Chapter 17 Notes
Reconstruction & the New South
1865-1896
Ch. 17 Vocab
Reconstruction- refers to how to rebuild a
devastated South, & readmit Southern states to the
Union
Amnesty- a pardon
Radical- a person who takes an extreme approach
to a cause
Impeach- formal process in which an official is
accused of unlawful activity
Reconstruction Plans
Reconstruction Debate
* Following the Civil War – need for a major rebuilding period –
called Reconstruction
A. Lincoln’s Plan
1) Ten Percent Plan – 10% of a states pop. swore loyalty to
the Union – that state could form a new govt.
a) Also had to adopt const. that banned slavery
2) Didn’t want to punish southerners – felt it would delay
healing
3) Offered Amnesty to southerners willing to swear loyalty
to Union – except Confederate leaders
B. The Radicals’ Plan
1) Radical Republicans – wanted more “extreme” approach
2) Denied seats to congress from any state readmitted to
Union
3) Basically wanted to punish the South before readmitting
4) Lincoln knew he would have to compromise with the
Radicals
C. The Freedmen’s Bureau
1) Purpose was to help African
American’s adapt to freedom
a) Gave food, clothes, & medical
services
b) Helped acquire land or find work
c) Set up schools (some higher
learning)
Johnson’s Plan
*April 14, 1865 – Lincoln assassinated by
John Wilkes Booth
* Vice Pres. Andrew Johnson becomes
President
* Called his plan “Restoration”
* States had to ratify the 13th Amend. but
Johnson opposed equal rights for
African Americans
* Felt “white men alone must manage the
South”
**By the end of 1865 – all seceding
states but Texas had a new govt. and
were ready to rejoin Union
Radicals in Control
African American Rights
* Due to riots in the South, Radical Rep. felt Johnson’s Plan needed
to be stronger
A. Black Codes
1) Southern states passed laws to control freed men:
a) Could arrest jobless African Am.
b) Banned them from owning farms
2) Congress passed Civil Rights Act of 1866
a) Gave full citizenship to African Am.
b) Federal govt. had power to intervene in state affairs to
protect rights
c) Overturned Black codes & contradicted Dred Scott Case
3) Pres. Johnson vetoed both bills
a) Said they were unconstitutional due to not including reps.
from ALL states
4) Republicans in Congress defeated both vetoes & they became
Law
B. Fourteenth Amendment - 1866
1) Granted full citizenship to all people born in the United States
2) No one could take away citizens right to life, liberty, or property
without “due process of the law”
3) Southern states had to ratify this Amendment to rejoin the Union
4) Was delayed until 1868 (due to southern states not ratifying it)
Radical Reconstruction
* With Rep. in control of Congress – Johnson could do little to stop them
A. Reconstruction Acts of 1867
1) Divided 10 Southern states not in the Union into five military
districts run by a military commander
2) Guaranteed all African Am. men right to vote in state elections
3) Had to ratify 14th Amend. to rejoin the Union
B. Readmission of States
1) 1868 – AL, AR, FL, GA, LA, NC, & SC rejoined Union
2) 1870 – MS, VA, & TX were restored to the Union
C. Impeaching the President
1) Johnson impeached but not convicted – remained Pres. Until 1869
D. The Fifteenth Amendment
1) Couldn’t deny the right of any male to vote because of “race, color,
or previous condition of servitude”
The South During Reconstruction
Reconstruction Politics
* Republicans dominate southern politics
A. African Americans in Government
1) 16 African Am. in House & 2 in Senate
2) Hiram Revels & Blanch Bruce
B. Scalawags & Carpetbaggers
1) Scalawags – name given to Southern
whites who backed Republicans
2) Carpetbaggers – name given to
northerners who moved to the south
& supported Republicans
a) Brought their belongings in cheap
suitcases made of carpet fabric
C. Resistance to Reconstruction
1) Most southern whites refused to rent
land etc. to African Am.
2) Ku Klux Klan came into existence
Ku Klux Klan
Nathan Bedford Forrest –
Becomes “Grand Wizard”
In 1868
Education & Farming
* About 40% of African Am.
Children attended school in the
south
* White women & African Am. Men
came from the north to teach
* Almost all schools were
segregated
** Sharecropping was the most
common form of farm work for
African Am.
** Rented a plot of land & “shared”
a percentage of crops with
landowner
** After paying landowners, barely
had enough to feed their
families
Change in the South
The End of Reconstruction
* Reconstruction comes to an end for many
reasons
A. Republican Revolt
1) Some Republicans start to split with the
party, due to reports of corruption in
Grants Administration
B. Democrats Regain Power
1) 1872 – Amnesty Act is passed
a) Pardoned most former confederates
b) Nearly all white southerners
could now vote & hold office
2) Democrats start to regain control of
state governments in the South
3) 1873 – many political scandals
come to light (Republican)
4) Panic of 1873 – economic depression
5) Election of 1874 – Democrats gain
control of the House of Reps.
C. The Election of 1876 (Presidential)
1) Republicans - nominate Rutherford B. Hayes
a) Held modest view on Reconstruction
2) Democrats – nominate Samuel Tilden
3) Hayes wins in an interesting election
a) Tilden – more pop. votes but one electoral vote
short of winning
b) Special commission formed to award 20 electoral
votes – Hayes wins 8 to 7
D. Compromise of 1877
1) Hayes wins but all troops are removed from the South
& more govt. aid is given to the South
E. A New Policy
1) Hayes’ message – Fed. Govt. will no longer attempt
to reshape southern society
2) Reconstruction officially ends
Change in the South
A. Democrats in Control
1) New leaders take charge
a) Merchants, bankers, business leaders – support
economic development
B. Change in Politics
1) Democrats called “redeemers” due to redeeming or
“saving” the south
2) One party rule & conservative policies dominate
Southern politics
C. Rise of the “New South”
1) Would have industries based on cotton, coal, iron,
tobacco, & lumber
2) Southern industry grows because of a cheap reliable
workforce
3) Agriculture still remains main economic activity
A Divided Society
A. Voting Restrictions
1) When reconstruction ends – African Am.
face more problems
2) Southerners find a way around 15th Amend.
a) Poll Tax – fee paid to vote
b) Literacy Test – African Am. had little
education
c) Grandfather Clauses – allowed whites
who couldn’t pass the test to vote if
fathers or grandfathers had voted
B. Jim Crow Laws
1) Caused African Am. & whites to be
segregated in almost every public place
2) Plessy v. Ferguson – sets policy of
“separate but equal” for next 50 years
C. Reconstruction’s Impact
1) Was a success & a failure
2) Allowed African Am. to advance briefly,
then regressed back toward slavery
“Separate but Equal”