Chapter+15+PPT+2024-25

Page 1: Reconstruction

• Introduction to Reconstruction

  • Reflects on the notion that the past influences present and future.

Page 2: Key Questions of Reconstruction

• How to treat ex-slaves?

• How to treat Southern states?

• What is the role of the federal government?

• What is the role of state and local governments?

Page 3: Emancipation Changed Everything

Political Change

• Reconfiguration of Southern governments and laws.

• Increased power of the federal government.

Economic Change

• South must adjust to a new economy without slavery.

• State and federal governments play crucial roles.

Social Change

• Transition from slaves to "freedmen."

• Consideration of whether new laws equate to changes in societal attitudes.

Page 4: Divided Republican Party

Moderates

• Not committed to voting rights or free land for freedmen.

• Belief that Confederate states did not leave the Union; thus, should hold elections directly.

Radicals

• Advocated for voting rights and land for freedmen.

• Emphasized that states must meet criteria to re-enter the Union and ensure rebels do not regain political power.

Page 5: State of Freedman at War’s End

• Ex-slaves owned only their bodies and labor.

• Lacked economic capital: minimal money, land, tools, and education.

• Dependent on white individuals for economic survival, leaving them landless.

Page 6: Stages of Reconstruction: Presidential (1865-6)

President Johnson's View

• Believed "White men alone must manage the South."

• Preferred restoration to reconstruction.

• Enforced 13th Amendment to abolish slavery; issued amnesty to many rebels.

Policies

• Return lands to former rebels and extensive presidential pardons.

Page 7: Restrictions on Freedmen's Rights

• Old Southern power structures limited freedoms using Black Codes.

• Specific regulations affected hunting, ownership of firearms, and employment.

Page 8: Vagrancy Laws

• Mississippi law: Freedmen without lawful employment deemed vagrants.

• Allowed for penalties against gatherings of freedmen or partnerships with whites.

Page 9: Stages of Reconstruction: Congressional or Radical (1867-68)

• Led by Senators Sumner and Thaddeus Stevens.

• Aimed to change the entire fabric of Southern society towards racial integration.

Page 10: The "Second Founding"

Constitutional Amendments

• 14th Amendment: Birthright citizenship, citizenship rights, equal protection, and due process.

• 15th Amendment: Voting rights for black males, but allowed discriminatory practices like poll taxes and literacy tests.

Page 11: Reconstruction Act of 1867

• Declared Southern state governments inoperable; divided South into military districts.

• Federal oversight of state constitution rewrites, with enforcement of the 14th Amendment required for Congressional representation.

• Established Freedmen's Bureau for assistance to freed people.

Page 12: Impact of Radical Reconstruction

Political Gains

• Black males gained significant political power; many served in Congress and various offices.

Educational Advances

• Public schools expanded in the South, symbolizing freedom.

• Increased presence of white Northern women as educators.

Page 13: Economic Conditions

• Sharecropping became the main agricultural model, limiting ownership.

• Ex-slaves often paid rents with crops, leading to poverty with little opportunity for savings.

Page 14: Rise of Redemption

• Historical regression towards segregation; W.E.B. Du Bois noted the brief freedom followed by oppression.

• 1876 election and subsequent compromise leading to Northern troop withdrawal.

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Page 16: Stages of Reconstruction: Redemption

• Continuation of white supremacy and segregation laws.

Page 17: The Cruikshank Case

• Incident involving white supremacists attacking a courthouse, resulting in numerous deaths and subsequent legal repercussions.

Page 18: Supreme Court Decisions

• 14th Amendment seen as protecting against state actions, not individual actions.

• Led to increased violence, particularly under the Plessy v. Ferguson ruling.

Page 19: Racial Segregation Legislation

• Plessy's case established legal precedent for segregation as "separate but equal".

• Majority opinion encouraged states to maintain peace over equality.

Page 20: Racial Dynamics in Law

• Majority opinion argued that legislation cannot eliminate racial instincts or distinctions.

• Minority opinion by Justice Harlan advocated for equality under the law.

Page 21: Justice Harlan's Dissent

• Argued against the societal implications of segregation, highlighting its inconsistency with civil rights protections.

Page 22: Racial Domination and Equality

• Discussion on perceived racial superiority and the Constitution's view of equality, emphasizing a color-blind legal perspective.

Page 23: Jim Crow Laws

• Establishment of strict segregation laws across various public sectors and facilities.

Page 24: Enforcing Segregation

• Overview of the varied aspects of public life affected by Jim Crow laws.

Page 25: Reasons for Reconstruction's Failure

1. Resistance in the South.

2. Declining Northern political support and financial constraints.

3. Challenges in gaining unity within the Republican Party.

4. Corruption within Southern Republican governments, comparable to Democrats.

5. Scandals in President Grant's administration.

Page 26: Neo-Slavery

New Economic Systems

• Rebuilding Southern economy based on cheap labor; exploitation of convict labor under the 13th Amendment exception.

Page 27: Consequences of Neo-Slavery

• System of increased arrests contributing to economic oppression of African-Americans.

• Significant mortality and mistreatment in convict labor systems.

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Page 31: Legacy of Neo-Slavery

• Long-term implications for racial perceptions and economic conditions; societal view of African-Americans shifted negatively over time.