenient Ten Percent Plan:
States could be re-admitted when 10% of its population swore an oath of U.S. loyalty
Pardons offered for oath-takers
Re-admitted states had to recognize the emancipation of slaves & the 13th amendment
Congress rejected Lincoln’s plan:
Radical Republicans wanted black male suffrage added & feared that Confederate leaders would take charge in the South
By 1864, Arkansas & Louisiana had established Unionist governments but were refused to be seated by Congress

10. Radical Reconstruction
A more radical plan proposed by Radical Republicans called for a tougher approach to Reconstruction.
The plan called for breaking up Southern institutions.
Radical Republicans controlled Congress, they voted to deny seats to any state reconstructed under Lincoln’s plan.

11. Wartime Reconstruction Plans
Republicans in Congress:
wanted a radical plan that guaranteed rights for ex-slaves & a promise that ex-Confederate leaders would not be allowed to govern any readmitted states
Congress believed that the states had left the Union so Congress could determine the rules for their re-admission
“State-suicide” theory

12. Wade-Davis Bill
Congress developed its own harsh plan in July 1864 by passing the Wade-Davis Bill.
A majority of white males had to swear loyalty.
Only white males who swore they had never fought against the Union could vote
Former Confederates were denied the right to hold public office.
Readmitted to Union if state abolished slavery in their constitution.
Lincoln refused to sign the bill, but knew he had compromise.

13. Wartime Reconstruction Plans
The Wade-Davis Bill was passed by Congress in 1864:
50% of state populations had to swear an oath of loyalty
Confederate leaders were not eligible to vote or participate in state governments
Did not require black suffrage but did enforce emancipation
But Lincoln vetoed the bill
By the end of the Civil War, the U.S. government had no plan for Reconstruction in place
This problem was compounded in 1865 when Lincoln was assassinated

14. Reconstruction Debate
Another difficult issue of Reconstruction was how to help freed African Americans?
Freedmen’s Bureau est. to help former enslaved persons.
distributed food and clothing, provided medical services, and established schools
It helped African Americans buy land and get jobs and receive fair wages.
African American Colleges such as Atlanta University, Howard University, and Fisk University.

15. GO TO EDLINE AND LOOK AT THE FREEDMAN’S QUESTIONS #3 IN NOTEBOOK

16. Class Discussion
Identify & explain the different Reconstruction plans:
Lincoln’s Plan
The Wade-Davis Bill
Andrew Johnson Plan
Thaddeus Stevens & the Radical Reconstruction Plan
Rank order these plans in terms of which ones were (or would have been) most successful

17. Lincoln Assassinated!!!
When John Wilkes Booth leapt to the stage after assassinating Abraham Lincoln at Ford’s Theater, many think he shouted “sic semper tyrannis,” which in Latin means “Thus always to tyrants.” However, Henry Rathbone, who was Lincoln’s guest that night, thought he shouted “Freedom!”
VP Andrew Johnson takes office of President (His plan for the South “Restoration.”)
End of 1865, Johnson declared Restoration was almost complete because all the former Confederate states except Texas had established new governments and were ready to rejoin the Union.

18. Andrew Johnson at the Helm
The irony of Andrew Johnson:
The 1st Reconstruction president was a Southern Democrat & fervent white supremacist
Johnson was elected as VP in 1864 to balance Lincoln’s ticket
He was the only southern Senator to remain loyal to the Union & hated the South’s gentry

19. “Malice towards none and charity for all” —Abraham Lincoln
“Every head of family in the United States should have one slave to take the drudgery and menial service off his family” —Andrew Johnson

20. Andrew Johnson at the Helm
“Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States or any place subject to their jurisdiction”
Johnson’s Reconstruction Plan:
Appointed provisional state governors to lead state constitutional conventions
States must declare secession illegal & ratify the 13th Amend’t
Southern conventions reluctantly obeyed Johnson’s Reconstruction policy but passed Black Codes
Johnson approved & granted 13,500 special pardons but Congress condemned the state conventions (Congress’ fears are coming true!)
Restricted blacks from testifying in court
Separate penal codes
Restricted the freedom to chose one’s employer
Created,, &
Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation

21. Johnson believed in giving the states control over many decisions, and he had no desire to help African Americans. How did his restoration plan show these beliefs?
His plan called for state governors to hold elections for constitutional conventions. He gave the vote to only whites who swore their loyalty to the Union, leaving out African Americans. He believed that each state should decide what to do about freed people, so he did not specify any guidelines.

