Congressional Reconstruction

Congressional reconstruction• When Mississippi and other southern states

refused to ratify the 14th Amendment, Congress took control of Reconstruction

• On March 2, 1867, Congress passed the Reconstruction Act. This carved the south into five military districts and set new, strict requirements for restoring the civil government.

• Mississippi was placed in the Fourth military district under the control of Major General Edward Ord.

• His task was to register all eligible voters. • Out of 160,000 adult males in MS, 137,000 were

qualified to vote.

The job for the Military governor• He had the right to remove from public office any

official he believed was not loyal to the United States

• There were 3 categories of loyal men in Mississippi– Scalawags: white Mississippians who joined the

Republican party and supported rights for blacks– Carpetbaggers: northerners who came to the

south/stayed there after the war– Blacks

• The Republican party was formed in MS in 1867 which included white Mississippians who supported Congressional Reconstruction, northern whites, and black leaders.

Writing a new constitution

• The new Reconstruction Acts required states to adopt a new constitution

• The 1868 convention was made up of: 17 blacks, 29 native whites (scalawags), 25 Northern Republicans (carpetbaggers), 17 conservative democrats

• Two resolutions to the constitution made in Convention– Provided Universal male suffrage-male citizens any

race & color– System of free public education for all children

between ages 6 & 18

• There was a provision in the constitution that stated: all who supported secession or the Confederacy would be disfranchised– Conservative democrats objected to this!

• The new constitution failed in 1868 when it went to the voters because conservative whites refused to vote and organizations like the KKK used violence and intimidation to keep blacks from the polls

• The new constitution was ratified in 1869 because it was submitted without provision of disfranchising former Confederates

• With the new constitution, the Republican party now had control over the states.

Under the Republicans in MS• James Alcorn( a scalawag) was elected

governor• The 15th Amendment was passed and it

guaranteed universal male suffrage• Mississippi was readmitted to the Union February

23, 1870• Black participation began in the Republican party

with the election of 17 black delegates to the Constitutional Convention of 1868

• In 1873, 55 blacks were elected to the House of Representatives and 31 were elected to the Senate in the state.

• In 1869, James Lynch was elected Secretary of the State.

• The major accomplishment of Mississippi’s Reconstruction government was it established a system of tax supported public schools.–Many whites refused to teach in black

schools–Many blacks were not qualified to teach–Northern whites taught at black schools,

whites felt this was a way for them to “become Republican”

• Conservative Democrats opposed Reconstruction because of: – presence of Union troops, – Republicans were corrupt, – taxes were too high, – Public schools were available for all students– carpetbaggers controlled blacks

• White democrats considered themselves redeemers, white Mississippians who wanted to return control of state government to native whites

• Many white Republicans joined the Democrats because of threats of economic reprisals and physical abuse and fear of becoming social outcasts

• The Ku Klux Klan used intimidation to prevent blacks from voting or to frighten them into voting for Democratic candidates.

• They also intimidated northern teachers and discouraged blacks from attending school– Black schools and churches were burned,

parents and teachers were beaten/killed

• Mississippi then made it illegal for night riders to wear disguises… this subsided the Klan… only for a little while

Drawing the color line

• As more and more blacks began to hold office and serve as public officials for the Republican party, politics started to divide even more

• The Republican party began to be called the Black Man’s party

• The Democrat party began to be called the White Man’s party

• With the election of November 4th, 1875 the Democrats won four of the six congressional seats

• After the sweeping victory in 1875, the Democratic Party maintained the “color line” in Mississippi and created a one party system. – Reconstruction in Mississippi was over

• Nationally: The final blow of Reconstruction was the presidential election of 1876– Hayes(Republican) would become president on the

Compromise of Federal troops would leave the South and the Democrats would take control again in South

• The Democrats agreed to end the filibuster if Hayes agreed to withdraw all troops from the South– The Republican agree!– Republicans control the national government but

Democrats control the South • In 1881, 38% of eligible blacks voted in the

governor’s election.