The End of
Reconstruction
Big questions for today:
1.What were the accomplishments of
Reconstruction?
2.Why did Reconstruction come to an
end?
With your partner, put
together as much of the
story of Reconstruction as
you can – keep it in order!
Presidential Reconstruction
Andrew Johnson
Tennessee Democrat and former
supporter of slavery
Wanted to restore power to
Southern states
Results: Black Codes; KKK
Congressional Reconstruction
Led by Radical Republicans
Two key differences:
◦More rights for former slaves
◦More power for the federal
government
Two key parts
1. Reconstruction Amendments
13th Amendment (1865):
abolishes slavery
14th Amendment (1868):
equal citizenship rights
15th Amendment (1870):
voting rights
◦Which party gains?
2. Enforcement Acts
1870-71
Protected civil rights
Criminalized KKK-related activities
Enforced by federal troops
With your partner: Why
didn’t Reconstruction
last?
1. The Election of 1876
Rutherford Hayes (Republican) vs.
Samuel J. Tilden (Democrat)
Final vote was disputed
Compromise of 1877:
◦Hayes becomes president
◦Federal troops leave the South
2. Violence
Ku Klux Klan – formed 1866
Violent opposition against:
◦Black politicians
◦Republican leaders
◦Republican voters
Goal: restore white
supremacy
3. Economic Inequality
Problems facing former slaves:
◦No education
◦No land
The “solution”: sharecropping
◦Families borrowed land and tools
from landowners
◦Paid rent with a share of their crop
The results by 1877
Democratic control of
Southern politics
Reduced federal power
in the South
Restoration of white
supremacy under Jim
Crow
And now, for something
completely different
Identifying key terms
Why?
Three components
◦Date
◦Definition
◦Significance – “This matters because…”
In your own words
Practice ID: Presidential Reconstruction
Date:
Definition:
Significance: This matters because…
With your partner
ID for one of these terms (I will assign):
◦Congressional Reconstruction
◦Ku Klux Klan
◦Enforcement Acts
Use your notes – but use your own words
Date, definition, significance