congressional reconstruction

first session of 39th congress

met december 1865, 4 roughly defined groups; small democratic minority, conservative repubs, moderate repubs in majority, radical repubs

what unites repubs

agreed on reconstruction, favouring a territorial status for former confederate states where power of southern ruling class would be destroyed and freedmen would receive property to create free land economy

april 1866 committee ruling

issued report which viewed the majority of white southeners’s as hostile to the fed gov, asserted elections under johnsons programme invalid, and concluded that southern states shouldnt participate in government until leaders of rebellion successfully excluded from public office

14th amendment points

granted citizenship (birth right citizenship) to African Americans, imposed penalties on states which withheld aa vote, contained civil rights provisions but was vague as to what constituted these rights

14th amendment johnson view

saw as a repudiation of his policies and encouraged southern states to not ratify it, july 1866 congress adjourned without ratifying it

1866 election result meaning

repub massive wins showed rejection of presidential reconstruction

congress first reconstruction act

approved by congress feb 1867, overrode presidential veto march 2, split southern states into 5 military districts, had to craft new constitutions including universal male suffrage, ratify 14th amendment and approved by congress, meant new confed state leaders no longer recognised and military governors now in charge

congress other reconstruction acts

3 more passed, 2 in 1867 and 1 in 1868

commanders of military districts

in charge of districts and were to enrol qualified voters including aa and hold elections for delegates to state constitutional conventions, when state constitutions ratified by popular vote a state legislature and governor could be elected

southern readmission to union

by 1868, 6 states had completed process and by 1870 the 4 final states were readmitted to the union

june 1868 states admitted

arkansas 22, florida 25, louisiana 25

july 1868 states readmitted

north carolina 4, south carolina 9, alabama14

1870 states readmitted

virginia jan 26, mississippi feb 23, texas march 30, georgia july 15

tennessee readmission

july 26 1866, so reconstruction acts didnt apply to it

johnson response to reconstruction acts

denounced the congressional programme in his annual message to congress on 3 december 1867

tenure of office act

passed march 2 1867, required senate’s consent for removal of office holders appointed by consent of senate and cabinet members were to hold office during the persident’s term unless the senate approved of their removal

provision to army appropriation act

1867 congress added provision which required the president to issue all military commands through general of the army (grant)

why johnson doesnt like stanton

general sheridan ignores attorney generals claim that no military commander has authority to challenge the southern governors, edwin stanton (sec of state for war) supports this

johnson dismissing stanton

dismissed sec of war in feb 21 1868, replacing stanton with general lorenzo thomas, however stanton barricades himself in his office refusing to leave

johnson impeachment trial reason

johnson continued interference, went on trial feb 24 1868, for high crimes and misdemeanours

johnson impeachment trial result

hadnt committed a criminal act punishable by law, only removed stanton who was appointed by lincoln, house of repubs voted to impeach 126 to 47 votes, 35 repub senators voted him guilty but 7 joined with 12 dems to vote against conviction, he was found not guilty by 1 vote so didnt get 2/3 majority necessary, may 28 all charges had failed

issue with removing a president

may set precedent of removing future presidents for purely political reasons, johnson had less than a year left to serve and his successor would be benjamin wade, a radical repub, so people would have wanted to avoid this

impact of emancipation on southern economy

emancipation wiped between $1.6 billion and $2.7 billion of capital investment off the books

southern economy after war

per capita income fell by over 40%, total direct and indirect costs were close to $13.6 billion

northern hopes for southern economy

free labour economy, reconstruction aimed to protect loyal men (black and white) and cause northern industry, capital, and civilisation to flow into south

southern planter class resistance

refused to admit its defeat, land remained in the same hands it was in before the war, in western alabama’s black belt 236 landowners possessed at least $10,000 in real estate in 1860 and by 1870 101 of these landowners were still in possession, used johnson’s amnesty to reclaim their confiscated land which was turned over to freedmen

