Gains
The 13th Amendment 1865 - Congress
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It wiped out 2 $ billion in property as slaves were owned by white slave-owners
Created 4 million new freemen in the USA
Ended forever division of the US population between freemen and slaves
When it was passed by the House of Republicans, many black Americans were
allowed to attend in the public gallery, a position from which they had been
barred until 1864
Congress and many northern states passed legislation which began to break
down the second-class position of black Americans --> black witnesses were
allowed in federal court cases+ they could be postmen and ride on the streets in
Washington DC
The leading black activist Frederick Douglass said ‘The work does not end with
the abolition of slavery, but only begins
At the annual meeting, of the American Anti-Slavery Society, William Lloyed
Garrison,
declared
that
his the
vocation
as
an abolitionist
has
ended
Reasons:
Abolition
was
afought
moral
for
many
Americans
Black
soldiers
Civil
War
and helped
defeat
the
Confederacy
of
slavery
could
lead
to 1861-5
future
North/South
conflict
Many
black
slaves
fledinissue
from
their
masters,
making
restoration
of
slavery
impossible
Lincoln
o
o
measure. knew only an amendment could abolish slavery, 1787 constitution allowed it & proclamation was a war
o Continuation
Civil Rights Act 1866 - Congress
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Guaranteed all citizens the equal right to buy, inherit and sell property and enter
into contracts
Gave African Americans the right to legally marry out of free choice
14th Amendment 1868 - Congress
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Gave all US citizens equal protection of the law
it excluded former Confederate leaders from politics
Established that all US citizens were entitled to equal protection of law
it defined what constituted a US citizen
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After its ratification --> anyone was a citizen who was born or naturalized in the
USA and subject to its jurisdiction --> this reversed the US Supreme Court
decision of 1857 known as the Dred Scott case
15th Amendment passed 1869 Congress
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prohibited any federal or state government from depriving any US citizen of the
right to vote
in 1868 only 8 northern states had allowed black Americans to vote
James Garfield, future US President, congressmen at that time declared that
15th Amendment gave black Americans control of their own destiny and placed
their fortunes in their hands
Over 80% of eligible black voters signed up by 1868
the amendment enfranchised over 700,000 ex-slaves, now giving them a huge
amount of political power, black voters even outnumbering white voters in states
like South Carolina, Mississipi, Lousiana, Florida, Alabama
Civil Rights Act 1875 - Congress
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the last act of the reconstruction period
supported equality before the law for the American citizens with justice for all
regardless of race or colour
promised full enjoyment by all citizens including black Americans of inns, publics
conveyances on land and water, theatres and other places of public amusement
The Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen and
Abandoned Lands 1865 - Congress
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helped former black slaves and poor white Southerners by providing food,
housing and medical aid, establishing schools and offering legal assistance
black illiteracy rates fell from 90% in 1860mto 70% in 1880--> some of the
educational institutions founded during Reconstruction including such as Howard
(Washington DC), Fisk (Tennessee) and Atlanta University (Georgia), helped to
produce subsequent generations of civil rights leaders --> black churches
became immensely popular and influential
Political
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16 African Americans as federal Congressmen
600 members off state congresses in the Reconstruction era
Over 1000 holding various local positions such as sheriffs and militiamen
Hiram Reeds and Blanche B Bruce served as senators in the US Congress
In Louisiana, Pickney Pinchbeak, a northern black American and former northern
soldier in the Civil War won election as lieutenant (deputy) governor and served
for a short time as acting governor
The sheer numerical strength of black people, who constituted over 44% of the
population in 7 Southern states meant that white politicians felt pressure to
address black political demands in order to win votes – giving the AfricanAmerican community significant political leverage during Reconstruction, as
shown by how their votes proved crucial to the election of Ulysses S Grant as
President in 1868
Special Fields Order No15 1865
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400 000 acres confiscated as federal property and given to newly emancipated
slaves
By William T. Sherman, Union general
But to raise equipment, had to use local credit system--> forced to offer part of
their future crops
President Johnson revoked
Gains in education
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black illiteracy rates fell from 90% in 1860 to 70% in 1880
the establishment of schools across the US by the Freedmen’s Bureau,
established in 1865, helping to set up over 3,000 schools for freedmen and their
children, and by 1870 had educated c. 150,000 students
Gains which weren’t lost
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The freedom to marry without a 3rd party’s consent remained
The share of black American’s Southern land rose from 3% 1865 to over 25%
1900