Reconstruction

Reconstruction• 1865-1877• Very complicated period of time

during which the US:–Began to rebuild after Civil War–Readmitted southern states

• Lots of disagreement on process

Lincoln’s plans• Intended to be lenient to

southerners & southern states–If states weren’t legally allowed

to secede, they never actually did–People rebelled, not states–Individual people can be

pardoned by the president

Lincoln’s 10% Plan• Proclamation of Amnesty &

Reconstruction (Dec 1863)–All rebels pardoned except:

• High ranking Confederate officials• Accused of mistreatment of POWs

–State could rejoin union if 10% of 1860’s voters swore allegiance

Dissent to Lincoln’s Plan

• Radical Republicans wanted to:–Seize former slaveholders’

property–Redistribute seized property to

freed slaves–Give former slaves full citizenship–Allow former slaves to vote

Radical Republican leaders

Thaddeus Stevens (PA) & Charles Sumner (MD)

Andrew Johnson (TN)

• 17th president

• Took over after assassination

• Dem – picked by Lincoln to be VP for national unity

Andrew Johnson (TN)

• Only southern senator to remain loyal to US

• Strong abolitionist

• Hated plantation owners – thought war was their fault

Andrew Johnson (TN)

• Universally hated

• Southerners hated him – traitor

• Radical Reps hated him – dirty southerner

Presidential Reconstruction

• Johnson’s plan for reconstruction

• States would be readmitted if they:–Withdraw secession–Swear allegiance to union–Cancel war debts against US gov–Ratify 13th amendment

Presidential Reconstruction

• Not included in plan:–Land rights for freed slaves–Voting rights for freed slaves–Legal protection for freed slaves

• Radical Republicans were upset that these were missing

Presidential Reconstruction

• Southern states quickly followed his instructions

• Held conventions: –Wrote new state constitutions–Set up new state governments–Elected new Congressmen

End of Pres Reconstruction

• Congress refused to admit new southern congressmen

–Almost all of them were either former CSA congressmen or CSA military officers

Freedmen’s Bureau

• Congress proposed bill to continue & increase work of FB

• Assisted former slaves & some poor whites in south–Distributed clothes & food–Built hospitals & schools

Civil Rights Act of 1866

• Congress proposed bill to give freed slaves basic rights

• Would make freedmen citizens• Would outlaw discriminatory

laws like Black codes

Black Codes• Postwar laws in south restricting

rights of blacks:–Ownership of property–Carrying weapons– Interracial marriage–Serving on juries–Testifying against whites–Ability to move or travel

Johnson’s vetoes• Andrew Johnson vetoed:

–Freedmen’s Bureau law–Civil Rights Act

• Angered moderate Republicans who had been on his side

Congressional Reconstruction

• Moderate & Radical Republicans joined forces

• Overrode veto of Civil Rights Act

• Wrote 14th Amendment

14th Amendment• Everyone born within the

boundaries of US is a citizen• Citizens have equal protection

of the law

• Did not include right to vote

1866 Congressional election

• Johnson campaigned for congressional candidates who would support him

• Campaigned with Ulysses Grant

• Public loved Grant, hated Johnson

1866 Congressional election

• Race riots erupted all around south–Fear that national government would

step in to protect former slaves

• Republicans won huge majority in Congress–Could override president’s vetoes

Reconstruction Act of 1867

• Abolished new state govs formed in former CSA

• Divided south into 5 military districts headed by union generals

• States had to guarantee blacks’ voting rights to be readmitted

Reconstruction Act of 1867

• Johnson vetoed act

• Congress overrode Johnson’s veto

• Johnson vowed not to enforce act

Impeachment• Radical Republicans wanted to

impeach Johnson for not enforcing Reconstruction Act

–Was formally accused of misconduct in office

Tenure of Office Act

• Congress passed law saying:–President can’t fire a former

president’s cabinet member unless Senate ok’s it

• Johnson fired Secretary of War Edwin Stanton

Impeachment• House impeached Johnson

–Accused him of wrongdoing

• Senate did not have the 2/3 vote required to expel Johnson–1 vote away from kicking him out

15th Amendment• Passed in 1870• No one can be denied suffrage

because of:–Race–Color–Previous condition of servitude

Postwar in the South

• By 1870, all southern states readmitted to union

• State govs were all Republican–Dems & Confeds were not given

positions of power

Physical & economic conditions

• Property values plummeted–Land was destroyed–People who held CSA bonds or

held CSA $ were out of luck

• All southerners (exc freedmen) poorer than before war

Public works programs

• Congress did all this stuff:–Built roads, railroads & bridges–Built orphanages, public schools &

hospitals

• Expected states to help pay for projects–But they couldn’t afford it

Politics in postwar south

• Scalawags–Southern insult for southerners

who joined the Republicans–Many trying to get ahead

economically• Small farmers looking for a way to

get a leg up on wealthy planters

Politics in postwar south

• Carpetbaggers–Southern insult for yankees who

came down to exploit poor southerners

–Some worked for Freedmen’s Bureau & came to help

–Some wanted to start new businesses & industries in area

African American voters

• 90% of Black voters Republican

• Large numbers of blacks registered to vote–Sometimes outnumbered whites

Changes in voting• High # of blacks voting alarmed

scalawags–Many didn’t believe in civil rights

and started voting for Democrats

Republicans react• Republicans gave jobs to some

Democrats–Trying to convince southern

whites to vote Republican–Didn’t convince them, just

alienated black voters

Education• 80% of freedmen had been illiterate

–Had been illegal to teach them to read

• Many early professors & teachers were northern whites

• Schools & colleges formed by Freedmen’s Bureau & churches–Like Morehouse College in ATL

