Reconstruction Begins
Unit 7, Lesson 5
Essential Idea
• President Lincoln, President Johnson, and
Radical Republicans in Congress put forth
different plans for Reconstruction.
Reconstruction
• Reconstruction:
• Reconstruction—time
period in which the
federal government
readmitted and rebuilt
the South
• Issues of
Reconstruction:
• Issues of
Reconstruction:
• Status of ex-slaves, exConfederates, the
southern economy, and
what terms to demand
from the South
Lincoln’s Reconstruction Plan
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Reconstruction Planner:
Abraham Lincoln
Reconstruction Plan:
“10% Plan”
Emphasis of Plan:
Reconciliation with South
Details:
1. Only 10% of a state
population had to pledge
allegiance to the Union
• 2. All Confederates except for
leaders received amnesty
(were pardoned)
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Radical
Republicans
Radical Republicans:
Radical Republicans—Republicans in
Congress who wanted to revolutionize
the South, not reconcile with it
Thaddeus Stevens led the Radical
Republicans
Goals:
Abolition of slavery and FULL EQUAL
RIGHTS for southern freedmen (exslaves)
Disagreement with Lincoln:
Radical Republicans felt Lincoln’s
Reconstruction plan was too lenient
Wade-Davis Bill—Congress proposed
that 50%, not 10%, of a state
population had to pledge allegiance
Lincoln rejected the bill for being too
harsh
The 13th Amendment
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Civil War Amendment:
13th Amendment
Details:
Slavery was abolished in the entire United States
Impact:
Almost four million black slaves were permanently freed
The federal government had to decide the role and rights of freedmen
Freedmen’s Bureau
• Freedman’s Bureau:
• Freedmen’s Bureau—federal agency set up to help freedmen adjust
to freedom in the South
• It provided food, shelter, medicine, jobs, and, most importantly,
education for freedmen
Lincoln’s
Assassination
• The Assassination:
• John Wilkes Booth
killed Abraham Lincoln
during a play at Ford’s
Theatre
Lincoln’s
Assassination
• Impact of the
Assassination:
• Lincoln became a
martyr and his
leadership through
Reconstruction was
lost
• Lincoln’s Assassination
• Andrew Johnson, who
was unpopular,
became president
Johnson’s
Reconstruction
Plan
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Reconstruction Planner:
Andrew Johnson
Reconstruction Plan:
“10% Plus Plan”
Emphasis of Plan:
Reconciliation with the South
Details:
Only 10% of a state
population had to pledge
allegiance
• Amnesty for Confederates;
Confederate LEADERS had to
apply for pardons
• Southern states had to ratify
the 13th Amendment
Readmission of Southern
Governments?
• Johnson’s Reconstruction:
• With Congress in recess,
Johnson admitted many
southern states
• Southern states started
passing “black codes”
• Black codes—laws that
restricted freemen’s rights (no
suffrage, guns, serving on
juries, etc.)
• Radical Republican Reaction:
• Furious over southerners in
Congress passing black codes
• When they returned, the
Radical Republicans kicked the
southerners out of Congress
• The Radical Republicans
fought Johnson for power
• Reconstruction under Johnson
Johnson vs. Congress
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Radical Republican Bill:
Civil Rights Act of 1866
Purpose:
Create black citizenship and
equality and reverse black
codes
Radical Republican Bill:
Extend Freedmen’s Bureau
Purpose:
Expand power of agency to
help freedmen
Fate:
Johnson vetoed the both bills
Midterm Elections of 1866
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Midterm Elections of 1866:
Radical Republicans won so many seats in Congress to be “veto proof”
Consequences:
Johnson’s vetoes were overridden
Congress approved of the 14th Amendment (to protect the Civil Rights Act
of 1866)
• Congress overpowered Johnson with their own Reconstruction plan
The 14th Amendment
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Civil War Amendment:
14th Amendment
What It Did:
Defined black citizenship and “equal
protection under the law”
Impact:
Freedmen were defined as citizens
and entitled to equal rights
The 14th Amendment would apply to
many important future Supreme
Court cases
The 14th Amendment
Radical Reconstruction Begins
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Reconstruction Planner:
Radical Republicans
Reconstruction Plan:
Military Reconstruction
Emphasis of Plan:
Punishment and Revolution
Details:
Southern states had to
ratify the 14th Amendment
Military Reconstruction
• Southern states had to allow freedmen suffrage
• The South was divided into five military-controlled districts to
enforce these new rules
Johnson vs. Congress
• Radicals conspired
to get Johnson
“out of the way”
• Congress
intentionally
passed a law
(Tenure of Office
Act) they knew
Johnson would
break so they could
impeach him
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Johnson’s Impeachment
Johnson’s Impeachment and Trial:
The House of Representatives impeached Johnson for breaking the law
The Senate found him not guilty by ONE vote
Precedent Set:
Congress could not impeach the president just for political reasons
Johnson’s Impeachment
Election of 1868
• Johnson was not nominated for reelection; exgeneral and Radical Republican Ulysses S.
Grant became president
The 15th Amendment
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Civil War Amendment:
15th Amendment
What It Did:
Gave all races suffrage
Impact:
Southern freedmen gained suffrage and
could even run for political office
• Impact of the 15th Amendment
• Republicans secured black votes for a long
time, increasing the party’s power