The Reconstruction (1865-1877)

The U.S. government’s controversial effort to restore the Southern States to the Union.

The War’s Aftermath!

2/3 Southern Shipping in ruinsCities, farms, factories, homes destroyed4 million ex-slavesUnemployment was rampant

The Freedman’s Bureau

By Congress-March 1865 - 1869Clothing, Medicine, Meals to ex-slaves250,000 plus blacks received first education at bureau schoolsThe question of land?

Bell Ringer – Sherman’s March

Why is this policy controversial?Is total warfare and scorched earth an option for warfare in the 21st Century?

Three Reconstruction Plans

1. President Lincoln’s Plan2. President Andrew Johnson’s

Plan3. The Republican Congress’s

Plan

Which plan would the U.S. follow?

President Lincoln’s Plan

“Malice toward none” = lenient & forgiving Called the Ten Percent Plan10% Voters in CSA states had to re-pledge loyalty to UnionStates had to write new constitutions that abolished slaveryGave pardons to ex-Confederates except for high-ranking officialsAfter these were complete, they could hold elections and participate in the Union again

Lincoln is Assassinated!John Wilkes Booth, an actor, originally plotted to kidnap Lincoln and othersAlso targeted are VP Andrew Johnson & Sec. State William H. SewardApril 14, 1865 at Ford’s Theatre Booth murders Lincoln Booth is later killed near Port Royal, VA4/10 co-conspirators were hanged

President Johnson’s Plan

He was a Democrat from TN, ex-SEN, VP; he took office when Congress was out of session and enacted his plan.Southerners PardonedNew State Constitutions without Lincoln’s 10%13th Amendment- abolished slaveryAmnesty to high-ranking CSA officials who asked him personally by letterLenient like Lincoln’s PlanJohnson supported States’ Rights which meant no vote for African Americans. This angered Congress.

                                                                   

Radical or Congressional ReconstructionThey wanted to punish the Confederacy for the war = harsh Reconstruction!1866 Civil Rights Act outlawed black codesRepublicans favored full equality for African AmericansJohnson vetoed it and Congress overrode itJohnson and the Republican Congress were now at odds!

Thaddeus Stevens House of Reps

Charles Sumner Senate

President Johnson’s Impeachment (1868)

Tenure of Office Act (1867)Johnson fired Sec. War StantonImpeached for “High Crimes and Misdemeanors”Saved by 1 vote!

The Reconstruction Act of 1867 (Radical Republican

Plan)Military Rule: South divided into 5 military districts controlled by Union troopsStates had to draft new constitutionsAll eligible voters (blacks too) could voteBarred ex-Confederates from voting Equal rights to all citizensStates must ratify 14th Amendment – Citizenship for ex-slaves.

Radical Military Districts

Bell Ringer – Three Reconstruction Plans

1. President Lincoln’s Plan for Reconstructing the South was known as the ___ Percent Plan.a. Two b. Ten c. Fifty d. Seventy-five

2. President Johnson’s plan required the Southern States to ratify the ____ Amendment, which abolished slavery.a. 13th b. 14th c. 19th d. 27th

3. Who favored a harsh and punishing Reconstruction plan for the South?a. Lincoln b. Johnson c. Radical Republicansd. Ex-Confederates

4. How many military districts was the South divided into during Reconstruction?a. 3 b. 5 c. 8 d. 11

The Elections of 1868 & 1872Ulysses S. Grant (Republican) defeated Seymour (NY) in 68 and Greely (NY) in 72 with help from black voters.Both terms marred by political scandals that damaged the Republican Party’s image!President Grant

Spreading Terror!The Ku Klux Klan (1865) was the best-known hate groupTerrorized Blacks and White RepublicansForce Act of 1870 helped curb Klan practices for a time, but gradually white Southerners organized and used violence to keep blacks from voting.Whites gradually began to take back state and local governments as U.S. troop levels were reduced in the South.

15th Amendment (1870)Last of Civil War AmendmentsNo state could deny the right to vote on basis of race or colorTroops protected blacks and they voted in mass!Blanch K. Bruce (MS) in 1874 became first black Senator

The Stolen Election of 1876

Voters grew tired of greed and corruption in government1876 Election saw Samuel Tilden (D) win popular vote by 250,000 over Rutherford B. Hayes (R)SC, FL, LA Republican controlled and they threw out enough Democratic votes to give Hayes (185) victory over Tilden (184)!Both sides were dishonest, but each claimed victoryThey decided to form a 15-man electoral commission (5 R, 5 D, 5 SC Justices) to decide the winner.How did they vote?

The Compromise of 1877 Ends Reconstruction! The Commission ruled 8-7 in favor of Hayes.Both parties compromised: Democrats would accept Hayes if Republicans removed the rest of the troops from the South and appoint a conservative Southerner to his cabinet.Reconstruction ends and the “Long Night” of racial segregation begins for African-Americans in the South.

The Effects of Reconstruction

Successes 1. Union Restored

and South repaired

2. South began to industrialize

3. 13th,14th, 15th Amendments

4. Education for Blacks and Poor Whites

Failures1. Blacks remained

poor; many were sharecroppers

2. KKK and Jim Crow Laws

3. Racism still prevailed

4. South still lagged behind North economically

Bell Ringer – Lincoln’s Plan for Reconstruction

1. What organization created by Congress provided ex-slaves their first chance for school?a. NAACP b. United Negro College Fund

c. Freedman’s Bureau2. T or F: Lincoln favored a harsh Reconstruction plan for the

South.3. Who was President Lincoln’s assassin?

a. John Wilkes Booth b. Charles Guiteauc. Lee Harvey Oswald

4. All of the following were targeted for assassination along with Lincoln except a. Sec. of State Seward b. Sec. of War Stantonc. Vice President Johnson

Bell Ringer – The End of Reconstruction1. Most historians consider President Grant a(n)

________ president.

a. effective b. weak c. mean d. uncaring

2. Which amendment gave African-Americans the right to vote?

a. 13th b. 14th c. 15th d. 16th 3. The “Stolen Election” of President _______ in

1876 ended Reconstruction.

a. Grant b. Tildenc. Hayes d. Garfield

4. List one positive OR one negative effect of Reconstruction.