Reconstruction 1865-1876

U.S. History Summer School

Aftermath

• Over 600,000 DEAD

• In all other U.S. wars combined barely 620,000 total U.S. dead.

• 2/3 of southern shipping industry destroyed

• 9000 miles of railroad destroyed

• Value of southern land drops by 70 percent

Retribution or Forgiveness

• How would the North deal with the South?– Lincoln’s Plan (Began as early as December 1863)

• Pardon to any Confederate who takes oath of allegiance to Union and accept federal policy of slavery

• Denies pardons to all confederate military and government officials and to those who killed Black war prisoners

• Each state to hold a convention to create new state constitution only after 10 percent of voters in the state had sworn allegiance to Union.

• States could then hold elections and resume full participation in the Union.

– Very forgiving plan• Did not require states to be “re-admited”

Congress Disagreed

• Congress had a much different idea – Goal was to restructure society in the south– Lincoln’s plan too lenient

• July 1864 Wade-Davis Act– Oath of past and future loyalty to Union. – Swear the had not willingly taken up arms

against the U.S.

• Lincoln lets it die with a pocket Veto• Lincoln’s Assassination changes

everything

Andrew Johnson President

• Former Democrat from Tennessee

• Former Slave Owner

• Born Poor, Grew up to become a tailor and wife taught him to read

• Hated rich plantation owners

• Sided with North in War

• Chosen as VP in 1864 Election to win over Northern Democrats

Johnson’s Plan (Presidential Reconstruction)

• Pardon’s those who swear allegiance to Union• Permitted states to hold constitutional

conventions• States needed to void secession, abolish slavery

and reject the Confederate debt.• States could then hold elections and rejoin

Union.• VERY Generous plan

– Does deny pardons to leaders, but those that ask Johnson personally are granted.

– Johnson Pardons 13,000 in 1865 alone

People of the South

• Black Southerners– Now What?

• Homeless• Jobless

• Plantation owners– Lost 3 million in slave labor– Confederate Money worthless– Captured and Abandoned Property Act 1863

• Poor White Southerners– No Jobs– Head West

The First Taste of Freedom

• Now Free many “Freedmen” did not know what to do.– Some moved around searching for loved ones– Real key to freedom was owning land

• Some felt they should redistribute land that slaves had worked for years.

• This idea gained little political support

– Many formed their own churches to support each other.

– Education became very important• White teachers came from the north to help start schools

Freedmen’s Bureau (1865)

• First major relief agency in American History

• Lacked strong support in congress• Gave out clothing, medical supplies, and

meals to both black and white war refugees.

• More than 250,000 African Americans received their first formal education in Bureau schools

• Congress dismantled in 1869

Free but not so much…

• Black Codes– Under Johnson’s plan Confederates were pardoned and

white leaders quickly regained control of state governments and passed restrictive laws on Freedmen.

– Curfews • Not allowed out after dark

– Vagrancy laws• Not working – Punishable with fine, whipping, or years labor

– Labor contracts• Sign contract for a year of work – Can’t break – Paid at end

– Land restrictions• Could only rent or buy homes in rural areas

– Keeps them on plantations

Congress Fights Back

• Frustrated by Southern Democrats return to power – Republicans pass…

• 14th Amendment– Passed 1866, Ratified 1868– All persons born or naturalized in the United States…are

citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.

U.S. Congress

• Two groups in power– Radical Republicans

• Less in number but growing in power• Wanted to gain civil rights for Freedmen

– Moderate Republicans• Mostly did not support Civil Rights for Freedmen• Strongly Oppose Johnson’s Plan• Opposed the Spread of Black Codes

• Northern Democratic Minority– Supported Johnson’s Plan– Wanted quick resolution to reconstruction

Johnson Becomes Unpopular

• 1866 Congressional Elections– Johnson campaigns for states to NOT ratify

the 14th Amendment– Northerners angered and vote in even more

radical Republicans

• Johnson greatly angers party– Loses all power to govern– President in name only

“Reform, Not Revenge”

• With their new found power, Radicals pass the Reconstruction Act of 1867– Puts South Under Military Rule, dividing into 5 districts– Orders states to hold new elections and then re-write

state constitutions– Requires states to allow ALL qualified Male voters,

including African Americans– Barred those supporting the Confederacy from Voting– Required Sothern States to guarantee equal rights to all

citizens– Requires states to ratify the 14th Amendment.

Johnson Gets Impeached

• Yet another disagreement between Johnson and Congress led to Congress taking the ultimate step of Impeachment

• Johnson fires Sec. of War Stanton. New Tenure of Office Act states presidential firings must also be approved by congress.

• February 1868 House votes 126-47 to impeach. • Johnson Survives trial in the Senate winning by

1 vote.• Johnson has no power and finishes his term

without issue

Grant Elected and Republicans grow in power

• Grant wins Election of 1868

• Republicans now control decidedly all parts of Federal Government

• With mandate from people, Congress passes 15th Amendment

• No citizen can be denied the right to vote based on color, race, or previous condition of servitude.

New South

• Sharecropping– Poor whites and freedmen have no jobs,

homes, or money– Sign labor contracts to work land and then

receive a “Share” of the profit from the crop.– Landlord keeps track of costs for housing and

food– By harvest, sharecropper owes more than the

crop it worth.– Sharecropper in debt and cannot leave while

in debt.

New South

• Tenant Farming– Like sharecropping, farmers did not own land– Instead they rented the land– This allows them to choose crops and how

much or little to work– Better situation than Sharecropping as there

were no surprises at the end– Raises in rent were biggest issues

Re-building

• Railroads– By 1872 Southern Railroads were totally re-

built– 3,300 miles of new track had been laid.– Business and populations of major southern

cities rose as a result

• Factories re-built– While Factories were re-built the south never

was able to become a manufacturing center like the North

Terror on the rise

• With Military rule in the South, Freedmen decided they would use their voting rights.

• They voted in large numbers quickly electing their own politicians to state and federal governments

• To prevent African Americans from voting groups like the KKK developed

• They terrorized, murdered, and threatened African Americans at any opportunity to prevent them from voting

Reaction To KKK

• Enforcement Act of 1870– Bans the use of terror, force or bribery to

prevent people from voting because of their race.

– Troops arrest thousands of Klansmen throughout the South and with the troops, KKK becomes nearly dead by 1872

– Still the Army could not be everywhere and other groups also sprung up to prevent African Americans from voting

Grant re-elected but has issues

• Grant was re-elected but was facing many issues within his administration– Corruption

• Reconstruction legislatures and Grants administration came to symbolize greed, corruption and poor government

– The Economy• Legislatures taxed and spent heavily, putting southern states

deeper into debt. Also economic recession in 1873 worsened matters

– Democrats return to power• By 1872, all but 500 ex-confederates had been pardoned• They formed a new voting block called the solid south

– All white voters basically voted for the same person

• This allows Democrats to re-gain power in the South and block several reconstruction policies

Election of 1876

• Republicans – Hayes• Democrats – Tilden• Tilden with the support of the “Solid South” tries

to bring Democrats back to White House.• The election is very close. Tilden wins popular

vote. Electoral vote is a mess due to disputes in 3 states.

• Congress sets up special commission to resolve the crisis

Compromise of 1877

• The commission, controlled by Republicans, choose Hayes winner.

• Democrats have enough power in congress to reject this decision.

• Finally they come to an agreement• South will support Hayes to be President if he

would agree to remove all remaining Federal troops from the South

• Also subsidies for Southern Railroads and new levies for the Mississippi River.

• They agree and Hayes becomes President– Troops removed from south and the African

Americans no longer have anyone to protect them.