1.1 - The weaknesses of the Federal Government: Johnson, Grant and the failure of reconstruction

Part 1 - Reconstruction and the Gilded Age Ch 1-6 


1.1 - The weaknesses of the Federal Government: Johnson, Grant and the failure of reconstruction 


The role of the constitution, Executive, Legislature and Judiciary 


  • Executive = The White House. President, VP and Cabinet 

  • Legislature = Congress. Senate and The house of Representatives

  • Judiciary = The Supreme Court. Nine Justices Cabinet led by the Chief Justice 


Economic, social and political differences between the north and south pre CW 


  • North = Rapid economic modernisation e.g. seaports, railroads and canals allowed rapid industrial expansion/development. Rapid growth brought in large numbers of immigrants from Northern EU (10x more settled in the north than the south) which resulted in widening social and cultural divergence compared to the south.  eg abolition  

  • South = Believed in segregation and slavery as it was the foundation of the economy. Very agricultural. ‘King Cotton’ Many people held racial attitudes 


Impact of the CW on the North and South 


  • North = The fight for abolition was won which meant that the north could continue to economically develop and push this more ‘civilised’ way of life onto the people of the south. The end of the war had stimulated vast economic expansion 

  • South = More heavily impacted by the end of the CW. The foundations of their economy now faced reconstruction. They could no longer rely on the produce and profits of slavery. Southern society was now faced with rapid developing industrialization instead of agriculture. Lots of Physical destruction. 3 million enslaved free.   


Factions in Congress at the end of the CW


  • Domeoctates 

  • Conservative Republicans 

  • Moderate Republicans 

  • Radical Republicans 


Lincoln’s Reconstruction plans and legacy 


  • Paved the way for abolition in his 1863 Gettysburg Address

  • Won the CW in 1865 but left the N and S heavily divided  


The Freedman’s Bureau 


  • Set up in 1865 by Lincoln as part of the US department of war 

  • Built to last 1 year but powers were renewed and expanded to help AA with family issues, legal advice and improvements in employment + education 

  • Operated until 1872 

  • AJ vetoed the expansion of its power in Fed 1866 


President Johnson’s Background 


  • Represented Tennessee in the House and the Senate 

  • Governor of Tennessee 1853-1857 

  • VP to AL 

  • Impeached 1868 - Narrowly avoiding conviction 

  • Elected in the senate by Tennessee in 1875 


Johnson’s Reconstruction plan - what were his aims and actions and what where their consequences 


  • Quickly brought the south back into mainstream politics - Announcing that all southerners (except confederate soldiers and rich plantation owners) would be pardoned if they swore an oath of allegiance to the Union. Issued 13,000 Pardons 

  • He wanted to prosecute Confederate leaders for treason, preventing them from regaining power and influence on state government but state gov was now controlled by the pardoned southern elite who were then representing southern states in Congress. 


Johnson’s conflict with congress and the lead up to his impeachment 


  • AJ actions had allowed southern states to have the power that allowed them to introduce the Black Codes → This undermined the rights of black ppl 

  • AJ actions were taken when Congress was out of session → Reconveined in Dec 1865 

  • Congress contained many angered Republicans who were determined to wipe out the Black codes and remove former confederates from power 


  • Vetoed the FB in  Feb 1866 

  • Vetoed the CRA in March 1866

  • Vetoed Vetoed FB again in July 1866 → All 3 were proposed by Congress 

  • AJ didn't agree with Congressional Reconstruction  


Johnson’s impeachment


  • Obstruction tactics infuriated Republicans in Congress → Passed laws to limit the power of the president (one prohibited the president from issuing direct military orders) and the Tenure of office Act 

  • 11 charges placed against AJ most in breach of the TOOA → placed on trail in the senate 

  • Republican held a majority in the senate but many didn't want to set a precedent and convict a president who had been lawfully appointed 

  • Radical Republicans were not enthusiastic about Benjamin Wade, the man who would have replaced AJ if convicted 

  • AJ was saved by 1 vote 

  • His reputation was forever damaged, did not play a part in the 1868 election 😱


Election of 1868 - who were the candidates, why did Grant win? What were the Margins of the election? 


