End of Reconstruction
Alex Welch, Heather Merrifield, Jessica
McCarty, Josh Lindauer, and Logan Bower
The Depression of 1873
Also known as The Panic
of 1873
Lasted from 1873-1878
After the Civil War,
employment rose and
the economy grew
because focus returned
to the country's economy
Over 30,000 miles of
railroad tracks were laid,
including the TransContinental Railroad via
the Union Pacific and
Central Pacific
Started the investment
in a Northern route
Main Cause of the Collapse
Most friendly firms of the
United States invested
heavily in the railroad
They ran out of funds
before the project was
completed and they
could not get the money
back
Declared bankruptcy
Effects
20,000 businesses were
shut down over the
course of 5 years
100 railroad companies
suffered and/or declared
bankruptcy immediately
Employment dropped
significantly
The 1870s
Reconstruction efforts
were stalled when
Democrats got majority
in the House of
Representatives in 1874
Democrats were slowly
regaining control of the
South
There was a lot of
violence used by
Democrats to secure
power
In some cases,
Republicans were
murdered in the 1876
election
The Civil Rights Act of 1875
Passed by radical
Republicans
Democrats in the House
try to make sure it was
unenforceable
Democrats in the House
Democrats in the House
said African Americans
had to file their own
claims to protect their
rights
They knew many
African Americans had
no money and couldn't
file a lawsuit
Candidates in The Election
of 1876
Samuel Tilden:
democratic governor of
New York
Rutherford B Hayes:
republican governor of
Ohio
The South hope that
Hayes would restrict
federal enforcement of
reconstruction-era policies
The Election of 1876
Tilden won the swing
states of Connecticut,
Indiana, New York, and
New Jersey
Tilden had the 184 out
of 185 electoral votes
that he needed to win
the election
The Election of 1876
Republicans accused
democrat supporters of
bribing an intimidating
African-American voters
to keep them from
voting in Florida,
Louisiana, and South
Carolina
The Election of 1876
As the votes were
added up, numbers kept
changing and many
thought the numbers
were being rigged
Electoral Commission
Congress set up and
electoral commission in
1877
It was supposed to consist
of 7 Republicans, 7
Democrats, and 1 neutral
politician but there were
actually 8 republicans and
7 democrats
If Democrats allowed Hayes
to win:
Republicans promised
to support a bill to
subsidize the
construction of the
Trans-Continental
Railroad in the South
They also gave the
Post-Master General
position to a Southern
white man
Federal Troops would
be removed from the
South
Known as The
Compromise of 1877
Results
Tilden's party abandoned
him
Hayes is elected
president in 1876,
becomes president in
1877
Troops are removed from
the South, signifying the
end of Reconstruction
What caused reconstruction
to end?
Loss of interest and passion from the North
Many of their interests turned from strictly
Reconstruction to Western expansion, corruption in
government, and industrial growth
The North also thought the South should solve their
own problems
The economic downturn and caused people to focus
on their own financial situations
Congress was frustrated because the Supreme Court
struck down a lot of legislation
Primary Source
"After they told us we were free -- even then they
would not let us live as man and wife together. And
when we would run away to be free, the white people
would not let us come on their places to see our
mothers, wives, sisters, or fathers. We was made to
leave or go back and live as slaves. To my own
knowledge there was over two thousand colored
people killed trying to get away after the white people
told us we were free in 1865."
Failures of Reconstruction
Most legislation passed by Radical Republicans was
useless
Removal of troops meant it was easy for rich whites to
regain power and return to the Old South policies
Supreme Court rulings undid legislation made by
Congress
Civil Rights got put aside until the 1900s
Successes of
Reconstruction
The United States maintained the title of The United
States
Southern states drafted new constitutions, ratified the
13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments, and pledged
loyalty to the Union
Settled the debate between states' rights and
federalism
Sources
http://www.historycentral.com/rec/EndofRec.html
http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/exhibits/reconstruction/section5/section5_intro.html
http://www.umich.edu/~lawrace/votetour4.htm
http://www.authentichistory.com/1865-1897/1-reconstruction/4-1876election/
http://www.apstudynotes.org/us-history/topics/the-end-of-reconstruction/
http://legacy.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/1866endfocivilwar.asp
http://www.harpweek.com/09cartoon/BrowseByDateCartoon.asp?Month=September&Date=2
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Primary Source: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/reconstruction/sharecrop/ps_adams.html
http://www.socialstudieshelp.com/usra_end_of_reconstruction.htm