Reconstruction Era Overview

Major Goals:
- Reunify the nation quickly
- Pardon most Confederates who took loyalty oaths
- Allow Southern states back into the Union when 10% of voters swore allegiance
Treatment of the South:
- Lenient approach focusing on forgiveness rather than punishment
Freedpeople’s Rights:
- Limited rights; encouraged emancipation but did not guarantee equality
Outcome / Reaction:
- Rejected by Radical Republicans for being too soft on the South

Major Goals:
- Continue Lincoln’s plan but restore Southern governments quickly
Treatment of the South:
- Very lenient; restored property (except enslaved people) to former Confederates
- Required loyalty oath from former Confederates
Freedpeople’s Rights:
- Opposed equal rights; allowed Southern states to enact Black Codes limiting freedoms
Outcome / Reaction:
- Angered Congress; led to rising tensions and eventually his impeachment

Major Goals:
- Reshape Southern society; protect civil rights; punish Confederate leaders
Treatment of the South:
- Harsh; divided the South into 5 military districts under federal control
Freedpeople’s Rights:
- Guaranteed citizenship and voting rights through the 14th and 15th Amendments
- Supported the Freedmen’s Bureau institution
Outcome / Reaction:
- Resulted in African Americans voting and holding political office; faced strong Southern resistance following the changes

Why did Lincoln want a lenient plan for the South?
- To reunify the country quickly and heal the nation following the Civil War
How did Johnson’s plan lead to the rise of the Black Codes?
- His leniency allowed former Confederates to regain power and pass restrictive laws that limited the freedoms of African Americans
What made the Radical Republicans’ approach different from Lincoln’s or Johnson’s?
- They employed federal power to enforce equality and impose consequences on the South for violating civil rights

New Rights and Opportunities Gained:
- Freedom from slavery
- The right to marry
- The right to own property
- Access to education
- Voting rights (for men)
Freedmen’s Bureau:
- A federal agency that provided essential services such as food, education, medical care, and legal aid to formerly enslaved individuals
Economic Challenges:
- Faced significant barriers; lack of land or capital forced many into sharecropping or tenant farming, leading to cycles of debt and dependency
General Sherman’s Plan (Field Order No. 15):
- Proposed allocation of “40 acres and a mule” to freed families on confiscated land, a plan that ultimately failed when President Johnson returned land to white former owners

How did public education change for African Americans during Reconstruction?
- Establishment of the first public schools specifically for African Americans, often backed by the Freedmen’s Bureau and Black churches
Name one African American elected to office:
- Notable examples include Hiram Revels (first African American U.S. Senator), Blanche K. Bruce, Robert Smalls, and P. B. S. Pinchback (first Black governor)
Why was African American political participation significant?
- It showcased democracy in practice and challenged prevailing racist ideologies regarding the capabilities and rights of Black individuals
Compromise of 1877:
- Resolved the contested 1876 election by granting Rutherford B. Hayes the presidency in return for withdrawing federal troops from the South, effectively ending the Reconstruction era

Goal of the Ku Klux Klan:
- Aim to restore white supremacy by instilling fear in African Americans and undermining Republican political power
Three methods of terror employed:
- Lynchings
- Beatings
- Burning homes and schools, as well as voter intimidation tactics
How did President Grant respond?
- He deployed federal troops to the South and utilized the Enforcement Acts to arrest Klan members and combat their activities
Enforcement Acts:
- A series of laws that classified it as a federal crime to interfere with a citizen's right to vote, aimed at protecting African Americans from racial violence
Why did efforts weaken after 1872?
- Northern interest waned, and political will declined as focus shifted towards economic issues rather than civil rights advocacy

How did Reconstruction change African American political participation?
- Allowed thousands of African Americans to vote and attain elected positions at local, state, and federal levels for the first time
Who were the Redeemers?
- Southern white Democrats committed to “redeeming” the South by terminating Reconstruction efforts and reestablishing white control
Plessy v. Ferguson (1896):
- A landmark decision that upheld racial segregation under the “separate but equal” doctrine, effectively legalizing Jim Crow laws
Public education after Reconstruction ended:
- Funding for Black schools diminished
- Segregation laws imposed further deepened racial inequalities in educational access
Decline in African American elected officials:
- Political power diminished due to voter suppression tactics such as violence, poll taxes, and literacy tests, significantly curtailing Black political representation for decades

Successes of Reconstruction:
- Abolished slavery
- Established civil rights amendments
- Created educational institutions
- Enabled African Americans to hold public office
Failures of Reconstruction:
- Enduring racism and violence, along with political compromises that undermined many accomplishments
- Full equality remained unachieved
Grant’s use of federal power:
- Set a crucial precedent for federal intervention in civil rights matters, influencing future civil rights movements, particularly during the 1960s
Lessons relevant today:
- The struggle for racial equality and the safeguarding of voting rights continues to be significant
- Democracy is contingent upon the protection of rights for all citizens.