AGENDA: THURSDAY, OCTOBER 13
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Warm Up
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Lecture with question/answer discussion
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Marginalia (article on Thaddeus Stevens)
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Reflection
WARM UP
“Nothing in all history (equaled) this wonderful,
quiet, sudden transformation of four millions of
human beings from… the auction block to the
ballot box.”
-William Lloyd Garrison
Please interpret the above quote and write
down what you think Garrison is trying to say.
OBJECTIVES
To summarize President Lincoln’s Reconstruction
policies
 To identify differences between presidential and
congressional Reconstruction policies
 To identify Andrew Johnson’s views on
Reconstruction policies and summarize reasons
for his impeachment.
 To discuss steps taken by Congress, and Thaddeus
Stevens in particular, to protect the rights of
former slaves.
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Phase One
RECONSTRUCTION
LINCOLN’S TEN PERCENT PLAN
Lincoln’s Plan for Reconstruction:
1. As soon as 10% of a Confederated state took an oath of
loyalty to the Union & promise to obey all laws, then civil
government would be restored
2. All persons except high ranking Confederate officials
would receive pardons & those accused of war crimes
3. Lincoln said “The South never left the Union” sooooo
it is the President’s job to deal with the States.
4. Lincoln wanted the Nation to return back to normal
as soon as possible… Reason for generous terms…
“With malice towards none, and charity for all…”
RECONSTRUCTION: PHASE ONE
A MAJORITY OF THE REPUBLICANS IN CONGRESS DISAGREE!
Why? What is it about Lincoln’s Plan that makes them
angry?
Some wanted more done for the ex-slaves – wanted laws to
ensure African-American rights
2. Some afraid Democrat’s would gain power & challenge
Republicans
3. Some just wanted REVENGE… Destroy the political power of
former slave owners
These anti-Lincoln groups became known as the:
1.
RADICAL REPUBLICANS
RADICAL REPUBLICANS
Their Plan for Reconstruction was called the WADE– DAVIS BILL
(Congress not the president responsible for Reconstruction)
1. President would pick a governor for
each Confederate State.
2. When a majority (not 10%) of people (whites) took
an oath, the governor would call for a
constitutional convention.
3. The New Constitution would have to say
- NO Confederate military or civil officer could hold office
- All SLAVERY had to be ABOLISHED! (Is this fair?)
Lincoln Vetoes this Bill!
V.P. ANDREW JOHNSON
PROBLEM: Lincoln dies before issue is settled
 President Johnson has a Reconstruction plan of his
own… a combination of Lincoln’s & Wade – Davis Bill
1. Ex-Confederate states have to swear allegiance to the
Union
2. Ratify the 13th Amendment –abolish slavery
3. Was willing to pardon high ranking officials
4. Favored state’s rights on issues such as giving African
Americans the right to vote
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Who does this favor? Radicals or white Southerners?
PRESIDENT JOHNSON & RECONSTRUCTION
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By December of 1865… All ex-Confederate states (except
Texas) had complied with Johnson’s plan….
When Southerners came to claim their seats in congress
Radical Republicans refused to seat them…
REASONS: 1. Many ex-confederate military & civil officials
were elected
2. Southern governments enacted “Black
Codes” which limited the freedom of blacks
in the South… (What are Black Codes?)
3. The Radical Republicans thought the South
was trying to re-establish SLAVERY!!!!
RADICAL REPUBLICANS TAKE OVER
First they created the: FREEDMEN’S BUREAU
This gave blacks: food, clothes, schools, land…
 With NO southern democrat’s in Congress…
Radical Republicans had complete control & could
overrule the Presidents veto!!!
 Congress passed a Civil Rights Law & 14 th
Amendment that granted citizenship to former
slaves…
 President Johnson will try to campaign against
Radical Republicans in the Congressional Election
of 1866… HE FAILS!!!
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RADICAL REPUBLICANS TAKE OVER IN 1867
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The former Confederate States were divided into 5
military districts
Each district controlled by a military governor
Blacks could vote for new State Constitutions
Ex-Confederate military & civil officials could not.
Constitution gave blacks the right to vote & hold
property
Also had to ratify the 13th, 14th & 15th Amendments…
(abolish slavery, citizenship, right to vote)
ALL this had to be done in order to rejoin the UNION!!!!
RADICAL REPUBLICANS MAKE CHANGES
1ST They try to take over the Army with the:
 COMMAND OF ARMY ACT
 The President could not issue orders without the
consent of Congress
 2nd They pass the TENURE OF OFFICE ACT
 Said: Any official appointed by the President and
approved by Senate could not be removed without
Senate approval… (reason to save Secretary of
War Edwin Stanton)
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RADICAL RECONSTRUCTION
Johnson’s Impeachment
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Edward Stanton, Lincoln’s secretary
of war, had stayed on in Johnson’s
cabinet.
Stanton supported congressional
Republicans and prevented Johnson
from undermining Congress’s
program. In response, Johnson fired
him.
The House of Representatives voted
to impeach Johnson for violating the
Tenure of Office Act.
The Senate failed to convict by one
vote, and Johnson remained in
office.
Although no longer in control of
Reconstruction, Johnson continued
to issue pardons, and by the end of
1868 the rights of almost all
Confederate leaders had been
restored.
The Fifteenth Amendment
During the impeachment trial,
Republicans nominated General
Grant as their presidential
candidate.
 The 1868 election was close, but
the African American vote in the
South gave Grant an electoral
college victory.
 Republicans pushed through the
Fifteenth Amendment, which
extended suffrage to all African
American males nationwide.
 This brought millions of potential
new voters to the Republican Party
and aimed to protect freedmen from
pardoned former Confederates.
