Reconstruction1865-1876

Aftermath of the War the War

Southern Cities in Ruins: -Sherman’s March to the Sea -Grant’s Virginia Campaign -The Burning of Atlanta

Southern Economy Destroyed: -Wealthy planters bankrupted by the war -European demand for cotton met elsewhere -Confederate dollars worthless - Inflation up 5,000%

Many Southern slaves had been given their freedom

Southern states occupied by Union army

Aftermath of the War

Questions in the North:

! -Slavery-What to do with current and former slaves?

! -How to restore the Union?

! -Should the South be punished for secession? What about the Confederate officers?

City in Ruins; Women in Mourning

Freed Slaves with Nowhere to Go

Lincoln’s Plan

Reconstruction began before the war ended

By 1863, Union armies controlled much of the South

Lincoln hoped to restore the Southern states to the Union peacefully

Lincoln’s inclusive view conflicted with Republican members of Congress who hoped to punish the South (Radical Republicans)

A political cartoon of Andrew Johnson and Abraham Lincoln, 1865, entitled "The Rail Splitter At Work Repairing the Union." The caption reads (Johnson): Take it quietly Uncle Abe and I will draw it closer than ever. (Lincoln): A few more stitches Andy and the good old Union will be mended.

Lincoln’s Ten Percent Plan

•! -10% of a state’s voting population pledged loyalty to the Union (using 1860 election totals)

•-!Once they met quota states could hold elections and rejoin the Union

•-!Generous pardon were given to all but the highest ranking Confederates

Reaction to Lincoln’s Plan

Plan did not go far enough for Radical Republicans

Proposed tougher Wade Davis Bill

! -Required an “ironclad” oath (never were disloyal)

! -Attempted to give control to black voters

! -Lincoln “pocket” vetoed the bill

The US Constitution limits the President's period for decision on whether to sign or veto any legislation to ten days (not including Sundays) while Congress is in session. If the President does nothing during this period while Congress remains in session, the unsigned bill becomes law. However, if Congress cuts short this period by adjourning and the President does not sign the bill, then the bill dies. This latter outcome is known as the "pocket veto”.

Lincoln’s Assassination

Lincoln assassinated April 14, 1865

! Replaced by Vice President Andrew Johnson

! Congress hoped that Johnson would be tougher on the South

! They’re wrong--Johnson follows Lincoln’s path

15th Amendment: Voting Rights

Black Codes/Jim Crow

State & social laws designed to prevent southern blacks from voting/equality

Segregation

Voting: -poll taxes -literacy tests -grandfather clause -intimidation

Rise of the Ku Klux Klan

Circa: 1870

KKK“Every self respecting white Southern male is a member of the KKK”

Quick Write

Why did Radical Republicans want to give political power to black voters?

Johnson’s Plan

Johnson former Democrat, former slave holder

-Johnson favored giving power to yeoman farmers in the South

-Plan for readmission only slightly tougher than Lincoln’s

-Forced wealthy land owners and former Confederate officials to apply directly to the President for pardons

! !

Johnson’s Plan

-Pardoned many major Confederate figures

! -Forced Southern states to repudiate (refuse to accept/divorce from) Confederate debt

! -States had to ratify 13th amendment to rejoin union

! ! 13th: Abolishes slavery

Johnson’s Plan and subsequent vetoes of Congressional Reconstruction Plans made him many enemies in Congress

Congressional Reconstruction

-Radical Republicans were committed to crippling the South politically

-Created Freedmen’s Bureau (1865) assisted former slaves

-Passed the 13th Amendment banning slavery

Congressional Reconstruction

Angry at Johnson’s plan and Southern black codes, the Senate proposed stronger legislation:

Civil Rights Act of 1865 -Extended the power of Freedmen’s Bureau -Vetoed by Johnson and overridden by Congress

Proposed 14th Amendment -Defined citizenship and protected that right! -Punished former Confederates

