Introduction to Reconstruction

• Focus: Explain the effects of government policy during Reconstruction (1865-1877).

• Question: Should the Confederacy be treated leniently or as a conquered foe?

Lincoln’s Approach to Reconstruction

• Lenient Policy: Lincoln believed the South never legally left the Union.

• Ten-Percent Plan:

  • Southern states could reestablish their governments if 10% of the 1860 electorate pledged loyalty to the Union.

  • States had to ratify the Thirteenth Amendment (abolishing slavery).

  • Low barrier for reentry to allow the South to save face.

• Lincoln's Assassination: Killed by John Wilkes Booth shortly before the war's conclusion, preventing the enactment of his plan.

Andrew Johnson’s Presidency

• Transition of Power: Lincoln's vice president, Andrew Johnson, took over.

• Johnson’s Background:

  • Southerner from Tennessee with little sympathy for emancipation or black equality.

  • Carried out Lincoln’s plan but allowed former slave owners to regain power.

• Black Codes: Legislation passed in Southern states that restricted the freedom of black people and enforced low-wage labor.

Radical Republicans' Response

• Radical Republicans: Viewed Johnson’s leniency as unacceptable and aimed for harsher terms for the South.

  • Wanted Congress to lead the Reconstruction process, not the president.

• **Legislation Initiatives:

  • Extension of the Freedman’s Bureau:** Helped freed black individuals gain footing in society.

  • Civil Rights Act of 1866: Protected black citizenship rights and equal legal protections.

• Johnson's Veto: He vetoed both laws, but Congress overrode his veto.

Key Legislative Changes and Amendments

• Fourteenth Amendment:

  • Guaranteed citizenship for all born or naturalized in the U.S. and equal protection under state laws.

• Reconstruction Acts of 1867:

  • Divided South into five military districts to enforce laws.

  • Increased requirements for Southern states to ratify the Fourteenth Amendment and guarantee universal male voting rights (white and black).

Impeachment of Andrew Johnson

• Impeachment Process:

  • Impeachment is the trial to determine if removal from office is warranted.

• Tenure of Office Act of 1867: Prohibited firing cabinet members without congressional approval.

• Congressional Actions: Johnson fired a cabinet member, leading to impeachment.

  • Johnson was acquitted but lost power to direct Reconstruction policy.

Women's Rights and Reconstruction

• Thirteenth Amendment: Abolished slavery.

• Fourteenth Amendment: Granted citizenship and equal protection.

• Fifteenth Amendment: Granted voting rights to freed black men, excluding women.

  • Led to division in the women’s rights movement:

    • National Woman Suffrage Association (NWSA): Led by Stanton and Anthony, opposed the Fifteenth Amendment.

    • American Woman Suffrage Association (AWSA): Led by Lucy Stone and Blackwell, supported Reconstruction efforts while fighting for women’s suffrage on state levels.

Conclusion

• Gender dynamics in Reconstruction raised important discussions on suffrage.

• The era of Reconstruction set the stage for future social and political conflicts.