Reconstruction

1
Reconstruction

• 1867 -1877

2
Lincolns Plan

• In 1863 Lincoln proposed his plan for restoring
  the Union
• He hoped that by being lenient and charitable
  towards the Confederacy then they would be
  inclined to end the war sooner
• Lincoln believed the southern states had never
  left the Union they had just rebelled
• His plan outlawed slavery but did not protect the
  slaves

3
10 Plan

• Southern states could organize new governments if
  10 of those who had voted in 1860 declare
  loyalty to the Union and outlawed slavery
• Each state could then convene a constitutional
  convention and elect representatives to be sent
  to Washington D.C.
• All citizens, except high ranking Confederate
  officials would receive an amnesty and lost
  property
• Lincoln never gave the vote to the black man

4

• Louisiana and Arkansas reorganized in 1864 and
  Tennessee reorganized in 1865 under Lincolns
  plan
• However Radical Republicans in Congress were
  unhappy with the plan they wanted to see the
  Confederate states punished, especially the
  planter aristocracy
• Most believed it was the responsibility of
  Congress to protect the newly freed black man and
  to make sure they had economic opportunity
• The leading Radicals were Senator Charles Sumner
  of Massachusetts and Representative Thaddeus
  Stevens of Pennsylvania

5
Wade-Davis Bill

• Radicals wanted the South to be reorganized but
  with land being given to the former slaves
• In 1864 the Radicals proposed the Wade-Davis Bill
• Required 50 of white male citizens to declare
  allegiance before a state could be re-admitted
• Only those that took the iron-clad oath that they
  had not borne arms against the Union could vote
  or serve in the constitutional conventions
• States had to abolish slavery
• High ranking Confederates would receive no
  political rights

6

• Lincoln used his pocket veto to kill the bill
• The authors of the bill issued the Wade-Davis
  Manifesto criticizing the president
• Congress refused to allow delegates from those
  states which had accepted Lincolns plan to take
  their seats in Congress
• Most Republicans just wanted to end the war
  they had little interest in either Lincolns plan
  or the Wade-Davis Bill
• In 1865 the Freedmans Bureau was created to help
  with the transition from slave to free man by
  giving them clothes, food, medical care, and it
  helped reunite families

7

• Many northerners moved to the south hoping to
  gain an economic advantage and create a New
  South modeled after the industrial North
• Just before his death Lincoln mentioned allowing
  the blacks the right to vote but only those who
  had served in the Union army
• After the assassination of Lincoln, Andrew
  Johnson of Tennessee became the new president
• Johnson was a self-made man who detested the
  planter aristocracy of the South
• It was assumed by the Radicals that he would be
  harsh on the Rebels
• May 1865, Johnson offered his plan for
  Reconstruction

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Johnsons Plan

• a) Amnesty for all those who took an oath of
  allegianceb) Wealthy southerners and
  high-ranking Confederates pardoned only by the
  presidentc) Provisional governors would be
  appointedd) States to revoke the ordinance of
  secessione) Repudiate the Confederate debtf)
  Ratify the Thirteenth Amendment which barred
  slavery
• It soon became obvious that Johnson was soft on
  Reconstruction as he pardoned thousands of
  Confederates

9
Black Codes

• Southern legislatures passed the Black Codes to
  restrict the blacks and basically restore
  regulate the labor supply
• Congress was appalled
• The intent was clearly to limit the economic and
  political freedom of the newly freed black
• Congress also increased spending for the
  Freedmans Bureau
• Radical Republicans realized Congress would have
  to protect the newly freed blacks

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President vs. Congress

• Late 1865 southern voters sent Representatives
  and senators to Washington
• Radicals were alarmed at the number of
  Confederate leaders who were back in office and
  were skeptical about southern intentions
• Congress refused to seat the southern delegates
• Congress established a Joint Committee on
  Reconstruction to create their own plan
• Johnson vetoed any expansion of the Freedmans
  Bureau deeming it unconstitutional

11

• The Civil Rights Act of 1866 declared all people
  born in the United States were citizens (did not
  include Native Americans)
• Congress passed the bill but Johnson vetoed it
• Congress overrode the veto and made the bill law
• Johnson criticized the Radical Republicans and
  called them traitors
• Johnson appealed to northern Democrats to help
  defeat the Radical Republicans
• By waving the bloody shirt stirring up war
  memories, the Republicans gained majorities in
  both Houses of Congress

12
The Reconstruction Acts

• Most Republicans were moderates and radicals but
  they were tired and frustrated with the president
• By 1867 Congress was determined to take control
  of reconstruction
• This new Radical Reconstruction treated the
  South like a conquered province
• Congress would pass a law and Johnson would veto
  it Congress would then override the veto
• The Reconstruction Acts required southern states
  to abandon their state governments and form new
  governments Tennessee had already met the
  requirements

