Chapter 22: The Ordeal of Reconstruction Review

Overall View of Reconstruction

  • Students are encouraged to provide their personal perspectives on the Reconstruction era.

Effects of the Civil War

  • List 5 overall effects of the Civil War (specific details not provided in the transcript).

Social and Economic Impact of the Civil War on the South

  • Questions Addressed:
    1. How did the Civil War impact the social and economic structure of the South?
    2. How did whites respond to emancipation?
    3. How did blacks respond to emancipation?

Reconstruction Plans and Key Figures

  • Matching Plans to Individuals:
    • Abraham Lincoln: Proposed a plan where wealthy former Confederates had to request a pardon, agree to the 13th Amendment; former confederates could serve in new government roles.
    • Andrew Johnson: Established military districts in the South to ensure compliance with federal laws and protect African American (AA) rights.
    • Radical Republicans: Required 10% of voters in a state to take a loyalty oath and reform state constitutions to eliminate slavery.

Successes of the Freedmen’s Bureau

  • The Freedmen’s Bureau achieved several successes:
    • Provided financial assistance for purchasing land.
    • Offered medical care.
    • Assisted in creating labor contracts.
    • Facilitated the establishment of schools for educating freedmen.

Strengthening of Black Families Post-Emancipation

  • Emancipation had a strengthening effect on the Black family structure (details not provided).
  • Other impacts of emancipation on former slaves beyond freedom are to be discussed.

The Wade-Davis Bill

  • Outcome of the Wade-Davis Bill:
    • Lincoln allowed the bill to die through a pocket veto, meaning it was not signed before Congress adjourned.
    • The Wade-Davis Bill required 50% of voters' loyalty and barred anyone who had cooperated with the Confederacy from public office.

Differences Between Johnson's and Lincoln's Reconstruction Plans

  • Differences in approach, specifics not detailed in the transcript.

Sharecropping and its Consequences

  • Sharecropper Cycle of Poverty:
    1. Sharecropper receives land and seeds, promising the landowner half the crops.
    2. Often, debts require the sharecropper to promise a greater share of future crops to pay back debts.
    3. After settling accounts, sharecroppers usually find they owe more than they earned, leading to perpetual debt.
    4. Sharecroppers purchase necessities on credit from the landowner’s store.
    5. The cycle continues as sharecroppers remain bound to one plantation until debts are paid, fostering economic hardship.

Percentage of Farms Sharecropped by County

  • Chart shows farms sharecropped across various states:
    • Arkansas: 0-20%
    • Virginia: 35-80%
    • North Carolina: 21%-34%
    • Mississippi, Georgia, Alabama, Louisiana, Texas, South Carolina, Florida have varying levels of sharecropped farms.

Concerns of Republicans in Congress (December 1865)

  • Congress expressed concern over the presence of “whitewashed rebels” taking their seats, indicating a potential threat to Reconstruction ideals.

The 14th Amendment

  • Motivation for the 14th Amendment:
    • Congress aimed to address the protection of life, liberty, and property, ensuring due process and equal protection under the law. Verbatim text of the Amendment includes:
    • “.. nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.”

Advocates of Women's Rights

  • Many advocates were disappointed after the ratification of the 14th and 15th Amendments, as these did not extend rights to women.

Radical Republicans' Measures

  • The Radicals in Congress took steps to mitigate concerns regarding Southern states potentially amending their constitutions to reverse Congressional Reconstruction efforts (details not provided).

Significance of Ex parte Milligan

  • Explanation needed regarding legal ramifications and significance (specifics not mentioned).

Organizations Supporting Freedmen

  • List of organizations and individuals that aided freedmen and women (details not provided).
  • Mentioned key political figures among the first colored senators and representatives.

Scalawags and Carpetbaggers

  • Definitions:
    • Scalawags: white Southerners who supported Reconstruction and the Republican Party.
    • Carpetbaggers: Northerners who moved to the South after the war, often perceived as exploiting the situation for personal gain.
  • Discussion on the resentment these groups faced from most Southerners and comparisons of Reconstruction governments to Northern political machines.

Purpose of the Force Acts (1870 and 1871)

  • These acts aimed to combat the Ku Klux Klan and protect African American rights.
  • Details on how Southern states circumvented the 14th and 15th Amendments are sought (specific methods not provided).

Johnson's Impeachment

  • Reasons for Impeachment:
    • Explanation needed regarding the nature of President Johnson's 'crime' that led to impeachment (specifics not provided).

Seward's Icebox

  • Discussion on the acquisition of Alaska and the perceived benefits of the deal, often referred to as a good purchase due to its resources.

Changes for African Americans Post-13th Amendment

  • Changed Conditions: (details not provided)
  • Unchanged Conditions: (details not provided)

Reconstruction Outcomes

  • Analysis of how the South was more restored than reconstructed, factors leading to the end of Reconstruction, and what, if anything, underwent change are topics for discussion (details not provided).