Reconstruction
5-1
5-1.1

Summarize the aims of
Reconstruction, including the effects
of Abraham Lincoln’s assassination,
Southern resistance to the rights of
freedmen, and agenda of the
Radical Republicans
Reconstruction- Vocabulary




Reconstruction - A period during which
the South had to rebuild.
Black Codes – Replaced Slave Codes.
Kept freedmen in positions of inferiority.
Abraham Lincoln – President of the US.
Assassinated in Ford’s Theater by John
Wilkes Booth.
Andrew Johnson – Vice President; became
President when Lincoln was assassinated.
Notes



Abraham Lincoln wanted to preserve the Union and end
the Civil War quickly. He wanted an easy Reconstruction
so the South would surrender . He was assassinated
(murdered) and Reconstruction policy changed within a
year.
Andrew Johnson wanted to humiliate (embarrass) the
southern elite. He forced Southerners to ask for a
presidential pardon .Allowed Southern states to form new
state governments.
Southerners wanted the war to end, but did not want
society to change. Would recognize an end to slavery, but
would not grant rights to freedmen. Passed the Black
Codes. Were violent and threatening to former slaves.



Congress wanted freedmen to actually be free.
Would not allow Confederates in Congress, and
extended the Freedmen’s Bureau so it would
protect against the Black Codes . Passed the
14th Amendment.
Southern African Americans wanted to
strengthen their families & communities, establish
networks of churches, have equal citizenship
(including land and education) and have
independence in their working lives.
After Lincoln’s assassination, Reconstruction
policies changed and were not as easy. Southerners
probably would not have had to ask for pardons
from Lincoln.

Reconstruction Powerpoint
5-1.2

Explain the effects of
Reconstruction, including new rights
under the thirteenth, fourteenth,
and fifteenth amendments; the
actions of the Freedmen’s Bureau;
an the move from a plantation
system to sharecropping.
Vocabulary



13th Amendment – abolished
slavery
14th Amendment- former slaves
treated equally 1868
15th Amendment-all races the
right to vote 1870
Vocabulary







South-did not agree with Reconstruction plan
North-did not like Johnson-thought he was too easy on
the South
Jim Crow laws- enforced segregation (separation of
whites and blacks)
Freedmen’s Bureau- Organization that provided
former slaves with food, shelter, healthcare, education,
jobs
Scalawags- Southerners who wanted to get rid of
slavery; considered traitors in the South
Carpetbaggers-moved to South and took advantage
of poor economy by opening businesses
Sharecropping- rented land from sharecroppers and
paid for things with crop
Notes: 5-1.2 Amendments



These Amendments were written to end slavery and
protect the rights of the newly freed slaves.
The 13th Amendment freed slaves everywhere in the
US . Recognized the rights of all Americans to “life, liberty,
and the pursuit of happiness” as promised in the
Declaration of Independence. Therefore, during this time,
the rights of African Americans were protected by the
federal government.
The 14th Amendment recognized the citizenship of all
Americans. It also recognized the rights of all citizens to
“due process of law” and “equal protection of the laws.”
Affected all African Americans, not just those in the South.
Also lessened the power of states that did not recognize
the right of citizens to vote; however, this was not
effective, and led to the 15th Amendment.


The 15th Amendment gave all male citizens the right to
vote, regardless of “race, creed, or previous condition of
servitude.” Southern states had to write new constitutions
that allowed African Americans to vote . As a result,
African Americans were allowed to vote and hold political
office.
These amendments were only effective if Republicans
had control of the state governments, or if federal troops
were able to protect the rights of African Americans. Most
Southerners refused to sell land to African Americans,
even if they could pay for it. Economic rights and
independence of freedmen were limited, even during
Reconstruction. After Reconstruction, there was no
protection for rights of African Americans.
Freedmen’s
Bureau
Carpetbaggers
Scalawags
Organization that
provided former
slaves with food,
shelter,
healthcare,
education, jobs
Northerners who
moved to the
South, opened
businesses to make
$
Southerners who
supported
Reconstruction
CRITCISM-Southern plantation
owners
-KKK
CRITICISM-Southerners b/c
Carpetbaggers took
away jobs and
workers
CRITICISM-Southerners b/c they
supported the
government
Amendment 13
What rights and privileges
were extended by each
amendment?
To whom were rights and
privileges extended by each
amendment?
What rights and privileges
were denied by each
amendment?
To whom were rights and
privileges extended by each
amendment?
To whom were rights and
privileges denied?
Amendment 14
Amendment 15
5-1.3

Explain the purpose and motivations
of subversive groups during
Reconstruction and their rise to
power after the withdrawal of
federal troops from the South
Vocabulary

5.1-3
KKK-Ku Klux Klan-opposed rights
of African-Americans
1. Discriminatory Groups Notes



During Reconstruction, many
discriminatory groups developed to
intimidate the freedmen.
The Ku Klux Klan (KKK) was a terrorist
group that used violence to keep African
Americans from exercising the rights they
had been granted under the 13th, 14th,
and 15th amendments.
The KKK wanted whites to regain control
of the state governments.
2. Ku Klux Klan (KKK)



The KKK intimidated blacks by lynching
them and burning crosses.
Because of the KKK, the election of 1876
was so full of fraud that the H.of Rep. had
to agree to the Compromise of 1877:
Democratic politicians agreed to support
the Republican candidate in exchange for
the removal of all troops from the South
This was the end of Reconstruction and
Blacks were abandoned by the federal
gov’t.
3. Jim Crow Laws



During Reconstruction, many
discriminatory groups developed to
intimidate the freedmen.
The Ku Klux Klan (KKK) was a terrorist
group that used violence to keep African
Americans from exercising the rights they
had been granted under the 13th, 14th,
and 15th amendments.
The KKK wanted whites to regain control
of the state governments.
4. Segregation