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• All southern states were required to hold a
  convention and write a new constitution
• Voting was open to all (black and white) males
• Confederate officers could not vote or hold
  office
• Constitutions had to guarantee voting rights for
  blacks
• Congress would say when a state could be
  readmitted
• The state could send delegates to Congress
• The Acts also imposed military rule on the South
• Congress required the states to ratify the
  Fourteenth Amendment

14
Fourteenth Amendment

• all people born or naturalized in the United
  States are citizens and are guaranteed due
  process of law and equal protection
• Johnson urged states not to ratify the Amendment
• In 1866 elections the Republicans won in a
  landslide on the platform of the Fourteenth
  Amendment
• Following the election they focused on changing
  the status quo in Washington
• States could lose representation if they refused
  to give black males the vote
• Sumner and Stevens led the Radical Republicans in
  their attempt to completely alter southern
  society through the legislative process

15
The Freed Black

• Former slaves were confident and optimistic about
  their future
• They saw freedom as an opportunity to establish
  themselves economically, socially, and
  politically
• Helped by the Freedmans Bureau they occupied
  confiscated land, established churches, and
  formed political organizations
• Fights broke out as Johnson ordered the property
  returned to the former owner
• To many blacks, wage earning was similar to
  slavery

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• Without land and opportunity, many blacks moved
  to the city. Some migrated north and found
  hostility and racism existed there too
• Workers in the lowest paying jobs feared the
  influx of unqualified blacks looking for
  employment
• Many blacks realized that freedom did not
  necessarily equate to happiness

17
Tenure of Office Act 1867

• The Tenure of Office Act limited the power of the
  president and was passed over the Johnsons veto
• The president was required to get the consent of
  Senate before removing a person who had
  previously been approved
• In 1868, to reassert his authority, Johnson fired
  Secretary of War Edwin Stanton who was a Lincoln
  appointee and who was informing the Radical
  Republicans about Johnson
• House Republicans responded by starting the
  impeachment process

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• The House voted 126 to 47 to impeach Johnson for
  high crimes and misdemeanors for violating the
  Tenure of Office Act
• By one vote the Senate failed to get the
  necessary two-thirds majority, but it did end
  Johnsons attempt at Reconstruction
• Some did not vote to impeach because they did not
  want to damage the country
• Also, if the president was removed and since
  there was no vice-president, he would have been
  replaced by the radical Ben Wade who was
  disliked and distrusted

19

• Also in 1867 Congress passed, over Johnsons
  veto, the Military Reconstruction Act
• This act stated that no legal state governments
  existed in the South
• 10 rebel states were divided into 5 military
  districts (Tennessee was exempt)
• The commanding officer was empowered to keep law
  and order and to use military tribunals in place
  of civil courts

20
Alaska

• In 1867 the Russians wanted to sell the wasteland
  that would become Alaska
• They wanted to sell it to the Americans before
  the British took it besides they considered it
  worthless
• Secretary of State William Seward signed a treaty
  which gave the land to the United States for 7.2
  million
• Many thought this was ridiculous and called the
  land Sewards Folly
• But most people were too busy with Reconstruction

21
Election of 1868

• The Johnson presidency had created a sense of
  disillusion with politicians
• The belief was Grant the winner of the war
  -would be a successful president
• Even before being elected Grant had a tendency to
  accept gift which he believed were his due reward
  for saving the nation
• The Republicans, no longer part of the Union
  Party, nominated Grant
• Democrats nominated Horatio Seymour on a platform
  of the Ohio idea which advocated war bonds be
  redeemed for gold, even if they had been
  purchased with worthless greenbacks

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• Grant won the election 214-80, but only by
  307,000 votes
• Over half a million blacks voted for Grant
• Once in office he was overwhelmed by the
  responsibility of the job and quickly fell prey
  to office-seekers
• The main political issue was what to do with the
  war debt?
• The government had issued 432 million in
  greenbacks the belief was that these would now
  be retired and the country would return to hard
  currency
• Bankers believed Grants election was a mandate
  to abolish the Ohio idea

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• In the elections of 1868 the Republicans had won
  to a large extent because of the black vote and
  they determined to preserve that vote
• In 1869 the Republican Congress proposed the
  Fifteenth Amendment to guarantee the black vote
• Voting could not be restricted on the grounds of
  race, color, or previous condition of
  servitude
• The Amendment was passed in 1870, but still women
  could not vote
• When Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony
  campaigned for the vote for women to vote they
  were laughed at by men

24

• Women had generally supported the idea of giving
  blacks the vote, hoping that they would then get
  their turn. Two groups appeared- one supported
  and accepted the right of the black man to vote
  - the other led by Elizabeth Cady Stanton and
  Susan B. Anthony formed the American Womens
  Suffrage Association

25
Republican Rule

• All states meet the new requirements between 1868
  and 1871 and rejoined the Union
• Republicans gained control of the state
  legislatures
• Northerners who moved to the South were called
  carpetbaggers
• Southerners who supported the Republicans were
  called scalawags
• Some blacks entered politicsHiram Revels of
  Mississippi became the first black Senator