Congressional Reconstruction

13th Amendment: Freedom

14th Amendment: Citizenship

15th Amendment: Vote

The First Black Senator (Hiram Revels) & Representatives, 1870

Congressional Reconstruction

Military Reconstruction Act of 1867

! -Passed over Johnson’s veto

! -Divided South into military districts

! -Each run by a military general with dictatorial powers

To be “readmitted” to the Union:

! -States drafted Constitution granting black suffrage (in other words; the had to ratify the 14th & 15th Amendments)

Congressional Reconstruction

Congress passed Army Act (kept Rad Rep control of army in south) andTenure of Office Act (Pres can not fire certain officials without Congressional approval) to prevent Johnson from interfering with their plans

Violated Tenure of Office Act:-Fired radical Secretary of War Edwin Stanton-Impeached by Congress-Removal fails by a single vote

Video

The Presidents: Abraham Lincoln & Andrew Johnson

Video Think, Pair, Share

✤ Think & Answer in your notes: Although the Senate had enough votes to remove Johnson they fail to do so. Why do you think some Republican Senators reconsidered?

✤ Pair with another student

✤ Share your thoughts with the class

Make a comparison of the two Reconstruction Plans by completing the table:

The Plan: How would the North How would the Confederate States be affected by this plan? be affected by this plan?Lincoln’s 10% Plan . . . . . . . ..

.

.Andrew Johnson’s Plan . . . . . . . . .

.

.

U.S. Grant as President

Elected narrowly as a Republican in 1868 & again in 1872

! -Secured passage of the 15th Amendment

-Demonetization of silver

-Worked to prevent voting discrimination based on race

-Quickly dismantled by Southern Jim Crow Laws

Grant as President

Grant’s administration is filled with scandal and corruption

! Routinely placed trust in dishonest men

! ! -“Black Friday” scandal! ! -Whiskey Ring

! ! -Credit Moblier

! Grant also faced economic woes (Panic of 1873)

! ! -Unstable paper money

After the war ended, people commonly believed that the U.S.gvmt would buy back the greenbacks with gold. A group of speculators sought to profit off this by cornering the gold market. Butterfield (Grantʼs brother-in-law) agreed to tip the men off when the government intended to sell gold

Republicans skimmed millions of $ in federal taxes from liquor sales

Union Pacific Railroadʼs overcharging of construction costs to tax payers

Election of 1876

By 1876, all but three Southern states had been “redeemed”

Northern Democrat Tilden vs. Republican Hayes

! -“Waving the bloody shirt” has lost most of its impact

Tilden wins the election narrowly

! ! -Fails to get necessary electoral votes

! ! -20 electoral votes came from occupied South

! ! -Election is disputed on both sides

Election of 1876

Congress created a special commission to the decide matter

! Republicans manipulated the commission

! -Both sides struck a compromise

! -Republicans got Hayes elected

! -Democrats secured an end to Reconstruction

Net Results of Reconstruction

-Former slaves had little opportunity to change their status

! -Many former slaves become sharecroppers

! -Black representatives reach Congress (Hiram Revels)

! -Anti-black groups form in the South to resist growing black rights (Ku Klux Klan, Knights of White Camelia)

! -Supreme Court overturned civil rights cases

Sharecropping

Cycle of poverty:

-Sharecroppers work land of formers slave owners; promise of independence & land rights

-Credit extended to build crop

-Debt consumes most profits and the cycle continues

Discussion

✤ To what extent did Reconstruction amount to a second Revolution in America?

Video

✤ Reconstruction with Katie Couric (26 minutes)

FRQ Prompt

✤ Background:History is usually categorized from 1607-1776 and from 1776-1876. The next period will focus on modern American history, 1876-Present.

Think: Why are these periods broken down in this way?

✤ FRQ: Based on your knowledge to date and your best predictions of future outcomes using precedence, what is next for America?

Use concrete examples to support your thoughts.