JOHNSON AND GRANT: FAILURE OF RECONSTRUCTION

What was Grant's background and why would this be a disadvantage?

Civil War hero - no political experience
Had actively thought against the South and led the US Army's supervision of Confederate States between 1865-1868-how well would he be received by the Ex-confederate states who had been devastated during the Civil War?

Who were the Redeemers?

Ex-Confederates (Democrats) who sought to return political and economic control of the South to white southerners after the Civil War

Who were carpetbaggers?

Northerners who moved south looking for easy money

Who were scalawags?

white southerners who joined the Republican Party

What did 'Grantism' mean?

Came to stand for the corruption and scandals that mired Grant's presidency

What caused the Panic of 1873?

Bad railroad investments by banker Jay Cooke led to his bank's closure and triggered a 5 year depression

What were the consequences of the Panic of 1873

Within 2 years 18,000 businesses went bankrupt
Caused a major dispute over the currency and both major parties had to figure out how to repay the federal debt caused by the Civil War

What was 'the money question'?

Dispute over whether the federal government would repay the National debt using greenbacks/easy money (preferred by farmers and manufacturers) or using silver/gold coin/sound money (preferred by Congress and Investors)

Why did the money question divide the 2 major parties?

Democrats were in favour of using 'easy money' whereas Republicans were doubtful- demand for easy money had increased following depression

Who were the Liberal Republicans?

Republicans who wanted less government involvement; not concerned with civil rights and critical of Radical Reconstruction-believed in economic policies such as a free trade

Why did the Liberal Republicans oppose Reconstruction?

Felt that issues such as government corruption were more important priorities and disapproved of the use of 'bayonet rule' in the South

What was the 1870 Enforcement Act?

Protected the right to vote

What was the Ku Klux Klan Act 1871?

Countered terrorist activity in the South

What were the Amnesty Acts?

returned the right to vote and the right to hold federal and state offices to about 150,000 former Confederates

Why were the Amnesty Acts introduced?

Introduced after the election of 1872 to subdue the Liberal Republicans from further opposition

How was the Democrat party divided in the lead up to the election of 1876?

Bourbon Dems- traditional elite planter class vs. 'New South'-Businessmn for industrialised south

What was the Vicksburg Slaughter 1874?

300 African Americans killed by white people (rising violence/intimidation in South)

What did the 1875 'Mississippi Plan' entail?

Democrats armed members who dispersed Republican meetings,marched through African American areas and patrolled voter registration (depriving the Republicans of black votes needed to win elections)

What did 'Redemption' in the South entail?

Some states introduced Constitutional conventions to reverse Republican polices, cut funding or social programmed and restored vagrancy,rewrote criminal law to restore a black labour force

What was the Force Act 1870?

Heavy penalties for anyone using force,bribery or intimidation to prevent citizens from voting

When did Congress lapse the Freedmen's Bureau?

1872

How many African Americans held office during Reconstruction?

Around 2000

What 3 southern states were NOT under white control by 1867?

Florida,South Carolina,Louisiana

By what margin had Tilden won the popular vote?

3%

How many electoral votes did Tilden have?

184

How many electoral votes did Hayes have?

165

How did Congress decide the outcome of the election f 1876?

Established an electoral Commisssion- 7 Democrats and 8 Republicans-voted in favour of Hayes

What did the negotiation of 1877 entail?

Democrats would drop filibuster and treat Freedmen fairly (did not happen).
In return Hayes would:
-Withdraw remaining troops from South (done immediately)
- Dems to take control of remaining 3 states
- Federal Government to provide support to build railroads and internal improvements

What were Hayes' policies to the South when campaigning?

Moderate Southern policy + favoured Home Rule

When was the Emancipation Proclamation passed and what did it do?

1863- Executive order for enslaved people territories to be emancipated- did not outright abolish slavery as these territories were not under Union jurisdiction

When was the 13th Amendment passed and what did it do?

1865, abolished slavery

When was the Freedman's Bureau established?

March 1865

What was the 10% Plan? (Lincoln's Plan)?

After 10% of a states voters signed a loyalty oath and abolished slavery, it could hold elections and vote and would be granted a full pardon and readmitted to the Union

When was Lincoln assassinated and why was this an issue?

April 1865- Congress set to reconvene in December (Lincoln had wanted to resolve Reconstruction by then)

What was Johnson's plan for Reconstruction?

Same as Lincoln's, generous with amnesty to the southern states, Johnson added to the list of excluded to vote: those possessing property exceeding $20,000, by doing so, he sought to prevent his longtime adversaries, wealthy planters, from participating in the reconstruction of the southern states

What did Congress do in 1865 when it reconvened and why?

Refused to seat representatives of reorganised Southern states —Due to the introduction of the Black Codes and mob violence in the South- felt that the South had not accepted defeat

What did the Radical Republicans set up in 1895?

A Joint Committee on Reconstruction — argued that South should not be allowed to resume its place in national affairs until confirmed guarantee against rebellion + slavery

What two bills did Johnson veto in 1866?

Freedman's Bureau Bill + Civil Rights Bill

What is significant about the civil rights bill?

First law in US history to override a presidential veto in 1866

How did Congress get around Johnson's veto of the Freedman's Bureau Bill?

Eventually able to pass and ratify the 14th amendment which incorporated many key civil rights measures

What was significant about the 1866 Congressional elections?

first time a President was campaigning against the party he nominally held
Johnson went on a disastrous speaking tour across the country to try and undermine the Reps Opposite effect — Republicans won a resounding victory

What is significant about the 1867 Reconstruction Act?

