Reconstruction (1865-1876)

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Reconstruction (1865-1876)
Ms. Susan M. PojerHorace Greeley HS Chappaqua,
NY
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Chapter 13.3 Question Answers
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1. Why did planters have difficulty finding
people to work for them?

• Nobody seemed to want to do the former work of
  slaves, which was very difficult and paid poorly.

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2. Why did sharecroppers rejoice at the chance to
become tenant farmers?

• Instead of working for a planter and a meager
  share of the crop, tenant farmers rented their
  own land, worked for themselves and kept all the
  profits.

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Sharecropping
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Tenancy the Crop Lien System
Furnishing Merchant Tenant Farmer Landowner
Loan tools and seed up to 60 interest to tenant farmer to plant spring crop. Farmer also secures food, clothing, andother necessities oncredit from merchant until the harvest. Merchant holds lien mortgage on part of tenants future crops as repayment of debt. Plants crop, harvests in autumn. Turns over up to ½ of crop to land owner as payment of rent. Tenant gives remainder of crop to merchant inpayment of debt. Rents land to tenant in exchange for ¼ to ½ of tenant farmers future crop.
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3. How did the South experience some success by
modeling itself after the North?

• Cities grew as a resul of increasted
  industrilization

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4. Did Reconstruction transform the South into
an industrialized, urban region like the North?
Explain.

• No, farming remained the backbone of the southern
  economy. Much of the indoctrination remained
  linked to agriculture or consisted of less
  profitable stages of manufacturing

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5. How did some southern states use
Reconstruction funds in beneficial ways?

• Expanded services, such as public schools to
  their citizens and rebuilt infrastructure (the
  public property and services that a society uses)

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6. How did some Reconstruction funds serve
harmful or corrupt purposes?

• Legislatures levied heavy taxes on individuals to
  pay for the new spending and much of this money
  was lost to widespread corruption.

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Key terms

1. Sharecropping farming a portion of someone
   elses land in return for a share of the crop
2. Tenant farming paying rent for a piece of land
   that can be planted with whatever crop the tenant
   farmer works

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The Invisible Empire of the South
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The Failure of Federal Enforcement

• Enforcement Acts of 1870 1871 also known as
  the KKK Act.

• These acts banned the use of terror, force, or
  bribery to prevent people from voting b/c of
  their race
• Other laws banned the KKK entirely and
  strengthened military protection of voters and
  voting places

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The Civil Rights Act of 1875

• Crime for any individual to deny full equal use
  of public conveyances andpublic places.
• Prohibited discrimination in jury selection.
• Shortcoming ? lacked a strong
  enforcement mechanism.
• No new civil rights act was attemptedfor 90
  years!

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Civil Rights Video Clip
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The Abandonment of Reconstruction
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Northern Support Wanes

• Grantism corruption.
• Panic of 1873 6-yeardepression.
• Concern over westwardexpansion and Indian wars.
• Key monetary issues
• should the government retire 432m worth of
  greenbacks issued during the Civil War.
• should war bonds be paid back in specie
  orgreenbacks.

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1876 Presidential Tickets
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Election 1876 disputed

• Republican Rutherford B. Hayes lost the popular
  vote to Democrat Samuel Tilden (support from
  solid south)
• Electoral vote was disputed
• Areas of Florida, Louisiana South Carolina
  (still under Republican and federal control)
• Democrats submitted results that Democrat Tilden
  had won these states the presidency

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1876 Presidential Election
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A Political Crisis The Compromise of 1877
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What happens to decide dispute?

• Congress sets up a special commission to resolve
  the election crisis (more Republicans than
  Democrats)
• Compromise of 1877
• Democrats agreed to give Hayes the victory in the
  presidential election in return the new President
  agreed to remove the remaining federal troops
  from southern states
• Give huge subsides to southern railroads

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Result from Compromise 1877

• Reconstruction ended without troops in the south
  Freedmen had no allies
• Opened the way for Democrats to regain control of
  southern politics

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Video clip Compromise of 1877
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Success of Reconstruction

• Union is restored and rebuilding of South begun
• Southern economic growth is stimulated new
  wealth in the north
• African American gain formal rights of
  citizenship equal treatment (14 15
  amendments)
• Many black families helped in obtaining housing,
  jobs, and schools

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Failures of Reconstruction

• African Americans still lack property and
  economic opporturnity
• Southern government deny African Americans the
  right to vote
• Racists attitudes countinue, in both the North
  and South.
• Lasting bitterness between many Southerners
  federal govt