Special thanks to:

Ms. Susan M. PojerHorace Greeley HS Chappaqua, NY

Key Questions

1. How do webring the Southback into the

Union?

2. How do we rebuild the

South after itsdestruction

during the war?

3. How do weintegrate andprotect newly-emancipated

black freedmen?

4. What branchof governmentshould controlthe process of

Reconstruction?

Periods of ReconstructionWar Time

ReconstructionPresidential

ReconstructionCongressional Reconstruction

Lincoln’s anticipation of the end of the

War

Johnson’s plans to rebuild the nation

Led by the “Radical

Republicans”

The Reconstruction Amendments 13th: Ended slavery14th: Made freed slaves citizens; required states to provide equal protection under law to all citizens15th: Provided freed slaves the right to vote

13th Amendment Ratified in December, 1865. Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude,

except as punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States or any place subject to their jurisdiction.

Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.

Freedmen’s Bureau (1865) Known as the “Bureau of

Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands”.

Many former northern abolitionists moved to the South and risked their lives to help southern freedmen.

They were called “carpetbaggers” by white southern Democrats.

Locations of Freedmen’s

Bureaus

The Freedmen’s Bureaus provided multiple services for families and newly freed slaves.

A Freedmen’s Bureau school

Note the variety of ages.

A Freedman’s Bureau school as seen in Harper’s Weekly

Freedmen’s Bureau Seen Through Southern Eyes“Plenty to eat and nothing

to do.”

A poster created in the South• Who were the likely

viewers?• What was the likely

purpose of the artist/author?

Published in a Northern magazine• Who were the

likely readers?• What was the

likely purpose of the author?

Sharecropping

Cycle of Poverty Sharecropper

given a segment of

land Buys tools, clothing, etc.,

on credit – about 60%

interest

Plants the crop

Harvests crop and gives

landowner the required

share

Sell any remaining

crops

If any money left: pay off

debts

Where?

Changes in Community

Plantation before C.W.

Plantation after C.W.

What changes do you notice? How did these changes affect black communities?

14th Amendment

Ratified in July, 1868.* Provided a constitutional guarantee of the rights and

security of freed people.

Southern states would be punished for denying the right to vote to black citizens!

Section. 1. All persons born or naturalized in the United States and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, 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.

What are the 4 main protections

granted by the 14th Amendment?

Black Codes Prez Johnson required states re-

entering the Union to accept minimumconditions repudiating slavery, secession and state debts.

S. states responded by passing laws known as Black Codes

Purpose:* Guarantee stable labor

supply now that blacks were emancipated.

* Restore pre-emancipationsystem of race relations.

* Allow South to re-assert itself Forced many blacks to become

sharecroppers [tenant farmers].

Periods of ReconstructionWar Time

ReconstructionPresidential

ReconstructionCongressional Reconstruction

Lincoln’s anticipation of the end of the

War

Johnson’s plans to rebuild the nation

Led by the “Radical

Republicans”

Think about the primary

goal of ending slavery.

(13th Amend)

Johnson’s ties to the South had him

putting many Confederates/elite planters back into

power

Think about the Radical Republican Congress trying to

bring more blacks into political equality (as a reaction to Johnson)

15th Amendment Ratified in 1870. 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.

The Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.

[FORESHADOW: Women’s rights groups were furious that they were not granted the vote!]

Blacks in Southern Politics Core voters were black veterans. Blacks were politically unprepared. Blacks could register and vote in states since

1867 BUT, since voting laws are STATE laws... Many S. states

created laws to prevent blacks from voting

The 15th Amendment guaranteedfederal voting.

New black voters elected black

representatives to the U.S. and state Congresses

Hiram Revels: First African American elected to U.S. Senate (Mississippi)Joseph Rainey: First African American elected to the House of Reps (SC)Other states that elected blacks to the House of Reps:AL, FL, GA, LA, NC, VAAll were Republicans!

Black Senate & House Delegates

African Americans in CongressLast AA elected to Congress during

Reconstruction: George Henry White of NC; elected 1896 and re-elected in 1898 – his term ended in 1901

No other AA was elected to Congress again until 1928 (House of Reps)

And to the Senate: 1967TOTAL # of African Americans to EVER

serve in the Senate: 6 (2 during Reconstruction and 4 in the modern era)

Total elected to the House of Reps: 117

Black & White Political Participation

The Failure of Federal Enforcement Enforcement Acts of 1870 & 1871: to

allow Federal Gov’t to interfere if blacks were denied voting rights

Targeted the KKK BUT: Rise of the “Bourbons” (white

conservs who seized control

Redeemers (prewarDemocrats and Union Whigs).

The “Invisible Empire of the South”

Redemption:The End of

Reconstruction

1. Growing Southern opposition to Reconstruction

WHY?– Desire to limit black political involvement & economic

independence– Restoration of pre-War gov’ts to end rule of

Northern-imposed military & Repub. control– “Redemption” of former (antebellum) gov’tsHOW?– Rise of vigilante groups like the KKK, White League,

Red Shirts, etc.– Violence and intimidation reduced black voting to

almost nothing

2. Revival of Ex-ConfederatesHOW?

– Amnesty Act – law that let all but 500 Confederate leaders back into public life

– Resurgence of the Democratic Party – controlled exclusively by white Southerners

– Allowed “Home Rule”: no more political influence from the North

3. Freedmen’s Bureau EndsBasic needs of freedpersons no longer provided

forEnd of involvement from sympathetic Northern

whites

4. Supreme Court Decisions

WHAT?• Did not support civil and political rights granted

to blacksU.S. v Cruikshank (1875): 14th Amend did NOT

give federal gov’t power to punish individuals who oppressed blacks

US v Reese (1876): 15th Amend did NOT guarantee right to vote, just listed grounds upon which voting could not be denied

5. Decline of Northern InterestWHY?• Political Scandals

– U.S. Grant’s presidency marked by serious scandals & corruption that reduced his credibility and took focus away from Reconstruction

• Economic Crisis in the North– Panic of 1873: N. worried about own problems

millions jobless, mass bankruptcies• Desire for Reconciliation

– People wanted peace and reunited nation

6. Election of 1876• New president (Rutherford B. Hayes) no

longer concerned by Reconstruction• Those who lost: Samuel Tilden (won popular

vote but not electoral vote)• African Americans: Redeemed Southern

governments would enforce white supremacy and all newly granted rights/protections would be ignored

Colored Rule

in the South?

Establishment of Historically Black Colleges in the South

President Lincoln’s Plan10% Plan

* Proclamation of Amnesty and Reconstruction (December 8, 1863)

* Replace majority rule with “loyal rule” in the South.

* He didn’t consult Congress regarding Reconstruction.

* Pardon to all but the highest ranking military and civilian Confederate officers.

* When 10% of the voting population in the 1860 election had taken an oath of loyalty and established a government, it would be recognized.

President Lincoln’s Plan1864 “Lincoln Governments”

formed in LA, TN, AR* “loyal assemblies”* They were weak and

dependent on the Northern army for their survival.

Wade-Davis Bill (1864) Required 50% of the number of 1860 voters

to take an “iron clad” oath of allegiance (swearing they had never voluntarily aided the rebellion ).

Required a state constitutional convention before the election of state officials.

Enacted specific safeguards of freedmen’s liberties.

SenatorBenjamin

Wade(R-OH)

CongressmanHenry

W. Davis(R-MD)