UNIT 5CH.15
Reconstruction1863-1877
Lincoln’s Policies
Proclamation of Amnesty and Reconstruction Full presidential pardons to southerners who took an oath of allegiance
and accepted emancipation of slaves. State government could be reestablished as soon as 10% of voters took
the oathWade-Davis Bill
50% of voters had to take oath and only non-Confederates could vote for a new state Constitution
Lincoln pocket vetoed the billFreedmen’s Bureau
Provided food, shelter, and medical care for those made destitute by the war (black and white)
Established nearly 3,000 schools for freed blacksLincoln's Last Speech
Alluded to support for voting rights for blacks
Johnson and Reconstruction
Johnson’s policy Maintain Lincoln’s plan plus disenfranchisement of former
Confederate leaders and confederates with over $20,000 in taxable property
Southern governments of 1865 Ratified the Thirteenth Amendment Did not extend voting rights to blacks Former Confederate leaders were elected to Congress
Black Codes Adopted by southern legislatures Prohibited blacks from renting land or borrowing money to buy
land Forced to sign work contracts Could not testify against whites in court
Johnson and Reconstruction
Johnson's vetoes Vetoed a bill to increase the services and protection offered
by the Freedmen's Bureau Vetoed a civil rights bill that nullified Black Codes and
guaranteed full citizenship and equal rightsElection of 1866
Johnson’s campaign speeches appealed to racial prejudices by suggesting that equal rights for black would mean an “Africanized” society
Republicans reminded voters of the hardships of the war and branded Democrats as rebels and traitors
Republicans won over 2/3 of the seats in both houses of Congress
Congressional Reconstruction
Radical Republicans Charles Sumner, Thaddeus Stevens, Benjamin Wade Supported extended military occupation of the South
so blacks could exercise their rightsCivil Rights Act of 1866
Pronounced all black Americans to be U.S. citizensFourteenth Amendment
All persons born or naturalized in the U.S. were citizens
States had to respect rights and provided equal protection under the law and due process
Congressional Reconstruction
Report of the joint committee Congressional report recommending former states of
the confederacy not be allowed representation in Congress.
Congress possessed the authority of determining when states could be readmitted
Reconstruction Acts of 1867 Placed the south under military occupation Increased requirements for readmission into the
Union Ratify 14th Amendment Enfranchise all adult males
Impeachment of Andrew Johnson
Tenure of Office Act Prohibited the president from removing a federal or
military commander without the approval of the Senate Radical Republicans didn’t want Edwin Stanton removed
form office Johnson removes Stanton and is charged with 11
“high crimes and misdemeanors” Johnson was impeached but not removed from office
Election of 1868 Republicans- Ulysses Grant Democrats- Horatio Seymour
Grant Elected
Fifteenth Amendment Prohibited any state from denying or hindering a
citizen’s right to vote “on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude”
Civil rights Act of 1875 Guaranteed equal accommodations in public places Prohibited courts from excluding blacks from juries Poorly enforced
Frustrated with trying to reform the South Afraid of losing white votes in the North
Reconstruction Governments
State Legislatures Dominated by Republicans that included native-born
white southerners , freemen, and recently arrived Northerners
Scalawags and Carpetbaggers Nicknames for southern whites who supported
Republicans and the recently arrived Northerners respectively
Black legislators Most were educated property owners
Hiram Revels took over the Mississippi Senate seat that once belonged to Jefferson Davis
Disenfranchised ex-Confederates were bitter
Republican Record in the South
Accomplishments Universal male
suffrage Property rights for
women Debt relief Modernized penal
codes Infrastructure
improvements State-supported public
school system hospitals
Failures Graft Wasteful spending Kickbacks bribes
Adjusting to Freedom
Building black communities Black churches and schools were established quickly
after the war Black ministers became leading members in the black
community Howard, Atlanta, Fisk, and Morehouse Universities
were establishedSharecropping
Landlord provided seed and farm supplies in return for a share of the harvest
Sharecroppers usually remained dependent on the landowner
Greed and Corruption
Rise of spoilsmen Political manipulators that used the patronage system
to gain wealth and powerCorruption in business and Government
Grant’s presidency was notoriously corrupt Grant himself was not involved, though he was loyal to
people who were Numerous schemes involving cities and companies
included kickbacks, bribes, and the general assumption of wealth at the taxpayers expense
Election of 1872
Liberal Republicans and Democrats- nominated Horace Greeley Supported civil service reform, end of railroad
subsidies, withdrawal of troops from the south, reduced tariffs, and free trade
Republicans- Ulysses Grant Used a technique called “waving the bloody shirt” in
which they reminded the country of the war’s hardships
Panic of 1873 Over speculation and overbuilding by railroads led to
failed businesses and a five year depression
End of Reconstruction
White Supremacy Ku Klux Klan- destroy Republican party, aid planters,
and prevent the black community from exercising their political rights
Force Acts of 1870 & 1871 Passed to curb KKK activities and protect the civil rights
of citizens in the SouthAmnesty Act of 1872
Removed the last of the restrictions on ex-Confederates except for top leaders
Allowed Democrats to retake control of Southern legislatures
End of Reconstruction
Election of 1876 Republicans- Rutherford B. Hayes Democrats- Samuel J. Tilden Democrats won the popular vote; votes were
contested in 3 southern states and Tilden only need one of those votes to win in the electoral college
Compromise of 1877 Southern Democrats in Congress agreed to accept
Rutherford B. Hayes as president if federal troops were withdrawn and if the new government would build a southern transcontinental railroad