22. https://www. youtube. com/watch

23. Notebook # 4 Reconstruction Introduction
Answer 1 of the following:
If you were a parent, and one of your children ran away, what would you do once the child had been returned? Would you (1) punish the child to discourage him or her from running away again or (2) accept a promise for the child that he or she would never run away again?
Soon after Abraham Lincoln’s assassination, his Vice President, Andrew Johnson was sworn in as the 17th President of the United States. Formerly a Democratic Senator from Tennessee, Johnson had been the only Southern senator to support the Union during the Civil War. Explain why Lincoln, a Republican from the North, would nominate a Southern Democrat in 1864 to be his Vice Presidential candidate?
Johnson began plans to “Restore” the southern states back into the Union based on what he believed Lincoln would do. However, many Republicans in Congress believed that Johnson was too soft on the white southerners and argued that the “freedmen” (freed male and female slaves) should have equal rights. These Republicans took a Radical or extreme position, which do you think is the best plan?
How did the Freedman’s Bureau help African American after the War?

24. The Freedman’s Bureau
The Freedman’s Bureau was established in 1865 to offer assistance to former slaves & protect their new citizenship:
Provided emergency food, housing, medical supplies
Promised “40 acres & a mule”
Supervised labor contracts
Created new schools

25. Freedmen’s Bureau School
Many former abolitionists moved South to help freedmen, called “carpetbaggers” by Southern Democrats

26. Freedmen’s Bureau Seen Through Southern Eyes
“Plenty to eat & nothing to do”

27. African Americans’ Rights
The new Southern states passed a series of laws in 1865 and early 1866 called black codes.
laws reestablished slavery in disguise
Some laws allowed local officials to arrest and fine unemployed African Americans and make them work for white employers to pay off their fines.
Other laws banned African Americans from owning or renting farms.
One law allowed whites to take orphaned African American children as unpaid apprentices.
Congress challenged the black codes & extended the life of the Freedmen’s Bureau
1866 set up special courts to prosecute people charged with violating the rights of African Americans.
Passed the Civil Rights Act of 1866 (giving full citizenship to African Americans and federal government can intervene in state affairs to protect them.)

28. African Americans’ Rights
Johnson vetoed both bills. However, Republicans were able to override both vetoes and the bills became law. This split between the president and the Radical Republicans led Congress to draft a new Reconstruction Plan.
Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution granting full citizenship to all individuals born in the United States.
It did not include voting rights for African Americans.
It also barred certain former Confederates from holding national or state office unless pardoned by a two-thirds vote of Congress.
Congress declared that Southern states must ratify the amendment in order to be readmitted to the Union. Because Tennessee was the only state to ratify early, adoption of the amendment was delayed until 1868 when the other ten states finally ratified it.

29. Notebook Assignment #5

30. Notebook Assignment #5 Reconstruction Big Ideas
Arguments that arose over how to rebuild the Southern economy and society following the Civil War continue to this day:
Do the states or the federal government have the power to make decisions for the people?
How do we provide civil rights and equal opportunity to all American citizens?
Soon after the Civil War ended, white Southerners passed Black Codes and took other measures (some violent) to oppress freed African American men and women. How should the government respond to this?
Andrew Johnson’s plan for Reconstruction followed Lincoln’s idea of “with malice toward none.” Do you agree with this?
The Radical Republicans in Congress enacted a Reconstruction plan that punished white leaders of the Confederacy and gave rights to African Americans. Did it work? Explain.
The 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments a) freed the slaves, b) granted African Americans full citizenship and protection under the law and c) granted African Americans the right to vote. How will the south violate these amendments?
Reconstruction ended when federal troops were withdrawn from the south in Which led to what being needed in the 1900’s?