Reconstruction America after the Civil War Thursday March

Reconstruction America after the Civil War Thursday, March 15, 2018

Appomattox Court House April 7 1865

5 Days Later… Washington D. C.

Death of a hero- April 1865 n n Lincoln is killed at Ford’s Theater John Wilkes Booth Southerner Pro slavery n n Andrew Johnson (VP) takes over Booth did more harm to the South than good

Lincolns ideas n n Wanted Reconstruction to go smoothly Wanted a peaceful way of rejoining the Union for confederate states 10% oaths = reinstatement Pardon all except leaders of rebellion

Johnson continues policy n Ratification of the 13 th Amendment to the Constitution n n Banned Slavery Johnson approved the new state govt. of the southern states- send to congress by Dec. 1865 Many ex-confederate officials / generals elected Republicans in Congress wanted no ex-cons.

South making their own laws Passed the Black Codes n n Didn’t allow African Americans to: 1. 2. 3. 4. n n Vote Own guns Serve on juries Limited jobs Did allow them to marry and own property Meant to stop AA from gaining political or economic power

The Radical Republicans n n Congressmen from the North who were extreme Angered by Black Codes Wanted to make Reconstruction extreme Wanted to: n n Break the power of wealthy plantation owners Freedmen could vote

14 th Amendment n n n Guaranteed all people born in the United States citizenship Equal protection under law Can not “deprive any person of life, liberty or property without due process of law. ” Reduced the power of any state who did not follow it Hoped to gain a power base for AA in the South

1866 Congressional Election n n Johnson wanted the 14 th amendment rejected RR’s and Johnson were against each other. White mobs in NO killed 34 AA Republicans won most of the Congress in the 1866 election- control gov’t

Congress takes over n n n Reconstruction Act was passed by Congress over Johnson’s veto Threw out Southern state governments that refused to ratify the 14 th Amendment Divided the South into districts under military control Had to write new constitutions and ratify the 14 th amendment before rejoining the Union. AA’s must be allowed to vote Every time Congress passed a new Reconstruction act, Johnson vetoed, then Congress overrode it

Impeached- 1868 n n n Johnson had to enforce the Reconstruction Acts Republicans decided to remove Johnson from office HR voted to impeach Johnson- “Intemperate language” and having brought disgrace on congress During trial it was evident that there were no “high crimes” Johnson was not convicted by one vote (35 to 19) Johnson served out his term

New President n n 1868, Republicans nominated US Grant for president Most of the Southern states had rejoined the Union. 500, 000 AA’s voted in the election Grant easily won.

15 th Amendment- 1870 n n Did not let any state deny AA’s the right to vote Guaranteed for all the states Many remembered what the AA did during the Civil War AA’s could vote.

Outsiders n n New state governments in the South where no former Southern leaders could rule Many Northerners came down from the North to fill the jobs

Scalawags & Carpetbaggers n Scalawags were white Southerners who supported the Republicans n n Seen as traitors Carpetbaggers were people who came down from the North to make it rich in the devastated South n n n Many got leadership roles Profit from the South’s misery Not all Carpetbaggers were fortune hunters

African Americans n n n Were able to vote now Many ran and got elected to public office. By 1880, 16 AA served in Congress But they still didn’t have as much power as whites No black governors

Resistance to change n n Conservatives of the South still tried to limit what AA could do Secret societies were formed n n n Most dangerous was called Ku Klux Klan Worked to keep blacks and white Republicans out of office, at any cost Threats and violence Congress made it a crime to use force to stop people from voting Little they could do to stop it

Good and bad of Reconstruction n n n New schools built for both races Women could own property Taxes were raised Angered many Southerners Corruption in many governments AA still had few opportunities

Sharecropping n n Slaves received “nothing but freedom” Sharecroppers are poor whites and blacks who went to work on plantations Return they got a “share of the crop” Didn’t help financially, but at least fed the families

End of Reconstruction n n By the 1870’s most lost interest in Reconstruction White Conservatives regained power in the South Radical Republicans were losing power in Congress Corruption in the Grant Administration n Not by Grant, but others. Validity of the administration

Election of 1876 n n n Demo. Tilden and Rep. Hayes Tilden won popular vote, but not electoral college votes by one 20 votes in dispute Inauguration day and no winner Congress nominated Hayes and Southerners agreed if he would end Reconstruction

New South n n Cotton crops recovered New textile industries Natural resources Restricting the rights of African Americans n Many Southerners saw the AA as the reason for their misery

n n Poll taxes, literacy exams required in some places to vote Segregation n n Plessy v. Fugerson, SC case Separate but equal Rarely equal Lynchings n Illegal execution by a mob