Chapter 15

I. The Meaning of Freedom

  • African Americans' Vision: For former slaves, freedom meant escaping the injustices of slavery (physical punishment, family separation) and gaining the same rights as white citizens.

    • Family: Freedom allowed the reunification of families torn apart by sale.

    • Church and School: Black Southerners established independent churches (like the AME Church) and flocked to schools established by the Freedmen's Bureau to achieve literacy.

    • Land Ownership: Most former slaves believed land ownership was essential for true economic independence; they often sought "forty acres and a mule".

  • White Southerners' Vision: Many white Southerners equated freedom with the restoration of pre-war power dynamics and continued control over Black labor.

II. The Making of Radical Reconstruction

  • Presidential Reconstruction (1865–1867): Under Andrew Johnson, lenient policies offered pardons to most white Southerners and allowed the implementation of Black Codes, which severely restricted the rights of former slaves.

  • Radical Reconstruction (1867–1877): Congressional Republicans, led by Radicals like Thaddeus Stevens, overrode Johnson's vetoes to pass the Civil Rights Act of 1866 and the 14th Amendment (guaranteeing birthright citizenship and equal protection).

  • The 15th Amendment: Ratified in 1870, it prohibited federal and state governments from denying any citizen the right to vote based on race.

III. The Overthrow of Reconstruction

  • Opposition and Violence: Groups like the Ku Klux Klan used terror and violence to prevent Black citizens from voting or holding office.

  • Northern Retreat: Economic concerns and growing racism in the North led to a "waning resolve" to enforce Reconstruction.

  • The End of Reconstruction: The Bargain of 1877 following the disputed 1876 election of Rutherford B. Hayes resulted in the withdrawal of federal troops from the South, effectively ending Reconstruction and returning the region to white-dominated governance.

Key Terms to Know

  • Freedmen's Bureau: Established in 1865 to provide aid, settle labor disputes, and build schools for former slaves.

  • Sharecropping: A labor system that emerged as a compromise between planters' need for labor and Black families' desire for land, but which often led to cycles of debt.

  • Enforcement Acts: Passed in 1870–1871 to combat the Ku Klux Klan and protect Black voters.

  • Reconstruction Amendments: The 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments to the Constitution, which aimed to establish the rights of former slaves and ensure their protection under the law.

  • Civil Rights Act of 1866: Legislation that aimed to protect the civil rights of all citizens and granted citizenship to all born in the U.S., regardless of race.