CHAPTER 15

I. Overview of Reconstruction (1865-1877)

  • Reconstruction: The period after the Civil War focused on rebuilding the South, integrating freed African Americans into society, and determining how Southern states would rejoin the Union.

  • Key Questions:

    • How to rebuild the South?

    • What rights should formerly enslaved people have?

    • How to reintegrate the Confederate states?

II. Presidential vs. Congressional Reconstruction

A. Presidential Reconstruction (1865-1867)

  • Led by President Andrew Johnson: Vice President who became president after Lincoln’s assassination.

  • Lenient Approach: Quick restoration of Southern states without protection for freedmen.

  • Pardons: Granted to many former Confederates, allowing them to regain political power.

  • Black Codes: Southern states enacted laws to restrict African Americans' freedom, aiming to maintain a labor force similar to slavery.

B. Congressional (Radical) Reconstruction (1867-1877)

  • Radical Republicans: Led by Thaddeus Stevens and Charles Sumner, they believed in strong federal intervention.

  • Reconstruction Acts of 1867:

    • Divided the South into five military districts.

    • Required states to write new constitutions, ratify the 14th Amendment, and provide Black men the right to vote.

  • Impeachment of Johnson: Johnson opposed Radical Reconstruction. He violated the Tenure of Office Act and was impeached by the House but acquitted by the Senate by one vote.

III. Key Amendments and Legislation

  1. 13th Amendment (1865): Abolished slavery in the United States.

  2. 14th Amendment (1868): Granted citizenship to all born in the U.S., including formerly enslaved people, and provided equal protection under the law.

  3. 15th Amendment (1870): Prohibited voting discrimination based on race, color, or previous condition of servitude.

  4. Civil Rights Act of 1866: Affirmed citizenship and equal rights for African Americans.

IV. The Freedmen’s Bureau

  • Purpose: Aid freed African Americans by providing food, housing, education, and legal assistance.

  • Achievements: Established schools and helped negotiate labor contracts.

  • Challenges: Underfunded and faced hostility from Southern whites.


V. African American Progress and Challenges (Continued)

A. Political Participation

  • African American Leaders: Hiram Revels and Blanche K. Bruce became U.S. Senators; many served in state legislatures.

  • Black Voter Turnout: With federal protection, African American men voted in large numbers, influencing elections.

B. Social and Economic Changes

  • Education: African Americans founded schools, colleges (e.g., Howard University), and promoted literacy.

  • Religious Institutions: Churches became community centers and platforms for leadership.

  • Land Ownership Struggles: "Forty acres and a mule" promise largely unfulfilled. Most land returned to former Confederates.

C. Economic Hardships: Sharecropping

  • Sharecropping System: Freedmen worked land owned by whites in exchange for a share of the crop.

  • Cycle of Debt: High interest rates and unfair practices led to poverty and economic dependency.

VI. Southern Resistance to Reconstruction

A. Black Codes

  • Purpose: Restrict African Americans' freedom and force them into labor contracts.

  • Examples: Vagrancy laws, labor contracts, restrictions on property ownership.

B. White Supremacy and Violence

  • Ku Klux Klan (KKK): Used terror, violence, and intimidation against African Americans and white allies.

  • Enforcement Acts (1870-1871): Also known as the Ku Klux Klan Acts, these laws aimed to suppress KKK violence and protect civil rights.

C. Political Opposition

  • Redeemers: Southern Democrats who aimed to "redeem" the South by restoring white rule.

  • Violence and Fraud in Elections: Used to regain control of state governments.

VII. The Decline of Reconstruction

A. Northern Waning Support

  • Economic Issues: The Panic of 1873 shifted focus to economic recovery over Reconstruction.

  • Political Corruption: Scandals in the Grant administration weakened the Republican Party.

B. The Compromise of 1877

  • Election of 1876: Disputed election between Rutherford B. Hayes (Republican) and Samuel J. Tilden (Democrat).

  • Compromise:

    • Hayes became president.

    • Federal troops withdrew from the South.

    • Marked the end of Reconstruction.

VIII. Aftermath and Legacy of Reconstruction

A. Positive Outcomes

  • Constitutional Amendments: The 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments laid the foundation for future civil rights.

  • Education and Community Institutions: African American communities strengthened their institutions.

B. Negative Outcomes

  • End of Federal Protection: Led to the rise of Jim Crow laws and systemic racial segregation.

  • Disenfranchisement: Poll taxes, literacy tests, and violence prevented African Americans from voting.

