apush ch12

# Chapter 12 – The Era of Reconstruction (1865-1877)

## 1. Introduction

- Time period: Immediately after American Civil War through 1877.

- Key questions: How should the South be rebuilt? What rights would freed people have? What role should the federal government play?

- Two main phases: Presidential Reconstruction → Radical (Congressional) Reconstruction → End of Reconstruction.

## 2. Presidential Reconstruction

### a) Abraham Lincoln’s Plan

- Lincoln’s “10 % Plan”: when 10% of a state’s 1860 voters pledged loyalty and accepted emancipation, they could re-establish state government.

- Goal: Quick readmission, moderate approach, bind up the nation’s wounds.

### b) Andrew Johnson’s Plan

- Johnson (southern-by-birth, Democrat turned Unionist) issued pardons broadly, restored property (except slaves) to many ex-Confederates.

- Southern states enacted “Black Codes” to restrict freedpeople’s rights.

- Many northerners felt Johnson’s approach was too lenient and let the former planter class regain power.

## 3. Radical (Congressional) Reconstruction

### a) The Radical Republicans

- Leaders: Thaddeus Stevens, Charles Sumner, etc.

- Goals: Protect freedpeople’s civil rights, ensure new governments allied with the Union, restructure southern society.

### b) Key legislation & constitutional amendments

- 13th Amendment (1865): Abolition of slavery.

- 14th Amendment (1868): Citizenship for all born/naturalised in U.S., equal protection under law.

- 15th Amendment (1870): Right to vote cannot be denied because of “race, colour, or previous condition of servitude”.

- Reconstruction Acts of 1867: South divided into military districts, new state constitutions with suffrage for freedmen.

### c) Impeachment of Andrew Johnson

- Johnson violated the Tenure of Office Act by removing a cabinet member.

- House impeached; Senate acquitted by one vote. Signified tensions between President & Congress.

### d) Political, social and economic outcomes

- Radical governments in the South: Many African American men elected to local/state offices.

- Freedmen’s Bureau: Created in 1865 to aid former slaves (education, healthcare, legal help).

- Opposition & violence: e.g., Ku Klux Klan founded 1866, intimidation of black voters.

- Economic realities: Share-cropping and tenant farming became widespread; much of the South remained economically depressed.

## 4. The End of Reconstruction

- Causes: Northern fatigue, economic depression (Panic of 1873), waning political will, resurgence of white southern Democrats (“Redeemers”).

- 1876 election: Rutherford B. Hayes vs. Samuel J. Tilden; Compromise of 1877 ended military rule in the South.

- Many gains of Reconstruction reversed: Black codes → Jim Crow laws; segregation and disenfranchisement proliferated.

## 5. Significance & Legacy

- Reconstruction was the first federal attempt to provide civil rights & citizenship to former slaves.

- Amendments (13th-15th) laid constitutional foundation for later civil rights movement.

- Demonstrated limits of change when social attitudes, economy, and political will are lacking.

- Set stage for southern race relations, regional disparities, and the long struggle for equality.

## 6. Key Terms to Know

- Freedmen’s Bureau

- Black Codes

- Radical Republicans

- Tenure of Office Act

- Impeachment of Andrew Johnson

- Military Reconstruction Act

- Share-cropping

- Redeemers

- Compromise of 1877

- Jim Crow

## 7. Potential Quiz/Short Answer Questions

1. Compare and contrast Lincoln’s, Johnson’s, and the Radical Republicans’ approaches to Reconstruction.

2. What were the main provisions of the 14th and 15th Amendments, and why were they controversial at the time?

3. How did economic systems like share-cropping affect freedpeople and southern economy post-Civil War?

4. What factors led to the end of Reconstruction, and how did its collapse affect African American rights?

5. In what ways did Reconstruction succeed and in what ways did it fail?

## 8. Quick Review: Timeline

- 1865: Civil War ends; 13th Amendment ratified; Freedmen’s Bureau created.

- 1866-67: Black Codes passed; Radical Republicans gain power; KKK formed.

- 1868: 14th Amendment ratified; Johnson impeached.

- 1870: 15th Amendment ratified.

- 1873: Panic of 1873.

- 1876-77: Presidential election crisis; Compromise of 1877; Reconstructions ends.