Spec P1: The weaknesses of Federal Government: Johnson, Grant and the failure of Radical Reconstruction - The Era of Reconstruction and the Gilded Age, 1865–1890

Part one: from Civil War to World War, 1865–1920

When was presidential reconstruction under Johnson?

1865-66

What was Johnsons big idea for reconstruction?

• wanted to re-integrate south to political mainstream without punishment

• like Lincoln - executive rather than legislative responsibility

• No particular concern for African Americans.

• Did not want to increase power of national government.

What were the successes of Johnson's presidential reconstruction?

Announced that all Southerners, except Confederate soldiers and rich plantation owners, could be pardoned if they swore their allegiance to the Union -> 13,000 pardon

allowed to set up states that implemented slavery abolition - BUT confederate leaders not tried for treason + J placed no suffrage qualifications

What was the southern response to Johnsons reconstruction attempts?

• showed little loyalty to Union

• Johnson failed to destroy OLD ELITE - Dominated the new state governments E.G: the new state Governor of Mississippi = was confederate Brigadier General

• states introduced ‘Black Codes’ in 1865-66

• some southern states refused to ratify the amendment abolishing slavery

What was the northern response to Johnsons reconstruction?

• Radical republicans - saw effort as ‘Too soft’ on south —> political infighting

• Northern liberals: felt their unionist ambitions were betrayed + criticised Johnson for not destroying old elite.

What were the three political factions of Johnsons Congress and their aims in 1865?

Republican dominated: refused to seat representatives of reorganised southern states

• democrats - did not want to grant African-Americans more rights

• Conservative + moderate Republicans: majority in 1865 - didn’t want black suffrage (alienated by Johnson after his use of Veto)

• Radical republicans: dominated in 1866 - Led by Thaddeus Stevens

1. wanted south to be treated harshly

2. emancipation meant equality

3. criticised Johnson

4. Benjamin F, Wade + others favoured freedman rights as a political expediency

1865/66 Freedman’s Bureau Act:

Freedman’s bureau – provide former slaves with assistance in terms of family issues + advice on employment + education.

1865: Creation of the KKK and consequences

• ‘White racial brotherhood’

• Race riots across southern cities, lynching, beating

• Targeted schools + churched

• 1870- KKK, red shirts + White league of Louisiana = unofficial military of the democratic party

• Determined to overthrow reconstruction and ‘redeem’ southern states from republican control

• Violent intimidation

What did Johnson Veto during his presidency?

• Feb 1866: vetoed the Freedman's Bureau extension as he claimed it extended military rule and was unnecessary as the court system was able to protect freedmen.
  

• March 1866: Civil Rights Act as he said it invaded states' rights and discriminated against whites.
  

• Both created resentment from Republicans

• Johnson denounced 14th amendment 1866

What happened in the 1866 midterm elections?

Republicans won 2/3 of seats in house - allows them to override presidential veto

• Marks end of presidential reconstruction

When was radical congressional reconstruction?

1866-68

when was the reconstruction act?

1867 - passed by congress

1867 Reconstruction Act: What did this legislation achieve and what were the reactions?

•  Radical act - undid all Johnson’s efforts of southern reintegration

• Tennessee is only recognized southern state -All 10 ex-confederate states suspended- put under military rule

  Reactions: Act did not go far enough for radical republicans –Thaddeus Stevens wanted plantation land to be redistributed to freedmen

• Confederate soldiers reacted with hostility – Dec 1865 KKK were formed by ex-confederate soldiers lead by an imperial wizard.

• Initially Vetoed by Johnson - March 1867 – congress overrode presidential veto + voted it through again

1866-68:  How did Johnson continue to obstruct the work of Radical Republicans?

• Placing conservative military officers in control over 5 of the southern military districts

• 1867 – suspended his secretary of war – Edwin Stanton who supported radical republicans

Effect: - Allied moderate + radical republicans in attempt to restrict his presidential power:

Acts provided by constitution: - Command Army act – stopped president from issuing direct military orders - Tenure of office act in March 1867 – stopping the president from removing civil office holders without consent of the senate = decreasing presidential prerogative + close to destroying system of checks + balances.

What did johnsons efforts to obstruct work of readical republicans cause?

Thaddues Stevens began impeachment of johnson as unfit for office with 11 charges - based of breaching the Tenure of office act

Why impeach Johnson when congress can override his presidential veto? + what were the effects?

• Personal vendetta to punish Johnson

• Radical attempt to make government more parliamentary

• Only way radicals could push their reconstruction policy

1. Shifted the focus away from reconstruction

2. Some moderate republicans feared the removal of Johnson would damage the position of presidents + letting radical Benjamin wade take over

   Effects:

   Damaged Johnson’s reputation + stopped him obstructing reconstruction

What were the main achievements in the phase of radical reconstruction 1866-68?

