Reconstruction Era
One of the issues after the Union declared victory in the Civil War (April 1865) was reunifying the county.
Reconstruction SOCIAL STUDIES (1865 - 1877)
One of the issues after the Union won the Civil War ( April 1865) was reunifying the country. Parts of Lincoln's plan to reunify were the 10% Plan, offering to pardon all Confederates and promising to protect all private property. His goals were cut short due to his assassination.
Andrew Johnson took over, and he planned to put states' rights first by letting Southern Landowners and state governments rebuild themselves and return land seized during the war. That included the property redistributed through the Freedmen’s Bureau. Under Johnson's administration, Southern states passed laws (black codes), prohibiting Black people from owning property or firearms, testifying in court, or simply occupying certain places.
One such law justified the arrest of Black people for vagrancy and then forced to work as punishment in prison or back on plantations; this exception to the 13th Amendment enabled slavery to continue through a penal labor system. Formerly enslaved people also worked through sharecropping.
Northern members of Congress rejected Johnson's policies & used their majority to pass laws despite the President's veto; these include the Gil Rights Act of 1866, affirming that all citizens have equal protection under the law, & the Reconstruction Act of 1867, which divided the South into five districts under military control and prepared the way for freedmen to vote. To rejoin the Union, Southern Staten was required to ratify the 14th Amendment to the Constitution.
By 1870, the right to vote regardless of race would be protected by the 15 Amendment.
Jim Crow refers to a system of racial segregation and discrimination that existed in the United States from the late 19th century to the mid-20th century. It enforced racial segregation in public facilities, such as schools, transportation, and restrooms, and denied African Americans their civil rights. The term "Jim Crow" originated from a minstrel show character that portrayed racial stereotypes. The laws and practices of Jim Crow were deeply unjust and perpetuated racial inequality. It was not until the Civil Rights Movement in the 1950s and 1960s that these laws were challenged and eventually dismantled. The legacy of Jim Crow continues to impact American society today.
End of Reconstruction
Reconstruction ended with the Compromise of 1877, which resulted in the withdrawal of federal troops from the South.
This led to the rise of Jim Crow laws and the implementation of segregation and discrimination against African Americans.
The promises of equality and justice for African Americans during Reconstruction were largely unfulfilled, setting the stage for the Civil Rights Movement in the 20th century.
Overall, the Reconstruction Era was a complex and transformative period in American history, characterized by efforts to rebuild the nation and address the challenges of racial inequality and social change.
Reconstruction vocabulary
Reconstruction - the period after the Civil War when Southern
states and freedmen were being integrated into the United States
10% Plan - Lincoln's plan requires 10 percent of voters in a
Southern state to swear allegiance to the Union
before it could be readmitted
Oath of Allegiance - Pledge acknowledging one’s duty & swearing
loyalty
assassination - politically motivated killing
Freedmen’s Bureau - temporary organization for assisting formerly
enslaved people & other poor or displaced people after the Civil War
black codes - laws passed in many Southern states to restrict
formerly enslaved people and continue the labor practices of slavery
vagrancy - loitering, wandering, or homelessness that is recognized
as a criminal act
penal labor - forcing people to work in prison or as punishment
Sharecropping - a system where families rent land and pay the owner a share of their crops
Veto - rejection of a proposed law or decision
13th Amendment - the amendment that abolished slavery ( except as punishment )
14th Amendment - the amendment that extended citizenship to formerly enslaved
people born in the United States and granted "equal protection under the law”
15 Amendment - the amendment that granted the right to vote to Black men