voting demographic change georgia

general john pope’s 3 man registration boards certified 188,000 voters, an increase from the 106,000 voting in the 1860 presidential election, with an almost equal split between black and white

voting demographic change alabama

165,000 voters had been certified, split between 104,000 black and 61,000 white voters

registration process overall demographic change

saw 1.3 million voters in 5 military districts and 700,000 of these were black, black majorities in 5 states

limitation of reconstruction acts

5 districts were military so the commandants in charge were appointed by president who was commander in chief of the army

issue with commanders example

general ord of the 4th district privately despised the union league and discouraged the freedmen’s political gathering, john schofield 1st district was opposed to aa equality specifically with voting

repubs dominating state conventions

in alabama 100 out of 96 delegates were repubs and 18 of which were black, north carolina convention in jan 1868 had 107 to 13 repub majority with 15 being black

democrat nominee 1868 election

former new york governor horatio seymour, johnson left convention with only 4 votes

repub nominee 1868 election

ulysses grant who was unanimously voted by all 650 delegates

1868 election result

grant won by 300,000 votes and a 214 to 80 majority in electoral college

ex-confederates in election process georgia eg

in georgia 1868, dems nominated ex-confederate general john b gordon for governor, repub nominee bullock defeated him 83,000 votes to 76,000, 48% electorate chose gordon

southern whites intimidation of aa voters groups

groups formed eg white league in louisiana, the society of pale faces in tennessee, the regulators in florida, made no effort to conceal their intention to recapture control of their states by white dems

southern whites intimidating aa voters general violence

riots in georgia where local dems attacked a republican rally in camilla killing 9 people, louisiana saw over 1000 murders between nov 1867 and election day 1868

1868 election significance

first election which many southern states play a role in so first national election since war

1868 election repub candidate

johnson jettisoned, often go for military leaders since national figures, grant picked since comes across as a regular solider, uncomplicated not politician so untainted by world of politics presents himself as for all people both north and south

limitation of grants lack of politics

politicians want things and are deal makers, grant will alienate people or become subject to other influences of it if he doesnt push for political agenda, politically naive

grant campaign

figure promoting peace, preserving status quo against those who would violently oppose it, republican idea of waving the bloody fag in that south must pay for civil war

1868 election results

grant wins 3 million votes, seymour 2.7 million, grant wins from african american votes in south

1868 election violence

200 political murders in arkansas, georgia has 9300 registered african american voters and 84 actually voted, half a million african americans do not vote in election due to reign of terror

georgia legislature convention

white majority say aa illegible to sit so they are dismissed

georgia legislature convention result

congress realises need to protect rights 14th amendment introduced so 15th amendment introduced, political move to ensure repubs arent disadvantaged in future by white supremacist groups

15th amendment

guaranteed that the right to vote could not be denied based on race, color, or previous condition of servitude, ratified feb 1870

grant suppressing violence 1870s

federal offence to deprive someone of political rights ie 15th amendment, 1871 fed oversight of registering voters and elections, fed crime to try overthrow a gov of US so empowers president to suspend habeas corpus and impose martial law

grant destroying violence groups

amos ackerman attorney general and creates crew of lawyers who apprehend 100s of klansmen, in mississippi 1000 inditements and 55% consist of going against rights of aa, 1871 enforcement act, 1000s of klansmen leave south carolina to avoid punishment, decline in violence as a result

legislation against force groups

between may 1870 and june 1872 congress passed 5 statues to sustain fed govs ability to enforce national laws in south, first enforcement act, ku klux force act

first enforcement act

may 1870, provided punishments for state officials who tried to prevent enfranchised citizens from voting, outlawed conspiracies by 2 or more individuals to prevent citizens from exercising their rights under federal law, directed us officials to prosecute violations of 15th amendment

klu klux force act

april 1871, increased presidents power to use federal military power to suppress domestic disturbances and suspend habeas corpus in areas where terro1rist groups were active