  • Republican - Grant - Focused on Radical reconstruction and AA voting rights 

  • Democrat - Seymour - Focused on attacking reconstruction as revolutionary and unconstitutional 


  • Grant won the popular vote by only 300,00 more than Seymour 

  • Republicans relied on 7,000,000 AA Votes


  • Grant was seen as the man who ‘Won the War’ 

  • AJ’s Actions allowed the Republicans to portray the Democrats as ‘disloyal’ 


Radical Reconstruction - what was the impact on the south 


  • Heavy presence of the US army to ensure all reconstruction policies ran smoothly → Republicans saw this as necessary but the southerners did not agree 

  • Violent acts of resistance to reconstruction from the south → Particularly from white terror groups like the KKK 


What was ‘White Terror’ and how did it influence policies in the south 


  • Racist extremists

  • KKK

  • White League in Louisiana 

  • Red Shirts in South Carolina + Mississippi

  • Often ex confederates 

  • Violent intimidation like lynching   

  • Meant intervention by fed troops was essential for AA safety 


Who were the Democrat Redeemers 


  • People who fought for the redemption of the south → free the southern states from the governments that they feel had been unfairly imposed on them 

  • Represented a strong coalition between conservative and pro-business Democrats 


Reconstruction Legislation 


  • 14th Amendment Passed in Congress Feb 1896. Ratified in 1870

  • 3 Enforcement Acts 1870 + 1871 

  • Civil Rights Act Passed by Congress in 1875 Proposed in 1870 (by Radical Rep Charles Summer) 

Thirteenth Amendment


  • Abolished slavery and involuntary servitude, except as punishment for a crime. 

  • 1865 


Civil Rights Act 


  •  Rights to participate in public life free of discrimination

  • 1866


Fourteenth Amendment 


  • Granted citizenship to all persons "born or naturalized in the United States," including formerly enslaved people, and provided all citizens with “equal protection under the laws,” 

  • Passed 1866 

  • Ratified 1868 


Reconstruction Act 


  • Divided the South into five military districts governed by previous Union generals. To be eligible for readmittance to the Union, each Confederate state was required to pass the 13th and 14th Amendments and hold new elections.

  • 1867 


Tenure of office Act 


  • Passed for a specific reason → AJ wanted to get rid of his secretary of war Edwin  Staton (supporter of the RR) AJ suspended him in 1867 which strengthened the relationship between moderate and radical republicans. 1868 AJ tried to dismiss ES so the House of representatives started the impeachment process… he was going against the TOOA 

  • Limited the power of the president → law forbidding the president to remove civil officers without senatorial consent.

  • 1867


Fifteenth Amendment


  • Grants the right to vote for all male citizens regardless of their ethnicity or prior slave status. 

  • 1870 - Ratified 

  • 1869 - Passed by Congress 





Three Enforcement Acts 


  • 1st - May 1870

  • 2nd - Feb 1871 → KKK Act 

  • 3rd - April 1871 

  • Strengthened the provisions of the 14th and 15th Amendments


Amnesty Act 


  • Passed by Grant in 1872 

  • Allowed a large number of ex-confederates to return to political life after being disqualified by previous laws 

  • This meant that many Southern states could be ‘redeemed’ by the Democrats


Why was opposition to reconstruction so successful in the South 


  • Support was waning in Congress as there was too many sympathisers to the south in there 

  • There was no one strong enough to carry through unpopular bills etc 

  • Liberal Republicans were reluctant to keep using fed troops 


Why did reconstruction end 


  • Constant opposition from the Democrats trying to ‘redeem’ the south and being successful in their attempts 

  • Grants administration and reputation had been tarnished by accusations of corruption eg Tweed Ring → couldn't run for a 3rd term + left the Republican party divided 

  • Republican drive for reconstruction had weakened as the redeemers regained control of the south  


The role of LIberal Republicans 


  • They tried to keep the drive for reconstruction up but were unsure if they should continue to use federal troops to keep control in the south 


The impact of the 1873 panic 


  • Grants political position had been greatly weakened by the impact → This on top of corruption allegations meant that he would be unable to run again and it would play a hand in to division of the Republicans 


Supreme Court rulings 


  • March 1876 two ruling went in favour of southern conservatives, not federal laws 😠




Political corruption 


  • Various scandals about political ‘rings’ of political and financial corruption connected to his friends and associates 

  • 1896 - Black Friday Scandal - when the gold ring was exposed. Grant not directly involved bt his brother - in- laws had connections to the people who an the ring 

  • Tweed Ring was poisoning local politics in NY → TW was a system of patronage and corruption run by William Tweed who was ‘boss’ of the Democratic political ‘machine’ → Him and his associates looted at least $45 million from NY. He went to prison for corruption and died in there 


Disrupted election of 1876 


  • UG wanted to run for a 3rd term but the Republicans were anxious to find a new candidate 

  • Republicans were also fearful of the Democrats new found power 

  • Republicans chose Hayes to run 

  • Democrats chose Tillden to run 

  • Both moderates