5.10 Reconstruction

LEARNING OBJECTIVE: Explains the effects of government policy during Reconstruction on society from 1865 to 1877.

INTRODUCTION

  • The reconstruction of the United States came with challenges

    • Recovering the South

      - South’s economy and society were devasted (plans for infastructure and economic recovery were needed)

    • Freed Black Americans

      - New freed black Americans needed help integrating into society

      - Issues over land, education, and political rights

    • Identifying the federal government’s position

      - Debates over the responsibility of government in helping free slaves

      - Debates over whether former seceded states should be treated normally or not

      - Debates over authority between president and congress

POSTWAR CONDITIONS

  • Date slaves became fully free is known as Juneteenth (June 19th)

    • Most freedpeople began with no money, land, or education.

      - Some freedpeople were granted land under general sherman (later had their land taken under president johnson)

  • South was devasted by war

    • Lost 1/3 of horses, cattle, and hogs

    • Infasturcture and economy had been destoryed

    • Chronic food shortages, poor health, susceptible to epidemic diseases

      - due to loss of African Americans providing labor

  • Regional, political, and economic conflict continued

    • Northern republicans

      - wanted continued economic progress from during war

    • Southern aristocrats

      - wanted low-cost labor for their plantations

    • Freed African Americans

      - wanted independence and equal rights

    • Government

      - traditional belief limited government (states’ rights & limited gov)

      - gave little economic help to southerners (they should handle themselves)

      - physical rebuilding of South was left up to state and individuals

      - federal government focused on political issues

RECONSTRUCTION PLANS OF LINCOLN AND JOHNSON

  • Andrew Johnson carried out Lincoln’s plans for political reconstruction of 11 former states of Confederacy

LINCOLN’S POLICIES

  • Lincoln believed southern states could regain their full place in union by meeting test of political loyalty

PROCLAMATION OF AMNESTY AND RECONSTRUCTION (1863)

  • Lincoln plan for politcal reconstruction of state gov in south

    • Put unionist in charge rather than seccessionist

    • Proclamation of Amnesty and Reconstruction:

      • Presidental pardons

        - granted to confederates who (1) took oath of allegiance and (2) accepted empancipation of slaves

      • State Re-entry

        - states could reestablish their legitimacy if 10% took loyalty oath

    • Each southern state was required to rewrite state constitution to abolish slavery

      - policy was designed to shoren war and add weight to emancipation procalmation

WADE-DAVIS BILL (1864)

  • 10% plan was widely rejected by republicans (state gov could be dominated by disloyal seccessionist)

    • Wade-davs bill was passed in congress

      - required 50% of voters in states to to take loyalty oath

      - permitted non-confederates to vote for state constitution

      - Lincoln vetoed bill—→ Congress reasserting powers

FREEDMEN’S BUREAU

  • Congress created new welfare agency: Freedmen’s Bureau

    • Provided food, shelter, and medical aid to Americans after war

      - could resettle people on confiscated farmlands (changed after land was restored to owners)

      - most successful in education (3000 schools and several colleges were established for freedpeople)

JOHNSON AND RECONSTRUCTION

  • Johnson had humble origins, like Lincoln

    • rose in politics by supporting poor whites against wealthy planters

    • only confederate state senator to remain loyal to union

    • clashed with republicans over the liberation of African Americans (was a white supremacist and democrat)

JOHNSON’S RECONSTRUCTION POLICY

  • Johnson issued his own reconstruction plan

    • Provided for the disenfranchisement (loss of right to vote and hold office)

      - applied to former leaders of confederacy & confederates with more than $20,000 in taxable property

    • Granted pardons to “disloyal” southerners

      - escape clause for wealthy planters (many former confederates were back in office)

JOHNSON’S VETOES

  • Johnson battled congress with his use of vetoes

    • Vetoed more bills than 3 former presidents combined

    • Alienated moderate republicans with veto of 2 bills:

      • Freedmen’s Bureau

        - increased servies and protection

      • Civil Rights Bill

        - nullified black codes, granted full citizenship, and equal rights to African Americans