Segregation: the act of keeping groups of people
separated.
Segregation violated the equal protection part of
the 14th amendment; however, the Supreme
Court ruled in the case of Plessy v Ferguson that
separate facilities were legal as long as these
facilities were equal.
The “separate-but-equal” idea made the Jim Crow
laws legal in the South for the next 6 decades.
The “separate” part of the phrase was enforced,
while the “equal” part was ignored.
5. Laws limiting the 15th Amendment



Laws established a literacy test African
Americans had to pass in order to be able
to vote; all voters had to read a passage
from the Constitution. However, whites
were not required to pass the test.
A poll tax made it harder for poor farmers
to pay, so many could not vote.
A “grandfather clause” meant that if your
grandfather voted, you could as well; this
kept many African Americans from voting
because their grandfathers had not been
given that right.
6. Discrimination in the North


Northern states were not as
discriminatory as in the South, but
there was still discrimination there.
In the North, neighborhoods were
racially separated, blacks were last
hired, first fired, and Blacks had
little political power.
5-1.4

Compare the political, economic,
and social effects of Reconstruction
on different populations in the
South and in other regions of the
United States.
Effects on Rich Southerners
1.
2.
3.
4.
The southern elite wanted to quickly get rich again
off of cotton production and thus keep their high
social position and political power.
As a result of losing their slave work force and a lack
of cash to hire free workers, Southern planters were
forced to find another way to work their land,
entering into sharecropping relationships with
freedmen.
Some Southern land owners complained that under
Reconstruction, they would lose their land due to
high taxes. Few did, however.
Most landowners continued to own their land and be
the social elite of the South. They had economic
control over the sharecroppers and they got political
power back after Reconstruction ended.
Standard 5-1.4
Economic and
Social Effects of the
Reconstruction
Period on:
Economic Effects
Social Effect
Southern
Landowners
Some landowners lost their land because of
higher Taxes.
Landowners who still owned their land had
economic control over sharecroppers.
Most landowners continued to own their land and be
the Social elite.
Landowners regained political control.
African
Americans
They were often denied the right to own land.
Worked as sharecroppers.
Economically dependent on the landowner for
land and credit
They moved away from the plantations, thus they
gained some Social independence.
Poor Southern
Whites
They were also economically dependent on
landowners for land and credit.
Entered into sharecropping or tenant farming.
They were in constant debt and poverty.
Were allowed to have some political voice for the first
time.
They were called scalawags by southern elite.
They remained in social inferiority.
Northerners
Some came as missionaries and entrepreneurs.
They helped to educate the freedmen and
rebuild the economy of the south.
Some moved to the South to take advantage of the
South.
They were called Carpetbaggers.
Sharecropping
Southern planters were forced to find another
way to work their land, so they entered into
sharecropping with the freedmen and poor
whites.
Most landowners remained the elite, while the
sharecroppers now had social independence but they
still remained dependent on the landowners.
Effects on African Americans
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Most freedmen tried hard to reestablish family
connections and provide the basic necessities of
life for their families.
Most businessmen wanted to have a cheap labor
system with high productivity.
Consequently, freedmen were not given the
opportunity to own land.
However, they were willing to enter into
sharecropping agreements.
They moved away from the Big House to the plot
of land they would work. They refused to work in
work gangs or have their wives and children work
the fields from sun up to sun down as they had
been forced to do under slavery.
Effects on African Americans
6.
Thus African Americans did get some social freedom,
although they remained economically dependent on
the landowners for land and credit.
7.
Many sought the opportunity to attend school and to
worship as they pleased.
8.
They voted and elected African Americans and white
Republicans who supported their interests to political
offices.
Effects on Poor Southern Whites
1.
2.
3.
4.
For poor whites, the Reconstruction period allowed some to
have a political voice for the first time.
Because they cooperated with the Republican government
in the South, poor whites were called ‘scalawags’ by the
Southern elite and stayed in a low social position.
Some poor whites entered into sharecropping or tenant
farming relationships with landowners.
Like African-American sharecroppers, they were
economically dependent on the land owner for land and
credit. These poor farmers needed cash advances on the
crop in order to feed their families while they waited for the
harvest. Often money from the harvest did not cover the
debt, or the farmer needed to borrow again the next year
in order to provide for his family. This kept the
sharecropper in constant debt and poverty and kept him
from moving or changing crops.
Effects on Northerners: Carpetbaggers
Some Northerners moved to the South during
Reconstruction.
2.
Southerners accused these Northerners of
taking advantage of the South, devastated by
the war, and called them “carpetbaggers.” This
insulting name suggested that they had packed
all of their belongings in a carpetbag and come
south to line their own pockets.
3. However, most of the Northern migrants came as
missionaries and entrepreneurs to help to
educate the freedmen and rebuild the economy
of the South.
1.
Southern Change from Farms to Factories





After Reconstruction ended (during the last two
decades of the 19th century), the southern
economy began to move from farms to factories.
Entrepreneurs began to build textile factories in
the South.
When prices for cotton fell due to worldwide
overproduction and decreased demand, farmers
couldn’t make as much money.
Cotton depleted the soil and the boll weevil
devastated cotton crops and forced more farmers
from the land.
Textile factories attracted white workers from the
farms. However, most jobs at the mills were
denied to African American workers.
Civil War and Reconstruction Timeline 1860-1877Find dates and rewrite in sequential order
Civil War
Lincoln’s Assassination
Lincoln’s Election
Lincoln’s Plan
AJ takes over
AJ’s Plan
13th Amendment
14th Amendment
15th Amendment
KKK
AJ’s Impeachment Trial
End of Reconstruction