Hiram Revels (R, MS)

• 1st black senator• 1 of 16 black

Congressmen during Reconstruction

• Minister• Had served as captain

in union army

Restoration of plantations

• People who wanted to restore plantations to original owners:–Planters whose land was taken –Northern textile merchants who

did business with them–Poor southern whites wanting to

stay superior to blacks

Sharecropping• Landowners subdivided land

into small plots

• Gave workers land, seed, tools

• Owners took ~50% of crops

Tenant farming• Farmers pay rent for the land,

keep all of the crops

• Only if they can save up the $–Very few sharecroppers could

Economic depression

• Demand for cotton dropped–Dropped prices

• Foreign countries found other sources for cotton they needed

• Southern planters overreacted & planted too much cotton –Drove prices down even more

Economic depression

• Planters couldn’t repay loans

• Banks failed

• No $ available for new loans

• People couldn’t buy land, tools, start businesses, etc.

• People stayed poor

Opposition to reconstruction

• Some southern whites violently opposed Republicans & blacks

• Most southern whites just went about their business

KKK• Originally a social club for

former confederates–Expanded rapidly through south–Some local groups became

violent terrorist organizations

KKK• Used intimidation – stop blacks

from exercising political rights–Threatened whites who helped or

did business with blacks too

KKK in southern elections

• KKK’s intimidation so bad that most blacks didn’t vote at all

• Dems eventually won elections for control over south–Then changed voting laws to

restrict black voting

Congress vs. the KKK

• Enforcement Acts 1870-1871–Southern elections monitored–President could send troops to

put KKK down

KKK’s decline• Declined because they mostly

got what they wanted–Dems got back total control–Blacks had rights taken away

• No need to keep fighting

Amnesty Act (1872)

• Allowed 150,000 former confederates to vote again

• Mostly voted for Democrats

U.S. Grant’s Scandals

• President Grant was one of the worst presidents in history–Put corrupt people in positions

under him – personal friends–Left them alone to ruin things

Crédit Mobilier scandal (#1)

• Gov was paying for transcontinental railroad construction

• Crédit Mobilier was the railroad construction company– They were overbilling & pocketing the

extra cash– Paying off government officials to look

the other way

Election of 1872• Grant running for reelection

• Some angry Repubs broke off & formed Liberal Repub Party– Insisted on ethical government–Nominated Horace Greeley

• Grant won reelection

Whiskey Ring scandal (#2)

• Distillers didn’t want to pay the taxes on their whiskey–Bribed tax collectors–Cheated gov out of millions of $

• Grant’s personal secretary involved – he wouldn’t believe it

Panic of 1873• Lots of businessmen all over

the country borrowed lots of money to start businesses

• Many borrowed more money than they could pay back

Panic of 1873• Many people defaulted on loans

• Banks closed• Stock market collapsed• Unemployment skyrocketed

Currency problems

• Before war, US $ was gold–There wasn’t much cash in circulation–Poor didn’t have access to cash at all

• During war, needed more $ in circulation–US could handle temporary inflation–Needed more circulating cash to pay

for war expenditures

Currency problems

• Increased money supply by issuing paper money

• After the war:–Poor wanted to keep paper $ in

circulation – “easy money”–Rich wanted to go back to gold

standard – consolidates wealth

North stopped caring

• North was more concerned with: –Economic problems–Grant’s corruption

• And less concerned with:–Protecting rights of blacks

• Got tired of fighting south about Reconstruction

Redemption• Democrats returned to

power in all southern states by 1875

Election of 1876Rutherford Hayes (R, OH) v. Samuel Tilden (D, NY)

Election of 1876• Backlash from Grant corruption

• Both parties picked men with clean & honest reputations

• Rs selected Hayes – Gov of OH• Ds selected Tilden – Gov of NY

Election absurdity• Popular vote:

Tilden:4,284,757Hayes:4,033,950

• Electoral votes:(185 needed to win)

Tilden: 184Hayes: 165Disputed: 20

Election absurdity• Results in 3 states disputed by

Reps (accused Dems of fraud)–South Carolina, Louisiana, Florida

Election absurdity• Commission set up to investigate the

vote in the 3 states– 15 person commission – 8 Reps, 7 Dems– Ruled that votes were fraudulent, awarded

the 3 states’ electoral votes to Hayes

• Hayes won electoral vote – 185-184

Compromise of 1877

• House of Reps certifies/rejects presidential election results–Dems controlled House

• Southern Dems made a deal–Allow Hayes to be president &

US will end Reconstruction

“Old 8 to 7”• Hayes was very unpopular

• Everyone felt he cheated to become president

Home rule• Dems canceled changes Reps

had made while in charge–Cut taxes–Dismantled public schools–Cut social programs–Restricted rights of blacks