reconstruction - prossetti · frq prompt background: history is usually categorized from 1607-1776...
TRANSCRIPT
Aftermath of the War the War
Southern Cities in Ruins: -Sherman’s March to the Sea -Grant’s Virginia Campaign -The Burning of Atlanta
Southern Economy Destroyed: -Wealthy planters bankrupted by the war -European demand for cotton met elsewhere -Confederate dollars worthless - Inflation up 5,000%
Many Southern slaves had been given their freedom
Southern states occupied by Union army
Aftermath of the War
Questions in the North:
! -Slavery-What to do with current and former slaves?
! -How to restore the Union?
! -Should the South be punished for secession? What about the Confederate officers?
Lincoln’s Plan
Reconstruction began before the war ended
By 1863, Union armies controlled much of the South
Lincoln hoped to restore the Southern states to the Union peacefully
Lincoln’s inclusive view conflicted with Republican members of Congress who hoped to punish the South (Radical Republicans)
A political cartoon of Andrew Johnson and Abraham Lincoln, 1865, entitled "The Rail Splitter At Work Repairing the Union." The caption reads (Johnson): Take it quietly Uncle Abe and I will draw it closer than ever. (Lincoln): A few more stitches Andy and the good old Union will be mended.
Lincoln’s Ten Percent Plan
•! -10% of a state’s voting population pledged loyalty to the Union (using 1860 election totals)
•-!Once they met quota states could hold elections and rejoin the Union
•-!Generous pardon were given to all but the highest ranking Confederates
Reaction to Lincoln’s Plan
Plan did not go far enough for Radical Republicans
Proposed tougher Wade Davis Bill
! -Required an “ironclad” oath (never were disloyal)
! -Attempted to give control to black voters
! -Lincoln “pocket” vetoed the bill
The US Constitution limits the President's period for decision on whether to sign or veto any legislation to ten days (not including Sundays) while Congress is in session. If the President does nothing during this period while Congress remains in session, the unsigned bill becomes law. However, if Congress cuts short this period by adjourning and the President does not sign the bill, then the bill dies. This latter outcome is known as the "pocket veto”.
Lincoln’s Assassination
Lincoln assassinated April 14, 1865
! Replaced by Vice President Andrew Johnson
! Congress hoped that Johnson would be tougher on the South
! They’re wrong--Johnson follows Lincoln’s path
Black Codes/Jim Crow
State & social laws designed to prevent southern blacks from voting/equality
Segregation
Voting: -poll taxes -literacy tests -grandfather clause -intimidation
Rise of the Ku Klux Klan
Johnson’s Plan
Johnson former Democrat, former slave holder
-Johnson favored giving power to yeoman farmers in the South
-Plan for readmission only slightly tougher than Lincoln’s
-Forced wealthy land owners and former Confederate officials to apply directly to the President for pardons
! !
Johnson’s Plan
-Pardoned many major Confederate figures
! -Forced Southern states to repudiate (refuse to accept/divorce from) Confederate debt
! -States had to ratify 13th amendment to rejoin union
! ! 13th: Abolishes slavery
Johnson’s Plan and subsequent vetoes of Congressional Reconstruction Plans made him many enemies in Congress
Congressional Reconstruction
-Radical Republicans were committed to crippling the South politically
-Created Freedmen’s Bureau (1865) assisted former slaves
-Passed the 13th Amendment banning slavery
Congressional Reconstruction
Angry at Johnson’s plan and Southern black codes, the Senate proposed stronger legislation:
Civil Rights Act of 1865 -Extended the power of Freedmen’s Bureau -Vetoed by Johnson and overridden by Congress
Proposed 14th Amendment -Defined citizenship and protected that right! -Punished former Confederates
Congressional Reconstruction
13th Amendment: Freedom
14th Amendment: Citizenship
15th Amendment: Vote
Congressional Reconstruction
Military Reconstruction Act of 1867
! -Passed over Johnson’s veto
! -Divided South into military districts
! -Each run by a military general with dictatorial powers
To be “readmitted” to the Union:
! -States drafted Constitution granting black suffrage (in other words; the had to ratify the 14th & 15th Amendments)
Congressional Reconstruction
Congress passed Army Act (kept Rad Rep control of army in south) andTenure of Office Act (Pres can not fire certain officials without Congressional approval) to prevent Johnson from interfering with their plans
Violated Tenure of Office Act:-Fired radical Secretary of War Edwin Stanton-Impeached by Congress-Removal fails by a single vote
Video Think, Pair, Share
✤ Think & Answer in your notes: Although the Senate had enough votes to remove Johnson they fail to do so. Why do you think some Republican Senators reconsidered?
✤ Pair with another student
✤ Share your thoughts with the class
Make a comparison of the two Reconstruction Plans by completing the table:
The Plan: How would the North How would the Confederate States be affected by this plan? be affected by this plan?Lincoln’s 10% Plan . . . . . . . ..
.
.Andrew Johnson’s Plan . . . . . . . . .
.
.
U.S. Grant as President
Elected narrowly as a Republican in 1868 & again in 1872
! -Secured passage of the 15th Amendment
-Demonetization of silver
-Worked to prevent voting discrimination based on race
-Quickly dismantled by Southern Jim Crow Laws
Grant as President
Grant’s administration is filled with scandal and corruption
! Routinely placed trust in dishonest men
! ! -“Black Friday” scandal! ! -Whiskey Ring
! ! -Credit Moblier
! Grant also faced economic woes (Panic of 1873)
! ! -Unstable paper money
After the war ended, people commonly believed that the U.S.gvmt would buy back the greenbacks with gold. A group of speculators sought to profit off this by cornering the gold market. Butterfield (Grantʼs brother-in-law) agreed to tip the men off when the government intended to sell gold
Republicans skimmed millions of $ in federal taxes from liquor sales
Union Pacific Railroadʼs overcharging of construction costs to tax payers
Election of 1876
By 1876, all but three Southern states had been “redeemed”
Northern Democrat Tilden vs. Republican Hayes
! -“Waving the bloody shirt” has lost most of its impact
Tilden wins the election narrowly
! ! -Fails to get necessary electoral votes
! ! -20 electoral votes came from occupied South
! ! -Election is disputed on both sides
Election of 1876
Congress created a special commission to the decide matter
! Republicans manipulated the commission
! -Both sides struck a compromise
! -Republicans got Hayes elected
! -Democrats secured an end to Reconstruction
Net Results of Reconstruction
-Former slaves had little opportunity to change their status
! -Many former slaves become sharecroppers
! -Black representatives reach Congress (Hiram Revels)
! -Anti-black groups form in the South to resist growing black rights (Ku Klux Klan, Knights of White Camelia)
! -Supreme Court overturned civil rights cases
Sharecropping
Cycle of poverty:
-Sharecroppers work land of formers slave owners; promise of independence & land rights
-Credit extended to build crop
-Debt consumes most profits and the cycle continues
FRQ Prompt
✤ Background:History is usually categorized from 1607-1776 and from 1776-1876. The next period will focus on modern American history, 1876-Present.
Think: Why are these periods broken down in this way?
✤ FRQ: Based on your knowledge to date and your best predictions of future outcomes using precedence, what is next for America?
Use concrete examples to support your thoughts.