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The Grant Administration

• Grants administration was faced with one scandal
  after another
• The first was an attempt to manipulate the price
  of gold by Jay Gould, Jim Fisk, and the
  presidents brother-in-law
• The idea was to make people believe gold would
  increase in price
• Eventually Grant had to persuade his
  brother-in-law to stop the scheme and told the
  treasury to sell more gold

27
Crédit Mobilier

• During 1872 people learned of the Crédit Mobilier
  scandal
• A company comprised of the directors of the Union
  Pacific Railroad had billed the Union Pacific for
  work and material never supplied or that was
  grossly inflated
• The directors gave leading politicians shares in
  the company to assure their compliance and
  silence

28
Sharecropping

• When President Johnson gave land back to the
  plantation owners it took away the possibility of
  allowing the former slaves to economically
  self-sufficient
• The Freedmans Bureau taught blacks how to farm
• Because of the shortage of land many blacks were
  forced to resort to sharecropping
• Even with freedom the blacks were still limited
• Some Radicals supported 40 acres and a mule for
  blacks

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• The blacks would basically rent the land from the
  plantation owner and then pay by using a their
  crop as payment
• The problem was that they had to also pay for
  tools, supplies, seeds, and even rent because
  they had no money
• Once they failed to make a payment the
  sharecropper was forced to work for the former
  plantation owner in a situation almost identical
  to slavery

30
White Resistance

• Slowly the Democrats regained control the state
  legislatures by supporting the former Confederate
  leaders and campaigning for racial solidarity
• The whites formed organizations to intimidate the
  blacks and their republican supporters. The most
  famous was the Ku Klux Klan
• Congress passed the Enforcement Act, which
  allowed the federal government to use the
  military to stop vigilante groups such as the KKK

31

• In 1870 and 1871 Congress passed the Force Acts
  and the Ku Klux Klan Acts to punish anyone using
  intimidation against the blacks
• Southern Republicans realized they needed the
  support of the federal government to maintain
  Reconstruction
• However northern politicians were growing tired
  of the problems associated with Reconstruction
• In 1872, Grant was reelected but the new
  Republicans were less interested in
  Reconstruction
• By 1877 only Louisiana, South Carolina, and
  Florida had Republican legislatures

32
Redeeming the South

• The wealthy southern elite wanted to end
  Reconstruction and regain control of the South
  Redeem the South
• Northern industrialists realized they would need
  to work with the southern upper class to both end
  Reconstruction and develop economic opportunity
• As time passed the Radicals grew old and their
  message lost some of its appeal
• In 1872 the Republicans split into two factions

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• Liberal Republicans wanted to end the
  corruption and withdrawal of troops from the
  South
• Stalwarts group led by party bosses that wanted
  to continue Reconstruction
• Grant won reelection in 1872 despite the
  corruption
• Between 1872 and 1876 the situation in many
  southern states deteriorated

34
Panic of 1873

• Economic problems soon beset the corrupt
  administration
• In 1873 there was a significant lack of
  investment in railroads. Many railroads
  defaulted on their interest payments
• Jay Cooke and Company financed the railroads with
  short-term loans, but in September the company
  went bankrupt
• The stock market had to be closed for 10 days to
  restore order

35
Crisis of 1877

• In 1876 the Republicans nominated Rutherford B.
  Hayes. The Democrats nominated Samuel Tilden of
  New York
• Initial returns indicated a victory for Tilden
• The republicans realized they needed Louisiana,
  Florida, and South Carolina to win by one
  electoral vote
• In the end both sides claimed victory
• The Constitution did not offer a solution

36
Compromise of 1877

• Congress formed a commission of 5 from each House
  and 5 from the Supreme Court. It comprised 7
  Democrats and 7 Republicans with Justice David
  Davis as an Independent (but favoring the
  Democrats)
• However Davis was selected as a Democrat and had
  to be replaced with Joseph Bradley
• Bradley broke the tie giving the victory to Hayes
• Democrats threatened to delay the inauguration
• Hayes became president and immediately withdrew
  federal troops from the Southern states
• The South was redeemed - Reconstruction over

37
Jim Crow

• After 1877 the Democratic Party dominated the
  southern states
• The redeemers used the legal system to deprive
  the blacks of their rights and to create a system
  of racial segregation
• These laws were known as Jim Crow laws and while
  they did exist in the North they were not as
  widespread or as racist
• When the blacks turned to the legal system for
  help they were repeatedly turned away

38
Civil Rights Cases

• In 1883 the Supreme Court ruled that the
  Fourteenth Amendment only applied to governments
  individuals and companies could discriminate
• In 1896 in the Plessy v. Ferguson case the court
  ruled that separate but equal was acceptable
  this would last until the 1950s
• Some whites even took the law into their own
  hands and between 1880 and 1900 thousands of
  blacks were lynched all across the South
• Poll taxes and literacy tests soon robbed the
  black man of the right to vote