Reconstruction Politics
(1863/65-1877)
I.
II.
Intro
Presidential (1863-67)
A. Lincoln
B. Radicals & Others
•
Southern Resistance
C. Impeachment
III. Radical/Congressional
(1868-77)
A. Amendments 13, 14,
15
B. 1876 Election
IV. Conc.
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Key Terms
Lincoln’s Plan
Radical Republicans
Thaddeus Stevens
Charles Sumner
Andrew Johnson
Black Codes
14th Amendment
Compromise of
1877
Results Of The Civil War
(1861-1865)
1. Over 600,000 died &
much of the South
was destroyed
Reconstruction

The process of
putting the nation
back together
following the Civil
War
Image Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Lincoln’s Plan (1863)
(VERY Lenient)
1. 10% of voters in Confederate
states must:
a) accept emancipation
b) swear loyalty to the Union
2. High ranking Confederate
officials could not vote or hold
office unless pardoned by
President
 Once these conditions were met,
a state could return to the Union
Image Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
John Wilkes Booth
(1838-1865)
Lincoln Assassination Website
Lincoln Assassination Conspirators
These four were hanged
July 7, 1865; they included
Mary Surrat (the first
woman to be hanged by the
US Government)
Three Important Individuals Following
Lincoln’s Death
•Thaddeus Stevens
•Charles Sumner
•Andrew Johnson
Radical Republicans
Radical Republicans
1. Members of the Republican Party who wanted
to:
a) Punish the South for causing the Civil War
b) Protect the rights of former slaves
One Radical Republican
Thaddeus Stevens
Member of House of
Representatives
Goal: Economic opportunity
for former slaves
Another Radical Republican
Charles Sumner
Member of US Senate
Goal: Citizenship/political
rights for former slaves
Mr. President
(He assumed the Presidency after Lincoln’s death)
• Senator from Tennessee & Andrew Johnson
Lincoln’s VP
• He was a Democrat & his
Reconstruction plan was
similar to Lincoln’s
• Issued 13,000 pardons
• Unconcerned with rights of
former slaves
Southern Resistance To
Reconstruction
• Black Codes emerged (Johnson did nothing):
•Laws establishing conditions very similar
to slavery for black Americans
Mr. President
(He assumed the Presidency after Lincoln’s death)
• Senator from Tennessee &
Lincoln’s VP
• He was a Democrat & his
Reconstruction plan was
similar to Lincoln’s
• Issued 13,000 pardons
• Unconcerned with rights of
former slaves
• Impeached in 1868
Andrew Johnson
Impeachment & Removal Of
President
(Two Step Process)
1. Impeachment: To bring
official charges against the
President (majority vote in
House of Representatives)
2. Trial/Removal: The
President stands trial
(Senate acts as jury; 2/3
majority vote is needed for
removal)

Cartoon: King Andrew I
Johnson was impeached,
but not removed from office;
he was ineffective following
impeachment
Radical/Congressional
Reconstruction
(1868-77)
• Following Johnson’s impeachment, Congress
controlled Reconstruction and…

Former Confederate States were militarily
occupied by US troops until they ratified
the 14th Amendment
13th Amendment (1865)
•Prohibited Slavery
14th Amendment (1868)
1. All persons born in the United States are
citizens of the United States.
2. All citizens are guaranteed equal treatment
under the law.
15th Amendment (1870)
His First Vote, by Thomas
Waterman Wood, 1865
• Guaranteed the right of
all black men to vote.
• “The right of citizens of the
United States to vote shall
not be denied or abridged by
the United States or by any
State on account of race,
color, or previous condition of
servitude.”
1876 Election
• Samuel Tilden (D)
• Rutherford B. Hayes (R )
• The winner is…?
1876 Election
A Commission was established to determine the
winner:
Compromise of 1877
1. Hayes became President.
2. Military Occupation of the South &
Reconstruction ended.
a) The rights of former slaves were not
protected.
Evaluating Reconstruction
• Was Reconstruction a success or failure…?
Reconstruction Politics
(1863/65-1877)
I.
II.
Intro
Presidential (1863-67)
A. Lincoln
B. Radicals & Others
•
Southern Resistance
C. Impeachment
III. Radical/Congressional
(1868-77)
A. Amendments 13, 14,
15
B. 1876 Election
IV. Conc.
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Key Terms
Lincoln’s Plan
Radical Republicans
Thaddeus Stevens
Charles Sumner
Andrew Johnson
Black Codes
14th Amendment
Compromise of
1877