Chapter 6 - Reconstruction
After the war, 800,000 acres of land was seized by
the US government and given to newly freed black
farmers (page 134).
Titan Blaster #1:
What soon happened to that land ? What does the
myth “forty acres and a mule” mean ?
Reconstruction and
Transition
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In 1860, Mississippi was one of the South’s wealthiest states. After the
war, it was not. One-third of the adult white male population of MS
died or were disabled during the war.
There was extensive damage to Mississippi during the war that had
to be repaired.
Freedmen or former
slaves were mostly
homeless, jobless and
uneducated.
Many wandered from
town to town looking for
work, their family or just
because they could.
After the War
•Blacks feared their former masters would try to re-enslave them.
•Whites had a hard time accepting blacks as free people.
•People did not
understand the
new expectations
of blacks, whites
or of the
government.
After the War
•The Freedman’s Bureau was created to help former
slaves adjust to freedom.
•They believed that the government would give or lease them
confiscated (seized) land.
•After the war, the
confiscated land was
returned to the white
owners.
After the War
•The Freedman’s Bureau was created to help former
slaves adjust to freedom.
•They believed that the government would give or lease them
confiscated (seized) land.
•After the war, the
confiscated land was
returned to the white
owners.
Presidential Reconstruction
•Reconstruction – the rebuilding of the South
after the war.
•Lincoln had his own plan, but after he was
killed, former Vice President Johnson took
over with a different plan.
Presidential Reconstruction
•Under Johnson’s plan, Southern States had
to
1. repeal their secession order
2. void their war debt
3. ratify the 13th Amendment.
•The provisional governor of MS in 1865 was
William L. Sharkey.
The Constitutional Convention of
1865
•Suffrage is the right to vote.
•100 Mississippi officials met in Jackson to
amend the MS constitution to be more favorable
to blacks. They did not.
•Most of these men were the same people who
ran MS during and before the war.
•Only the Order of Secession was repealed.
•President Johnson strongly suggested that
educated blacks and landowners be allowed to
vote. The new MS constitution did not agree.
The Election of 1865
In the midst of Reconstruction, Mississippi voted for
new leaders. Many white planters worried there
would not be enough workers for their fields.
Titan Blaster #2:
Work the four It’s Your Turn Questions on page
138.
The Election of 1865
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General Benjamin
Humphreys won the state
governor’s election.
Many elected officials were
former Confederate leaders.
Most of these leaders
opposed letting blacks vote
or even testify in court.
Black Codes
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These were passed “to help the freedman,” but they
did not help them at all.
The Civil Rights Act of 1865 made it legal for black
citizens to marry other blacks. Interracial marriages
were still illegal. It also prevented blacks from testifying
in court if it involved a white person.
Blacks could rent or lease land within a town, but that
meant no farming.
Blacks could not own weapons, gather together without
permission, or be unemployed.
Black Codes
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A black who was arrested and could not pay the
fine could be rented out to someone who would
pay their fine.
A group of blacks petitioned the governor and asked if
slavery had really ended in Mississippi.
Black Codes
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The government was outraged.
In 1866, the state legislature passed new laws to
weaken the black codes.
The 14th Amendment was passed making blacks
citizens of the United States.
Congressional Reconstruction
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When Mississippi refused to ratify the 14th
Amendment, the US congress took over.
The Reconstruction Act put MS in District 4
Congressional Reconstruction
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General Edward O. Ord was placed
in charge of the MS military
district.
He registered thousands of men to
vote in MS.
Southern whites who supported
the Republican party were called
scalawags.
Congressional Reconstruction
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Northern white
supporters
were called
carpetbaggers.
Since newly
freed blacks
favored
Lincoln, they
were
Republicans.
Governor Adelbert Ames
MISSISSIPPI of 1868
1.
2.
Titan Blaster #3:
What is the difference between a scalawag and a
carpetbagger?
Why would Mississippi re-elect former
Confederates back into public office?
The Constitution of 1868
•Of the 100 delegates, 17 were black, 29 were
scalawags, 25 carpetbaggers, and 17
conservative democrats.
•Most delegates were scalawags.
•Three black ministers Rev. Thomas Stringer,
Henry Jacobs and Aaron Moore led the black
delegates.
•Two main points – universal male suffrage
(every man could vote) and free public
education for all.
The Constitution of 1868
•Two main points – universal male suffrage
(every man could vote) and free public
education for all.
Problems with the constitution
•The former Confederate soldiers were
disenfranchised, which means they were not
allowed to vote.
•The new constitution was voted down because
of disenfranchisement. Also, the Ku Klux Klan
intimidated many voters meaning many
conservative whites refused to vote.
•President U.S. Grant resubmitted the plan
without the clause against the Confederates, and
it passed.
Republican Rule in MS
•James Alcorn was elected governor in 1869.
•Adelbert Ames from Maine and Hiram
Revels, a black preacher from Natchez were
elected to the US Senate.
•Robert H. Wood became probably the first
black mayor of an American city.
Blanche K. Bruce

He was the only black
senator to serve a full
term in the US Senate
until 1966.
Blanche K. Bruce
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He was very influential in
his work in the US Senate
and called for Congress
to investigate voting fraud
in Mississippi and to pay
“bounties” to black
Civil War soldiers.
The Constitution of 1868
During the Reconstruction of Mississippi, many new
state colleges and universities would be opened for
both blacks and whites (see page 144-147).
Titan Blaster #4:
List four colleges that opened in MS.
Give their original name and the year each opened.
Education
•In 1870, the MS state legislature started free public
schools in each county.
•By 1875, more than 89,000 black children and 78,000
white children attended school.
•Ole Miss was expanded.
•Alcorn State College was created for black students.
Education
•Mississippi A&M (later named Miss. State University)
was started in 1871.
•In 1884, the Mississippi University for Women was
opened in Columbus.
•Jackson State University opened in 1877 as the
Natchez Seminary for Freedmen.
The End of Republican Rule
•Redeemers were white Mississippians who wanted to
return control of MS to the native whites.
•In December 1874, about 500 whites went to the Warren
County courthouse and demanded the resignation of black
sheriff Peter Crosby.
•When blacks from the county showed up to help Crosby get his
job back a riot broke out where 2 whites and 29 blacks were
killed.
•Federal troops stepped in and put down the riot.
Filibuster
•A filibuster is continuous
speechmaking to delay a
vote.
The Constitution of 1890
•There was a call for reform in 1890. Many people felt
that it was time to change many laws written by blacks
and Northern carpetbaggers.
•Reapportionment is the redrawing of lines for voting
precincts. This was requested by whites who felt there
was an unfair drawing of lines in the Delta.
The Constitution of 1890
•The new constitution had an understanding clause
that was added to allow illiterate whites to register
and vote. It also added a $2.00 per year poll tax.
•Two years after the adoption of the Second Mississippi
Plan, black registered voters dropped from 142,000 to
8,615. Whites lost 30,000 who were too poor to pay.