  • Economic Exploitation: Sharecropping and tenant farming kept many African Americans in poverty.

IX. Key Terms to Remember

  • Freedmen's Bureau: Agency providing assistance to freed African Americans.

  • Radical Republicans: Advocated for strict Reconstruction policies.

  • Black Codes: Laws restricting the freedom of African Americans.

  • Sharecropping: Economic system trapping freedmen in debt.

  • Redeemers: Southern Democrats who restored white supremacy.

X. Important Figures

  • Andrew Johnson: President who opposed Radical Reconstruction.

  • Thaddeus Stevens & Charles Sumner: Leaders of the Radical Republicans.

  • Hiram Revels & Blanche K. Bruce: First African American U.S. Senators.

  • Rutherford B. Hayes: His presidency marked the end of Reconstruction.

XI. Key Takeaways for the Test

  • Understand the difference between Presidential and Congressional Reconstruction.

  • Know the significance of the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments.

  • Be able to explain the impact of Black Codes and the rise of Jim Crow laws.

  • Recognize how the Compromise of 1877 ended Reconstruction.

  • Be prepared to discuss both the achievements and failures of Reconstruction.

I. Westward Expansion and Manifest Destiny

  • Manifest Destiny: The belief that Americans were destined by God to expand westward, spreading democracy and civilization.

  • Federal Policies:

    • Homestead Act (1862): Granted 160 acres of public land to settlers who would live on and improve it for five years, promoting settlement.

    • Pacific Railway Act (1862): Funded the construction of the Transcontinental Railroad, which was completed in 1869, linking the East and West coasts.

II. Native American Displacement and Resistance

  • Indian Wars: A series of conflicts as settlers encroached on Native lands:

    • Sand Creek Massacre (1864): Colorado militia killed over 150 Cheyenne and Arapaho, mostly women and children.

    • Battle of Little Bighorn (1876): Lakota, Cheyenne, and Arapaho forces, led by Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse, defeated George Custer’s 7th Cavalry.

    • Wounded Knee Massacre (1890): U.S. Army killed hundreds of Lakota, marking the end of armed Native resistance.

  • Federal Assimilation Policies:

    • Dawes Act (1887): Aimed to assimilate Native Americans by breaking up reservations and promoting private land ownership. Led to significant loss of tribal land and cultural disruption.

    • Boarding Schools: Native children were sent to schools to "Americanize" them, often through harsh and abusive practices.

III. Settler Life in the West

  • Diverse Populations: The West attracted a wide array of settlers, including:

    • European Immigrants: Seeking land and opportunity.

    • African Americans: Known as Exodusters, many moved to escape discrimination in the South.

    • Chinese Immigrants: Played crucial roles in railroad construction but faced severe discrimination, culminating in the Chinese Exclusion Act (1882).

  • Women in the West:

    • Women had more opportunities to own land and participate in public life.

    • Some Western states, like Wyoming, granted women the right to vote before the 19th Amendment.

IV. Economic Development and Industry

  • Mining: Gold, silver, and other minerals drove boomtown growth.

  • Ranching: The cattle industry boomed, with cowboys driving cattle along the Chisholm Trail to railheads.

  • Farming: Innovations like barbed wire and dry farming techniques helped settlers adapt to the challenging environment.

  • Environmental Impact:

    • Overhunting, particularly of buffalo, disrupted ecosystems and Native economies.

    • Deforestation, mining, and railroads transformed the landscape.

V. Myth vs. Reality of the "Wild West"

  • Mythology: Popular culture romanticized the West through dime novels and shows like Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show.

  • Reality: The West involved harsh conditions, economic inequality, and violence.

VI. Federal Land Policies and Conflicts

  • Morrill Act (1862): Established land-grant colleges to promote agricultural and technical education.

  • Timber Culture Act (1873) and Desert Land Act (1877): Encouraged further settlement but often led to land speculation and fraud.

VII. The Closing of the Frontier

  • Frederick Jackson Turner's Frontier Thesis (1893): Argued that the frontier was crucial in shaping American democracy and character.

  • By the 1890s, the Census Bureau declared the frontier "closed," symbolizing the end of an era of expansion.

VIII. Key Takeaways for a College Test:

  • Understand the motivations and outcomes of federal policies like the Homestead Act, Dawes Act, and Chinese Exclusion Act.

  • Be familiar with the major conflicts and treaties with Native Americans.

  • Recognize the economic, social, and environmental impacts of westward expansion.

  • Distinguish between the romanticized image of the West and historical realities.