RECONSTRUCTION AND
ITS AFTERMATH:
The South During Reconstruction
Meanwhile, in the South…





White Southerners were shocked by
the return of federal troops.
Having complied with Johnson’s plan,
they thought Reconstruction was over.
Black Southerners, on the other hand,
were relieved and began registering
to vote in huge numbers.
With former Confederates barred
from registering, the right to vote
was limited to many whites, so blacks
now made up a majority of voters.
Nearly all of them registered
Republican.
Carpetbaggers and Scalawags




During Reconstruction, many of the Northern
soldiers and businessmen who had visited
the South decided to stay because of the
new economics opportunities there.
Most of them were registered Republicans.
Even the white Southerners who had sworn
loyalty to the Union, tended to register
Republican to prove their loyalty and
prevent the wealthy planters from taking
back control.
Southern Democrats hated both of these
groups calling Southern Republicans
“scalawags” and Northerners seeking work
in the South “carpetbaggers” after the type
of luggage they carried.
Slow Economic Recovery






The new governments quickly ratified the 14th
and 15th Amendments, and by 1870, every
Southern state had been readmitted to the
Union.
In the 1870s, Reconstruction governments
began creating public school systems for both
races, which had not existed in the South before
the war.
Within a few years, more than 50% of white
children and about 40% of black children were
enrolled, although their schools were usually
separate.
Although industry and trade led to the rebirth
of some Southern cities, most of the South
remained dependent on agriculture.
During and after the war, taxes, debts, and a
lack of laborers led many white farmers to
have to sell their land.
Some instead divided it into small plots that
they rented to workers, and these “tenant
farmers” would pay a share of their crop as
rent instead of cash, a system known as
“sharecropping.”
Sharecropping






At first, sharecropping looked
promising to both black and white
landless farmers.
They hoped in time they would earn
enough money to buy land for
themselves.
In reality, these farmers often fell
into serious debt.
Most sharecroppers had to borrow
money from the landowners to buy
tools and supplies for farming.
Few ever earned enough from the
sale of their crops to repay these
debts.
Debtors were forced to work for the
person they owed money to until they
paid.
Resistance to Reconstruction




Most Southern whites refused to
support Reconstruction
governments for a number of
reasons.
Many considered the
governments illegal since so
many former Confederates had
been prevented from voting or
running for office.
Others were angry at the
governments for raising taxes to
pay for schools and other
improvements.
Still others were upset by the
corruption in the new
governments.
Racism Continues





Underlying all of these complaints
was the fact that most Southern
whites could not accept the idea of
former slaves voting and holding
office.
Many were white supremacists who
believed in the superiority of the
white race.
The most radical turned to violence,
forming terrorist groups against
African-Americans.
The most well-known of these was
the Ku Klux Klan
Their original goal was to drive out
Union troops and allow white
Democrats to regain control of the
South.
Ending the Terror…Temporarily





In 1870 and 1871, Congress took
action to end the wave of terror by
passing the Enforcement Acts.
These laws made it a federal crime
to deprive citizens of their civil rights.
President Grant sent federal
marshals into the South to crush the
terror groups.
These officials arrested hundreds of
men, temporarily reducing the
violence.
As white Democrats reclaimed
Southern governments, however, they
were much more tolerant and even
supportive of these groups.