Download presentation
Presentation is loading. Please wait.
Published byKelly Newman Modified over 9 years ago
2
Reconstruction – process of reuniting the nation & rebuilding the southern states Feb. 1865 – Congress proposed the 13 th Amendment to the Constitution: abolished slavery Congress created the Freedmen’s Bureau to provide help & legal aid for former slaves Many states issued Black Codes: laws denying civil rights to blacks; aimed at freedom of movement & work, created in defiance of the Freedman’s Bureau Civil rights – individual rights guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution Civil Rights Act of 1866 – all citizens are entitled equal rights regardless of race
3
Presidential Reaction President Andrew Johnson vetoed the Civil Rights Act of 1866 Radical Republicans Nickname for party members leading Congress “Government should play greater role in Reconstruction” Many wanted to punish the South Johnson believed Reconstruction was the job of the president Not the job of Congress
4
Presidential Reconstruction President Johnson’s plan was based on Lincoln’s goals Ratify the 13 th Amendment Take oath of allegiance to the U.S.A. People of high stature had to personally apply for a pardon Each state had to write a new constitution under a provisional government: declare secession illegal & abolish slavery Promised to return property States rushed to session with a “supposed” ally in D.C.
5
Congressional Reconstruction Congress proposed the 14 th Amendment Guaranteed citizenship & equal rights to black Americans Reconstruction Acts: must follow to rejoin Southern state governments declared provisional South broken into 5 military districts Re-write constitutions guaranteeing civil rights, including suffrage Ratify the 14 th Amendment
6
1870 1868 1870 1868 1870 1868 1870 1866 1870 Date readmitted to the Union Boundary of military district
7
Presidential Impeachment Johnson tried to block Congressional Reconstruction Congress passed Tenure of Office Act President cannot fire govt. employees w/o permission Johnson suspended Sec. of War & tried to hire a new one House committee impeached the President for wrongdoing against public office Avoided removal in the Senate by one vote
8
The New South People from northern states came to help reconstruct the south Called Carpetbaggers White Northerners who came to the south carrying what they had in a bag made of carpet Most people in the south hated these northerners Carpetbagger was a term of contempt Accused them of seeking to get rich or gain power
10
Change of Agriculture Most Americans (mostly freedpeople) could not afford land Turned to new methods of farming Tenant farming Rent land to grow crops Sharecropper Farmer who lacked land & necessary supplies Constantly in debt due to borrowing money & supplies
11
Fighting Reconstruction MMMMost northerners operated with supporters CCCCalled “scalawags”, or “mean fellows” SSSSecret societies were formed to terrorize blacks, carpetbaggers, & “scalawags” WWWWhite League KKKKu Klux Klan RRRRepublicans lost power over time
13
The New-Old South Former Gen. Ulysses S. Grant won the 1868 Presidential election About 500,000 freedmen voted in the South Most freedmen supported Grant Congress passed 15 th Amendment (1869) Right to vote secured despite race, color, or previous service Did not apply to WOMEN! Grant urged Congress to pass an anti-Klan bill to stop the terrorizing of African- Americans Bill led to a more fair election in 1872
15
Bad Decisions Scandals within Grant’s administration hurt the Rep. party Grant put unqualified army friends and his wife’s relatives in government positions Panic of 1873 Many powerful Eastern banks made bad loans, ran out of $, and shut down Stock market temporarily closed & RR industry suffered
16
Impact of the Panic of 1873 More than 18,000 companies shut down and thousands lost jobs Republicans lost power due to public blame Democrats won victories in 1874 and tried to restore the old south Rutherford B. Hayes wins election of 1876 Republicans & Democrats claimed victory in 3 southern states Compromise of 1877 solved the election and gave concessions to both sides in the South Run on the bank (1873)
18
Growth and Expansion Transcontinental railroad developed the West and connected it with Eastern markets Homestead Act (1862) Government encouraged western settlement Offered 160 acres of free land to anyone who agreed to live on the land for 5 years and improve it Morrill Act (1862) Gave federal land to states to sell to fund public colleges that taught agriculture and mechanical arts Dawes Act (1887) Encourage Native Americans to give up their traditional cultures and become farmers
Similar presentations
© 2025 SlidePlayer.com. Inc.
All rights reserved.