• 1967 - reconstruction acts, black voters outnumbered white in 5 states, 703,000 blacks eligible to vote in 10 states

• 1868 - 7 former confederate stated fulfilled terms of reconstruction acts - ratifying the 14th amendment

• Education improved in south:

  1860 - 20,000 white children

  1873 - 50,000 W + 70,000 B

1868 14^th Amendment ratified: What did this legislation achieve?

The Fourteenth Amendment prohibits a State from depriving any person of life, liberty, or property without due process of law – Civil rights.

why did Grant win the 1868 Election?

1. ‘the man who won the war’

2. The importance of the African American vote in the south – Grant one ¾ of states but only 300,000 more votes than Horatio Seymour (democrat presidential candidate)

3. 700,000 African American votes in 7 reconstructed southern states caused Grants victory

What was the 1870 15th amendment and it’s impacts?

• passed by congress in 1869 before Grant

• Ratified by majority of states in 1870

• Insisted that the right to vote should not be ‘denied on the basis of race, colour or previous servitude’

• did not forbid financial limits or educational tests

What was Amnesty act of 1872?

• Helped development of southern ‘redeemers’

• Wanted to free southern states from the ‘shackles of government’ - restored the white Southerners who had participated in the Confederacy right to vote and hold public office.

• openly encouraged violence of African Americans: introduced methods to reduce Black vote - vagrancy laws + literacy tests - Blacks refused jobs, charged higher prices in shops…

what were the three enforcement acts passed by federal government in 1870+71 and their impact?

Federal government passed three enforcement acts – the ‘klu klux klan laws’

• Helped strengthen the implementation of the 14th + 15th amendments

• Too late to save reconstruction in many states – federal troops only sent to south Carolina + few KKK prosecuted

• The need for federal law exposed weakness of the republican states + damaged their legitimacy

In terms of location what was reconstruction under grant like?

North: policies carried out by state governments with republican majorities

South: needed presence of US army to ensure policies were implemented

what occurred during the 1872 Presidential election?

• Republican revolt led by Carl Scchurx - movement fizzled out as there was no real unifying doctrine

• republican - grant victorious

• many republicans had become disillusioned by efforts to gain Afr-Am suffrage - violence

• Freedman bureau lapsed 1872

Feb 1875 civil rights act passed by congress - equality for dury service + public transport - opposed by some RR - too much federal power

By 1876: Creation of the ‘Solid South’ ‘Redeemers’ how and with what consequences?

• Violent intimidation helped democratic redeemers seize back control of southern states

• 1873 – 3 whites + 150 pro republican freedmen were killed in the Colfax massacre – Louisiana -

• 1874 sept – 5000 of the white league rebelled against new Orleans republican governor William Pitt Kellogg = 3 days of violence, in Battle of liberty Place between rebels + state

• Republicans were only able to maintain power with help of federal troops

• Mobs drove blacks away from polling stations in Alabama

• 1876 Redeemer democrats had one back control of most ex confederate states

Failures of Grants presidency: what was the 'The Indian distraction':

US conflict with Native Americans as Grant attempted to expand America west

policy ‘reservation or assimilation’

• 101 encounters in 1871 alone

• Red River War 1874-5 = 1869 indigenous tribes e.g.: Kiowa defeated by US

• Black hill war 1876 - prospectors + white settlers breaching the 1968 peace treaty by seeking opportunities where they were not meant to.

Failures of Grants presidency: Economy - 1873 Stock Market Panic.

causes + effects?

• Causes: Small American banks couldn’t keep up with rapid economic expansion that was dependent on loans + investment, and therefore went broke

• Lots of wild financial speculation on railroads

Effects:

• Longest period of economic contraction in US history

• Banks collapsed - Freedman's savings + trust company

• 10,000 businesses failed in 1878 alone

• Depended social + ethnic divisions.

•  Electoral shift towards democrats

Failures of Grants presidency: Political + financial corruption:

1869 – Black Friday scandal:

Jay Gould and Jim fisk inflated the price of the new York gold market. This crisis panicked the NYC stock exchange. This damaged grants reputation as his brother-in-law had connections with Gould and Fisk.

1870s – tweed ring in New York:

The tweed ring was a system of corruption run by William Tweed (the boss of the democratic politics). William Tweeds ring controlled courts, police, legislature and supervision of elections. They looted 45million dollars from new York. A positive outcome for Tweed ring was that funds were provided to catholic schools and it allowed food and fuel to be spread amongst the poor.

1873:

Grants vice president Colfax found out Grant had personal links to railroads speculators. Which was detrimental to the development of the southern industry.

Corruption of grants associates:

Grant didn’t punish his personal secretary who was caught accepting bribes from the whiskey ring. Grants secretary of war was also caught trying to sell Indian trading posts to white speculators.