However, it did not ban denial of
suffrage for reasons other than
race.
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RADICAL REPUBLICANS MAKE CHANGES
The Radical Republicans take up the challenge
and will try to remove PRESIDENT JOHNSON
 The House of Representatives will IMPEACH
President Johnson on the charges of 11 counts
of “high crimes and misdemeanors”
 The trial in the Senate will begin on March 13,
1867 & will last 2 months
 35 to 19 voted to impeach, but needed one
more vote (2/3) to find Johnson guilty.
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REPUBLICANS IN CHARGE
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The Main Idea
Republican Reconstruction had significant impact on life in the South.
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Objectives
•
What changes did Republican government
bring to the South?
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What was life after slavery like for African
Americans?
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How did Reconstruction affect patterns of land
ownership and land use in the South?
REPUBLICAN GOVERNMENT BRINGS CHANGE TO THE SOUTH
Scalawags
 Scalawag was the name
given to southerners who
supported the shift in power
to Congress and the army.
 Many were farmers who had
never owned slaves.
 Some joined the Republicans
to prevent the planter class
from returning to power;
others were southerners
ruined by the war; still others
wanted to end the
dependence on plantation
agriculture.
Carpetbaggers
 The scalawags allied with
carpetbaggers, northerners
who came south to take part
in the region’s political and
economic rebirth.
 Scorned as low-class persons
who could carry their
belongings in a carpetbag,
many were educated and
came from a variety of
backgrounds.
 Many bought abandoned land
cheaply or formed
partnerships with planters.
LIFE AFTER SLAVERY FOR AFRICAN AMERICANS
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Freedom meant a variety of things, including reuniting with
family and the search for employment. Some moved west
or north, but most stayed in the South.
Most eagerly sought education and began to establish
their own institutions, including churches and schools.
The churches became centers of community life.
A wide variety of other organizations were created,
including debate clubs, drama societies, trade
associations, fire companies, and mutual aid
societies. Freedmen were taking the lead to improve
themselves and gain control of their lives.
RECONSTRUCTION & LAND OWNERSHIP
Southern
Homestead
Act
New labor
system
Industrial
growth
Giving away planters’ land to former slaves was
considered too extreme. Instead, Congress passed
a law setting aside 45 million acres of
government-owned land to provide free farms.
Under the new sharecropping system the
employer provided the land, tools, seed—
basically everything but the labor. If able, some
switched to tenant farming, renting the land
they farmed from the landowner. Independence
was difficult.
Southern cities grew rapidly. Atlanta and other
cities became business centers, with textile mills
and other manufacturing ventures being built.
Workers still earned lower wages in the South, and
many were locked in a cycle of debt.
RECONSTRUCTION COLLAPSES
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The Main Idea
A variety of events and forces led to the end of Reconstruction,
which left a mixed legacy for the nation.
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Reading Focus
•
What problems caused support for
Reconstruction to decline?
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What events brought Reconstruction to an
end?
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What was Reconstruction’s legacy for the
South and for the rest of the nation?
PROBLEMS WITH RECONSTRUCTION
Terrorist Groups
 Reconstruction brought
violent opposition
throughout the South.
 The KKK and similar
organizations wanted to
restore the old political order.
 Their methods included
threats, house burnings, and
killings against not only
blacks but whites as well.
 State governments were
unable to control violence.
Enforcement Acts
 Three Enforcement Acts were
passed, setting heavy
penalties for anyone
attempting to prevent a
qualified person from voting.
 They banned the use of
disguises and gave the army
and federal courts power to
capture and punish KKK
members.
 While the KKK was soon
brought under control, other
groups continued to operate.
PROBLEMS WITH RECONSTRUCTION
Support declines
 White
southerners felt the
Acts threatened individual
freedoms.
 Northerners
were dismayed
that the army was still
needed to keep the peace in
the South.
 State
governments were
seen as ineffective.
 There
was widespread
poverty and lack of land
reform for African Americans.
Lost faith
 Costly
building programs
raised taxes and put state
governments in debt.
 Liberal
Republicans helped
the Democrats regain control
of the House of
Representatives.
 Economic
factors came into
play, with the depression that
began in 1873 taking more
attention.
THE END OF RECONSTRUCTION
Supreme
Court
Decisions
Three Supreme Court decisions seriously weakened
the goals and operations of Reconstruction. The
Slaughterhouse Cases, United States v. Cruikshank,
and United States v. Reese served to limit the impact of
the 14th and 15th Amendments.
Redeeming
the South
Violence increased, and southern Democrats grew
stronger and bolder. Grant refused assistance since the
northern public was “tired out” by South’s continuing
problems. By 1876 Redeemers had won back almost
all of the states.
The Election
of 1876
The presidential election was disputed with charges of
massive voting fraud. With the Compromise of
1877 Republicans agreed to withdraw federal
troops in the South, and in return, Rutherford B.
Hayes became president.
RECONSTRUCTION’S LEGACY
The 14th and 15th Amendments began permanent changes
across the United States. Former slaves were now citizens
with voting rights.
The New South was becoming industrial, but in many ways it
remained the same. White southerners deeply resented that
the federal government controlled their states.
For
the
the
the
a century after Reconstruction ended, the South was know as
Solid South, always voting Democratic. It was not until
1970s that the Republican Party was able to gain ground in
South.
QUESTION TO PONDER: PLEASE ANSWER
Describe how Reconstruction might have been
different if Abraham Lincoln had lived.
Think about:
1. Lincoln’s plan for Reconstruction
2. Lincoln’s relationship with Radical
Republicans
3. Lincoln’s ability to negotiate
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