1. 9.1 – POLITICS OF RECONSTRUCTION

2. Warm Up – May 18th Grab the guided notes
REVIEW OF THE WEST – Use info from the video to answer these questions (Can answer them on the video questions)
1. What was the transcontinental railroad and why was it built? Who helped build it?
2. What was the Homestead Act? How did it lead to further settlements in the West?
3. Why was barbed wire so important in how the Western frontier was formed?

3. Reconstruction
, the period of time after the Civil War during which the US began to rebuild
Reentering of southern states
Integration of black citizens

4. Lincoln’s Reconstruction Plan
Lincoln favored a lenient (merciful/tolerant) Reconstruction policy
Believed individuals, not states, rebelled – Constitution gave POTUS power to pardon and excuse individuals
December 1863 – Lincoln’s 10% Plan
Pardon all Confederates who would swear allegiance to the Union (except high ranking officials and those accused of crimes against POWs)
10% of voters in the state took an allegiance oath  state would make a new government and regain representation in Congress

5. Radical Republicans HARSH punishment for Confederate states
Full citizenship rights to blacks, including suffrage (voting)
Thaddeus Stevens – most outspoken Radical Republican
Representative from PA
Abolitionist and Black suffragist – truly radical because no other country that abolished slavery had also granted voting rights
Stevens’ Housekeeper – possible lover

6. Wade-Davis Bill
July 1864 – Radical Republican’s response to Lincoln’s 10% Plan
Proposed that Congress, not POTUS, was in charge of Reconstruction policies
Majority (over 50%) of state, NOT 10%, must pledge allegiance to Union to reenter
Guaranteed equality under the law for black citizens (including suffrage)
Passed in Congress BUT vetoed by Lincoln
Veto – president’s power to reject or cancel a bill or law
Executive check on legislative powers

7. Andrew Johnson Lincoln’s VP  17th POTUS
From Tennessee, only southern senator to remain loyal to the Union
Supported abolition, but not black suffrage
Wanted harsh punishment for rebellion leaders and Confederate states
Southerners – considered him a traitor
Radical Republicans – thought he was one of them

8. Johnson’s “Presidential Plan”
Similar to Lincoln’s original plan in that it was not very harsh
Confederate states could be readmitted to Union if…
Withdrew secession
Swore allegiance to Union
Forgive Confederate war debts
Ratify the 13th Amendment (banned slavery)

9. Johnson’s “Presidential Plan”
Radical Republicans and blacks MAD!
Did not want to pardon Confederate officials
Wanted guaranteed black suffrage
Southern states RELIEVED!
Quickly agreed to Johnson’s terms
Drew up new constitutions and elected new officials for US Congress
All states, except Mississippi, ratified the 13th Amendment
Not admitted to the Union yet…

10. Congress is a MESS!
December 1865 – Congress met with representatives from ALL states
Johnson assumed Reconstruction was complete!
Congress disagreed… still so many problems to address!
Radical Republicans in Congress didn’t believe the Southern states had truly changed  refused to accept Southern legislators

11. Freedmen’s Bureau
Meanwhile… moderate Republicans were actually trying to work on Reconstruction and fix the weaknesses in Johnson’s plan
Freedmen’s Bureau Acts of – created and continued the Freedmen’s Bureau
Federal program to help blacks and poor whites after the Civil War
Created in 1865, but Congress wanted to expand it in 1866
Provided clothes and food
Established hospitals, schools, teacher training programs, and industrial institutes

12. CIVIL RIGHTS ACT OF 1866
Gave blacks full citizenship and prohibited states from passing black codes
Black codes – discriminatory laws that severely limited the rights of blacks
First passed in MS and SC in 1865, then other southern states followed
Blacks could not carry weapons, serve on juries, testify against whites, marry whites, or own land
Black codes proved that the South had not given up on the idea of keeping blacks in bondage, despite the 13th Amendment

13. Johnson vs Congress
Johnson vetoed both the Freedmen’s Bureau Act of 1866 and the Civil Rights Act of 1866
Claimed they were unconstitutional - gave too much power to the federal government
Johnson believed in increased states’ rights and weakened federal government
Moderate and Radical Republicans – mad because Johnson seemed to be supporting Southern states and discrimination of blacks
Early Reconstruction was at a halt in Congress.

14. Congress Takes Action on Reconstruction
Due to the inability of Congress and President Johnson to get along, Congress focused on passing Reconstruction policies without the President.
Mid 1866 – Congress voted to override Johnson’s vetoes of the Freedmen’s Bureau Act of 1866 and Civil Rights Act of 1866  both became laws!
Legislative check on executive power

15. Congress Takes Action on Reconstruction
Wrote the 14th Amendment – guaranteed equal rights to all citizens, equal protection under the law, and guaranteed due process of law
Once Congress approved the 14th Amendment, it was sent to the states for ratification (needed ¾ of states to ratify)
Tennessee was the ONLY Southern state to ratified it  Congress still got ¾ of the states and the 14th Amendment was adopted in 1866

16. Reconstruction Act of 1867
former Confederate states (except TN) divided into 5 military districts led by a former Union general
TN had already ratified the 14th Amendment, and was admitted back into the Union
Southern states would be readmitted to the Union if…
voters in each district (including blacks) would elect delegates to make new state constitutions that insured black suffrage
ratified the 14th Amendment

17. Johnson vs Congress
Johnson vetoed the Reconstruction Act of 1867, BUT Congress voted to override his veto and it became law
Radical Republicans passed the Tenure of Office Act in 1867 – POTUS cannot remove a cabinet member without Senate’s permission
Wanted to protect Sec. of War Edwin Stanton who supported Radical Republicans
Johnson claimed the Tenure of Office Act was unconstitutional  removed Stanton from cabinet

18. Johnson (Almost) Impeached
Congress (especially the Radical Republicans) felt that Johnson was not carrying out his presidential duties to enforce Reconstruction policies and follow Congress’ laws  wanted to impeach Johnson
Formally charge with misconduct in office
For a president to be impeached 2 things must happen:
House of Representatives must charge the POTUS with a crime
Senate, acting as a court of law, must conduct a trial to find the POTUS guilty of the crime and 2/3 of Senators must find guilty
If found guilty, the president may or may not be removed from office

19. Johnson (Almost) Impeached
1868 – House of Representatives brought impeachment charges against Johnson for violating the Tenure of Office Act
In the Senate trial, Johnson’s lawyers claimed that because Stanton was appointed by Lincoln, not Johnson, he could be removed
The Senate voted  Not guilty (missed the 2/3 requirement by 1 vote)

20. Election of 1868 Republicans – Ulysses S. Grant, war hero  18th POTUS
Democrats – Horatio Seymour, wartime governor of NY
Knew they couldn’t win with Johnson

21. Ensuring Black Rights
About 500,000 Southern blacks voted in the Election of 1868, tipping the election in Grant’s favor  Southern states wanted to limit black suffrage
1870 – Radical Republicans helped write and ratify the 15th Amendment – guaranteed suffrage regardless of race or color
Women still could not vote
1870 – Enforcement Act of 1870 – gave the federal government more power to punish those who tried to prevent blacks from exercising rights

22. Reconstruction Amendments
The 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments passed during Reconstruction to ensure the rights of blacks in America.
Today, these amendments are used to challenge the denial of rights to various populations in America (ex: LGBT, women, and immigrants)