Reconstruction Of the South Chapter 12 Section

Reconstruction Of the South

Chapter 12, Section 1 The War’s Aftermath w Human toll of the Civil War: The North lost 364, 000 soldiers. The South lost 260, 000 soldiers. w Between 1865 and 1877, the federal government carried out a program to repair the damage to the South and restore the southern states to the Union. This program was known as Reconstruction. w Black Southerners were starting out their new lives in a poor region with slow economic activity. w Plantation owners lost slave labor worth $3 billion. w Poor white Southerners could not find work because of new job competition from freedmen. w The war had destroyed two thirds of the South’s shipping industry and about 9, 000 miles of railroad.

Lincoln’s Plan w Pardon and grant amnesty w When 10% of the 1860 voters took an oath and agree to abide by the government which abolishes slavery, then the state government will be recognized w States had never left the union; some citizens were in rebellion; we are all country men again

Johnson’s Plan w Follow Lincoln’s plan w Generous with pardons – Forgiving: He was a southerner w Let states pass black codes w For a state to hold a constitutional convention they must – Void secession – Ratify the 13 th amendment – Stop paying war debt

Problems for Johnson w Lincoln was popular / Johnson was not w Lincoln could get along with critics / Johnson could not w Northerners were blaming the south w Johnson is impeached for political reasons: Johnson is saved by one vote w His crime: use of “intemperate language” and bringing disgrace and ridicule on Congress.

Reconstruction Plans Chapter 12, Section 1 Lincoln’s plan • Denied pardons to officers and anyone who had killed African American war prisoners. • Permitted each state to create a new constitution after 10 percent of voters took an oath of allegiance. • Offered pardons to Southerners who swore allegiance. • States could then hold elections and rejoin the Union. • Each state could create a new constitution without Lincoln’s 10 percent allegiance requirement. • States had to void secession, abolish slavery, and repudiate the Confederate debt. • Although it officially denied pardons to all Confederate leaders, Johnson often issued pardons to those who asked him personally. Johnson’s plan

Reaction to Lincoln’s Reconstruction Plan Chapter 12, Section 1 • A group called the Radical Republicans felt that the Civil War had been fought over the moral issue of slavery. The Radicals insisted that the main goal of Reconstruction should be a restructuring of society to guarantee black people true equality. • The Radical Republicans viewed Lincoln’s plan as too lenient. • In July, 1864, Congress passed a stricter Reconstruction plan, the Wade-Davis Act. Among its provisions, it required ex-Confederate men to take an oath of past and future loyalty and to swear that they had never willingly borne arms against the United States. Lincoln let the bill die in a pocket veto.

Wade. Davis Bill w Congress controls Reconstruction, not the President w South will be under a military government w Lincoln uses pocket vetoes

The 1866 Bi-Election « A referendum on Radical Reconstruction. « Johnson made an ill-conceived propaganda tour around the country to push his plan. « Republicans won a 3 -1 majority in both houses and gained control of every northern state. Johnson’s “Swing around the Circle”

w South must be Punished Radical Republicans’ w Military Reconstruction Act of 1867 Plan – Divides the South into 5 Military Districts • Each governed by a Union General – Confederacy can’t pay war debts or Southerners for the loss of their slaves. – Punish states which do not allow African-American males to vote

Reconstruction Acts of 1867 « Military Reconstruction Act * Restart Reconstruction in the 10 Southern states that refused to ratify the 14 th Amendment. * Divide the 10 “unreconstructed states” into 5 military districts.

Radical Plan for Readmission « Civil authorities in the territories were subject to military supervision. « Required new state constitutions, including black suffrage and ratification of the 13 th and 14 th Amendments. « In March, 1867, Congress passed an act that authorized the military to enroll eligible black voters and begin the process of constitution making.

14 th Amendment « Ratified in July, 1868. * Provide a constitutional guarantee of the rights and security of freed people. * Insure against neo-Confederate political power. * Enshrine the national debt while repudiating that of the Confederacy. « Southern states would be punished for denying the right to vote to black citizens!

The Balance of Power in Congress State White Citizens Freedmen SC 291, 000 411, 000 MS 353, 000 436, 000 LA 357, 000 350, 000 GA 591, 000 465, 000 AL 596, 000 437, 000 VA 719, 000 533, 000 NC 631, 000 331, 000

Black & White Political Participation

Establishment of Historically Black Colleges in the South

w RR Cont. All qualified voters not including those who supported the Confederacy could vote for delegates to a Constitutional Convention when – The 14 th amendment was ratified – Guaranteed the rights to all citizens – Permit African American males the right to vote

Black Senate & House Delegates

North – Freedman’s Bureau: aid medical care to help newly freed blacks: built schools and hospitals – 13 th amendment: ends slavery – 14 th Amendment: everyone born in the U. S. A is a citizen; state can’t deny a citizen federal rights of life, liberty or property without due process – 15 th amendment: The right to vote for African American males

Chapter 12, Section 2 Black Codes w As southern states were restored to the Union, they began to enact black codes, laws that restricted freedmen’s rights. The black codes established virtual slavery with provisions such as these: – Curfews: Generally, black people could not gather after sunset. – Vagrancy laws: Freedmen convicted of vagrancy– that is, not working– could be fined, whipped, or sold for a year’s labor. – Labor contracts: Freedmen had to sign agreements in January for a year of work. Those who quit in the middle of a contract often lost all the wages they had earned. – Land restrictions: Freed people could rent land or homes only in rural areas. This restriction forced them to live on plantations.

South – Black Codes: used to control the actions of ex-slaves examples are curfews, can’t serve on a jury, can’t marry whites, can’t carry a weapon – Sharecropping: ties workers to land; like slavery – Segregation: separate by race – Solid South: south votes strongly democratic

Sharecropping and the Cycle of Debt Chapter 12, Section 3 1. Poor whites and freedmen have no jobs, no homes, and no money to buy land. 5. Sharecropper cannot leave the farm as long as he is in debt to the landlord. 4. At harvest time, the sharecropper owes more to the landlord than his share of the crop is worth. 2. Poor whites and freedmen sign contracts to work a landlord’s acreage in exchange for a part of the crop. 3. Landlord keeps track of the money that sharecroppers owe him for housing and food.

Voting Restrictions w South passed laws to keep African-Americans from voting or holding office. w Poll Taxes: pay a fee in order to vote w Grandfather clause: you may vote only if your grandfather had voted in the past w Literacy test: you must show you can read in order to vote

Attempts to profit from Reconstruction w Carpetbaggers: Northerner who moves to the south to exploit situations created by Reconstruction for their own advantage w. Scalawag: Southerner who cooperates with Reconstruction and joins the Republican party. These individuals are considered traitors by white Southerners.

Jim Crow Laws passed that separated blacks and whites in – – – – Trains Theaters Streetcars Playgrounds Hospitals Beaches Cemeteries

Post Civil War Agenda w Caring for the needs of newly freed slaves – Employment assistance – Housing assistance – Educational provision – Granting full rights as citizens w Mending the rift between North and south – Granting amnesty to confederates – Restoring states their full rights – Returning confiscated land to former confederate owners

Grant as President w Elected in 1868 w Radical Republicans want to divide the plantation land among slaves. Not supported by the Republican moderates w Sharecropping and tenant farming developed w 15 th amendment passed: voting rights