It overrode Johnson's veto (2/3 majority in Congress required to do so — highlights extent of opposition to Johnson)

When was the first impeachment vote for Johnson?

1868 — House voted 126 to 47 and Senate's vote for conviction was 35 to 19 (one short of needed 2/3 majority?

Why did the attempts to impeach Johnson fail?

Consensus over not wanting to destroy the office of the President Johnson's VP was Wade whose economic policies were strongly opposed in Congress (high tariff, inflationary, easy money) — degree of consensus between Johnson + Congress over economic measures

What were Black Codes 1865? Describe the purpose of their usage.

They were codes or rules created by southerners after the Civil War to restrict the new rights and freedoms of African Americans. Vagrancy laws were introduced to maintain a stable black labour force by arresting African Americans on arbitrary charges and hiring them out to wealthy landowners

When was the 14th Amendment ratified and what did it do?

1866- guaranteed equal citizenship for all people born on US soil (except native Americans) and pushed federal govt to protect their rights Revoked 3/5 clause — equal under law did not secure African Americans the right to vote however

When was the 15th Amendment passed and what did it do?

It was passed in 1870 and allowed African Americans to vote

When was the Homestead Act passed and what did it do?

1862- Set aside 44m acres of land for African Americans and loyal whites to farm

When was the Freedmen's Bureau lapsed?

1872

When were the Reconstruction Acts passed and what did they do?

1867- divided 10 rebel states into 5 military districts under the governance of a Northern general. To be readmitted into the Union, the states had to draft a new state constitution, grant full Suffrage to African Americans and ratify the 14th Amendment

Under what act was Johnson impeached and when was he impeached?

1868- Tenure of Office act

What was the Tenure of Office Act (1867) and how did Johnson violate it?

Barred the president from removing certain officeholders without Senate's consent Yet Johnson removed Secretary of War, Stanton (radical ally)

How can the radical republicans be criticised?

Came close to violating the constitution's system of checks and balances

Who were the Radical Republicans?

Group in Congress who wanted RECONSTRUCTION based on equal rights for African Americans-led by key figures such as Thaddeus Stevens and Charles Sumner. Often alienated more moderate Republicans by their staunch advocacy for equal rights for all races

How many African American men had served in various political offices by the end of 1877?

Over 2000

Who were carpetbaggers and scalawags?

Carpetbaggers were northern republicans who moved to post war south. The nickname implied that these northerners had rushed in to profit from southern misery. Scalywags were white southern republicans who at the time were viewed as traitors.

What are 3 ways in which the South tried to maintain a steady black labour force?

Vagrancy lawssharecroppingCrop-lien statutes to make landowners' claims superior

What percentage of black African Americans were involved in the share cropping system in the South?

75%

What percentage of African Americans were independent landowners by 1880?

3-4%

What percentage of African Americans lived in the South by 1900?

90%

How were black urban populations affected by emancipation?

Geographic mobility- urban populations often doubled or tripled- over 75% growth in the 1860s

Within 2 years, how many rations did the Freedmens Bureau distribute and how many war refugees did they settle?

20 million rations and 300,000 refugees

What proportion of African American families in the South were 2 parent families by 1870?

8/10 (similar proportion to white Southern families)

How many schools were established in the former Confederacy in this period?

4000+

What was adult literacy amongst African Americans like by 1870 and how many black children were in schools by the end of the century?

20% gained adult literacy
1.5 million children

What role did churches play in African American communities?

independent and free from white control- provided relief and raised funds for schools, acted as community pillars and ministers were often involved in politics

What was the meaning of black freedom?

Land and LabourStable family lifeIndependence from white control

In what ways was the Freedmens Bureau unhelpful?

In 1866 they changed their goal of granting land to African Americans- told them to work for their former enslavers for wages and encouraged them to sign disadvantageous contracts

How many African Americans held office during Reconstruction?

Around 2000

How many pardons did Johnson grant and why?

Johnson issued 13,000 pardons to former Confederates Believed that white planter class could keep African Americans 'under control'

What was Special Field Order 15?

Passed by General T. Sherman in 1864, setting aside 400,000 acres of abandoned plantation land to be given to freed African Americans — temporary measure and was soon revoked by Johnson

What happened in New Orleans, 1866?

34 black people + 3 white radicals killed in mob violence instigated by white militants at a state conventio

When + what was the Black Friday scandal?

* 1869
* group of speculators attempted to influence the gov and manipulate the gold market.
* ‘Gold Ring’ was exposed → financial panic on black friday.
* Grant not directly involved but was associated with speculators Fisk and Gould - damaged political reputation

When + what was the Whiskey Ring scandal?

* 1875
* network of distillers, distributors and public officials - conspired to defraud the federal gov of millions in liquor tax revenue.
* Grant’s private secretary - Babcock - was indicted + dismissed by Grant in 1876

How many scandals were there in Grant’s administration and how many of his cabinet were involved?

12 scandals spanned over his 8 years, 9 members of cabinet strongly involved in scandals (Butterfield and Babcock).

What did the Black Codes do?

* imposed segregation and prohibited interracial marriage
* black people were unable to testify in court against whites and faced difficulty gaining economic freedom from work on plantations


* declared those who failed to sign yearly labour contracts could be arrested and hired out to white landowners

What act did Lincoln veto and how did this upset Congress?

Wade-Davis Bill (June 1965): 50% electorate to make a tougher oath and pledge loyalty to Union, exclude Confederate states from role in gov and change state constitution to abolish slavery.

Lincoln vetoed bill = worse Congress relations