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Basic Question
Was secession illegal?Was the Constitution a compact among peoples of different
political societies, as peoples of the several states?Had the colonies – as a union – thrown off the dependence
and in turn made the states?Members of the Congress (including the 1st and 2nd
Continental Congresses) were present as agents of existing political societies and thus the political societies of the states existed prior to the adoption of either the Articles of Confederation or the Constitution.
No one had ever questioned the right of a state to secede prior to the debate concerning the secession of the southern states and reconstruction.
What did Reconstruction Mean?
Originally it meant simply reunification.
By the end of the war it had come to mean a fundament reconstruction of the South. Reconstruct Southern political life Reconstruct Southern economic life Reconstruct Southern social life
Central Questions of Reconstruction
On what terms should Southern states be readmitted?
Should Congress or the President establish those terms?
What system of labor should replace plantation slavery?
(slavery had been, first and foremost, a system of labor)
What should be the place of blacks in the political, economic, and social life of the South and the nation?
Groups in Conflict
1. President v. Congress
2. Republicans v. Southern Democrats
3. Radical Republicans v. Moderate Republicans
4. Blacks v. Whites (Blacks were not passive bystanders)
Each group had their own answers to the questions posed by Reconstruction
Phases of Reconstruction
1. Rehearsal for Reconstruction (1863 - 1865)
2. Presidential Reconstruction (1865 - 1867)
3. Congressional Reconstruction (1867 - 1877)
(also known as Radical Reconstruction)
Proclamation of Amnesty and Reconstruction
The “Ten Percent Plan” (Dec, 1863)
Full pardon for those who took an oath of allegiance
Restored property (except slaves)
Prominent military & civilian leaders excluded
Became known as the “Ten percent Plan” because:When those taking oath = 10% of voters in 1860, could
establish a new state government
Reconstructed state governments had to accept abolition
As soon as first two were complied with, states could be readmitted
The Radical Republican Response
Wanted tougher stance toward ConfederatesSaw Reconstruction as a chance to fundamentally
transform Southern societyRefused to seat new reps from Arkansas & LouisianaPassed Wade-Davis Bill
Required 50% loyalty oathOath was much stricter than Lincoln’s (called the Ironclad
Oath)Bill was pocket vetoed by Lincoln - felt it would
damage his efforts to win over moderates (in both camps)
End of the Confederacy
April 9, 1865 - Lee surrenders to Grant in VirginiaApril 14, 1865 - Lincoln assassinated in Washington DCApril 26, 1865 - Johnston surrenders to Sherman in North
CarolinaMay 4, 1865 – Taylor surrenders to Canby in AlabamaMay 10, 1865 - Davis captured while fleeing to TexasMay 12 & 13, 1865 – Battle at Palmetto Ranch in South TexasMay 26, 1865 – Buckner (for Smith) surrenders to Canby in
Trans-MississippiJune 23, 1865 – following Winchester Colbert of the Chickasaws
and P.P. Pitchlynn of the Choctaws, Stand Watie of the Cherokees surrenders to Matthews in Indian Territory
Andrew Johnson’s “Restoration” Plan
Wanted to restore the Union as quickly as possibleBlamed individuals (specifically planter elite), not states for secessionSpring, 1865 - granted amnesty and pardon to Confederates who took
loyalty oath and supported emancipationConfederate officers & wealthy landowners had to apply for Presidential
pardon - freely grantedStates must hold constitutional conventionsDelegates elected by those who took oath or were pardoned (only whites
could participate)New constitutions must:
a) repudiate secessionb) Acknowledge abolitionc) Void state war debts
1. Bestowed full citizen ship on African-Americans
2. Overturned black codes
3. Overturned 1857 Dred Scott decision
Civil Rights Act of 1866
AMENDMENT XIV(Ratified July 9, 1868)
Defined citizens as ALL natural born or naturalized persons.
Set Congressional Representation based on number of citizens.
Made former Confederates ineligible to hold office.
Made debt caused by “suppressing insurrection or rebellion” legal while those incurred by the southern states “incurred in aid of insurrection or rebellion against the United States … illegal and void.”
AMENDMENT XIV(Ratified July 9, 1868)
Designed to incorporate reconstruction principals in Constitution
Was a specific response to Johnson’s policies Made passage of amendment part of 1866
Congressional campaign
Doom of Johnson’s Plan
By 1867 Republicans controlled both Houses of Congress
Completely controlled the Northern States
Were not only prepared but were capable of directly challenging the president and seizing control of Reconstruction
First Reconstruction Act (March, 1867)
Divided the South into 5 military districts
Established martial law
Required new state constitutional conventionsElected by universal manhood suffrage
Had to guarantee voting rights to African-Americans
Had to ratify 14th amendment
Supporting legislationInvalidated provisional governments created under Johnson’s plan
Military to conduct voter registration
Required strict loyalty oath
The Impeachment Crisis
Johnson tries to impede Radical Reconstruction
February, 1868--Congress impeachesUses Tenure Act as an excuse
Real cause is differences over Reconstruction
Senate refuses to convict Johnson
Radical Republicans seen as subversive of Constitution, lose publics support
AMENDMENT XV(Ratified February 3, 1870)
SECTION 1: The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.