      • Vetos marked end of first reconstruction

        - 11 confederate states restored to union

        - ex-confederates returned to high office

        - southern states passed black codes to restrict rights of former slaves

CONGRESSIONAL RECONSTRUCTION

  • Angry response of congress to Johnson—→ second reconstruction

    • Dominated by congress

      - policies harsher on whites and easier on freed African Americans

RADICAL REPUBLICANS

  • Republicans had long been divided

    • Moderates

      - concerned with conomic gains for white middle class

      - majority of republicans (later became more radical over fear of increased Democratic dominance)

    • Radicals

      - concerned with civil rights with black citizens

      - also endorsed other liberal causes (women’s sufferage, labor unions, civil rights)

      - struggled to extend equal rights to all americans

      - Charles Sumner was lead republican in senate

      - Taddues Stevens was lead in house (proposed military rule in south for African Americans to excircise their civil rights, attend school, and own land)

THIRTEENTH AMENDMENT

  • Ratified amendments were placed to free all enslaved

    • 13th Amendment

      - abolished slavery and represented momentous step

      - formerly enslaved could claim protection by constitution

      - economic hardship and political opression would continue

CIVIL RIGHTS ACT OF 1866

  • Congressional reconstruction wanted to overried Johnson’s vetos

    • Civil Rights Act

      - prenounced all African Americans US citizens

      - nullified Dred Scott case

      - attempted to sheild southern black codes

      - republicans looked for more permanent solution in amendement

FOURTEENTH AMENDMENT

  • Congress passed new amendement

    • 14th Amendment

      - declared all persons born in US as US citizens

      - required states and gov to uphold rights of citizens

      - had immediate and even greater long-term signficance

    • Other parts of 14th Amendment

      - disqualified former confederate leaders from office

      - refused debts of defeated gov in confederacy

      - reduced state’s representation if they denied voting rights to eligible men

REPORT OF THE JOINT COMMITTEE

  • Join commitee recognized Confederate states were entiltled to represetnation in congress and congress has authority over readding states

    • Confederates elected should not be permitted to take their seats

    • Congress rejected presidental reconstruction (embodied in 14th)

ELECTION OF 1866

  • After rejection of congress, Johnson attacked his opponents

    • His speeches appealed to racial predjudice

      - argued against “africanized” society

    • Republicans called Johnson a drunkard and traitor

      - reminded northerners of hardships of war (waved bloody shirt)

      - emphasized southerners were democrats (branded by rebellion and treason against the union)

    • Election was Republican victory

RECONSTRUCTION ACTS OF 1867

  • Congress passed three reconstruction acts, placing south under military

    • Acts divided former confederate states into 5 districts

      - each controlled by Union

      - increased requirements for regaining readmission

IMPEACHMENT OF ANDREW JOHNSON

  • Congress passed Tenure of Office Act

    • Prohibited president from removing dederal official or miltary commander (without senate approval)

      - purpose was strictly political

      - congress wanted to protect radical republicans in cabinet

    • Johnson challenged new law

      - dismissed secretary of war, Edwin Stanton—→ impeachment

      - Johnson was charged with 11 “high crimes and misdemeanors”

REFORMS AFTER GRANT’S ELECTION

  • Impeachment and trial of Johnson occured during election year

    • Democrats nominated Haratio Seymour

THE ELECTION OF 1868

  • Republicans truned to General Ulysses S. Grant

    • Won majority of popular votes

      - new votes of 500,000 black men grew bigger margin

      - moderate republicans began to recognize protection of freedmen voting rights (in order to keep control of the white house)

FIFTEENTH AMENDMENT

  • Republicans quickly secured sufferage for African Americans

    • 15th Amendment

      - prohibited any states from denying a citizen’s right to vote

      - banned open racial discrimination in voting laws (did not prevent states on passing other restrictions)

CIVIL RIGHTS ACT OF 1875

  • Last civil rights reform passed by congress during reconstruction

    • Civil Rights Act (1875)

      - Guarenteed equal accommodation in public places

      - prohibited exclusion of African Americans from juries

    • Reconstruction was abandonded

      - law was poorly enforced

      - republicans were tired of trying with unwilling south and feared losing white votes in North

RECONSTRUCTION IN THE SOUTH

  • Republican party dominated Confederate states

    • Each republican-controlled government was under protection of army

      - period of republican rule depended on how long it took for conservative democrats to regain control

COMPOSITION OF THE RECONSTRUCTION GOVERNMENTS

  • Whites were the majority in both houses of legislature in south

    • Republicans legislators included native-born white southerns, freedmen, and new northerners

“SCALAWAGS” AND “CARPETBAGGERS”

  • Democratic opponents (Scalawags) and Northern newcomers (Carpetbaggers)

    • Scalawags

      - southern whites who supported reublican gov (fromer whigs interested in economic development and peace)

    • Carpetbaggers

      - northerners who went south to set up new businesses or sought out humanitarian goles

      - some went to plunder

AFRICAN AMERICAN LEGISLATORS

  • African Americans who held elective in office were educated property holders

    • Blanche K.Bruce and Hiram Revels

      - Africans Americans who held senate from southen republicans

      - more than a dozen other african americans were sent to house

      - election of Revels caused resentment from ex-confederates

AFRICAN AMERICANS ADJUSTING TO FREEDOM

  • Southern Freedmen has greatest adjustment to make

    • Recent emancipation—→ challenges w economonic survivial and political rights

BUILDING BLACK COMMUNITIES

  • Freddom meant many thing to african Americans

    • Included:

      - reuniting families, education, migrating to freeer cities

    • main was independence from white control

      - new establish independent african Amercan churches

    • Desire for education

      - included lare population using their scarce resources to establish independent schools for their children and pay educated African Americans to become teachers

    • Migrating away from south

      - new black communities were established in frontier states

THE NORTH DURING RECONSTRUCTION

  • Norths economy in postwar years continued to be industrial aand driven by republican probusiness policies

    • Northerners focused on raiilroads, steel, labor, and money

      - South stuggled to reorganize its labor system

GREED AND CORRUPTION

  • Material interest of age took center stage

    • Idealism of Lincoln and radical republicans for civil rights were pushed aside

RISE OF SPOILSMEN

  • Leadership in Republican party shifted from reformers to political manipulators

    • Politicians followed patronage

      - giving jobs and government favors to their supporters

COURRUPTION IN BUSINESS AND GOVERNMENT

  • Postwar years were notorious for corrupt schemes from business and political bosses

    • Wall Street Financiers

      - Jay Gould obtained help of Presidents brother in law to scheme for gold market

    • Credit Mobilier affiar

      - insdiers gave stock to influential members of congress to avoid investigation for profits

    • Whiskey Ring

      - federal revene agents conspired with liquor industry to defraud gov of taxes

    • Grants loyalty to dishonest men—→ tarnished presidency

      - other politicians were equally scandalous (William Teed)

THE ELECTION OF 1872

  • Scandals of Grant drove reform-minded republicans to break from party

    • Horace Greeley was nominated for Liberal Republicans and democrats

      - advocated for civil-service reform, end to railroad subsides, withdrawl of troops from south, reduced tarrifs, and freer trade

      - republicans countered with the ¨bloody red shirt¨ again

THE PANIC OF 1873

  • Greants second term began with economic disaster

    • Thousands of northern laborers were left jobless and homeless

      - overspecculation by financers and overbuilding of industry and railroads—→ business failure and depression

      - debtors argued about what should be done

      - grant adopted ideas of eastern bankers and creditors

WOMENS CHANGING ROLES

  • Each part of American society was affected by war, including women

    • Absense of men—→ increased responsibility to women

      - stepped into vaccum created by the war, operating farms and plantations and taking job held by men

      - played critial role as nurses and volunteers

      - women vacted jobs in gov and industry, some accepting male assitance on farms

WOMENS SUFFERAGE

  • Increased responsibility—→ increased desire for sufferage

    • Some mebers of womens sufferage movement worked tirelessly for abolition of slavery

      - opposed 14th and 15th amendement (thought they limited to men)

      - first time sex was mentioned in the consturituion, discriminated against half of nations citizens

    • Womens sufferage rights would be a stuggle until later 19th amendement