Reconstruction
Chapter 6
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Freedmen
Reconstruction
Freedmen’s Bureau
Suffrage
Black Codes
Scalawag
Carpetbaggers
Universal Male Suffrage
Disenfranchise
Ku Klux Klan
Redeemers
Filibuster
Understanding Clause
Reapportionment
People to Know
President Andrew Johnson
Sharkey
William L.
Benjamin G. Humphreys
Ord
Edward O.
James L. Alcorn
Ames
Hiram Revels
Wood
Blanche K. Bruce
James Zacharias George
Adelbert
Robert H.
Places to Know
Warren County
Clinton
Quotable
History:
Whenever I hear anyone
arguing for slavery, I feel
a strong impulse to see it
tried on him personally.
ABRAHAM LINCOLN,
Mar. 17, 1865
Reconstruction and Transition
In 1860, Mississippi was
one of the South’s
wealthiest states.
Cotton production with
slave labor was the
reason.
After the Civil War that
changed.
The End Of the War
In 1865, the War was over and Mississippi was devastated
The damage to the state’s cities was severe
Roads and Bridges were impassable
Many hotels, stores and public buildings had been burned
The wealth the state had enjoyed prior to 1860 no longer existed.
1/3 of adult white males returned home too injured to ever work again.
Many others returned to find their farms and businesses destroyed.
Both white and black families suffered from extreme poverty in the
following years and everyone was affected.
Freedmen
The nearly 400,000 freedmen (former slaves) Faced extreme
hardship.
Homeless, uneducated and free for the first time in their
lives, the freedmen had little more than the clothes on their
backs.
Many walked from town to town in search of work or just to
exercise their newfound freedom
Others searched for lost family members that had been
sold away into slavery.
The social dynamic of the state changed. Blacks were
afraid of slavery returning and Whites were afraid of
reprisals as well as unnaccepting of equal rights for former
slaves
Political Rights
The question of political rights created both fears and
expectations
Freedmen looked forward to exercising their new rights while
many whites feared these rights being exercised.
Whites also feared the federal government and the inevitable
punishment for the war.
Congress created the Freedmen’s Bureau to help former
slaves find food, shelter, education, paying jobs and
healthcare.
General Sherman issued an order after his march to the sea
for confiscated lands in SC and GA to be divvied up among
freedmen and these rumors spread to Ms that every
freedman would receive 40 acres and a mule. This, however,
Presidential Reconstruction
Presidential Reconstruction
Before the war ended, Lincoln developed a plan to rebuild the
south and get them back into the Union as quickly and
efficiently as possible. This was known as “Reconstruction”.
Reconstruction had 2 simple steps:
1. All southerners, except high ranking officers would be
pardoned after taking an oath of loyalty to the Union.
2. When 10% of voters in a rebel state had taken the oath,
that state could form a government and re-enter the Union.
However, Lincoln was assassinated on April 14, 1865 and
Andrew Johnson became President and altered Lincoln’s vision
of post-war America.
Johnson’s Reconstruction
Johnson’s Reconstruction was different than Lincoln’s.
He expanded the group of people who were NOT allowed to get a
pardon.
High-ranking officers, politicians and land-owners who owned property
worth more than $20,000 had to apply directly to the president for a
pardon
He required that new state constitutions be written
Southern states had to repeal their secession ordinances
They had to void their war debts
They had to ratify the 13th amendment to the US constitution
Reconstruction in Ms began in June 1865 when William Sharkey, a
former slaveholder who opposed secession was named provisional
Constitutional Convention of
1865
Ms Constitutional Convention opened on August 14, 1865.
Ms was the first state to call for a convention under Johnson’s
reconstruction plan.
Many believed that if Ms wrote a constitution that was fair to freedmen
and met Johnson’s requirements that the other states would follow.
However, the convention was attended by 100 representatives who had
opposed secession but were in favor of keeping the state constitution
virtually unchanged and allowing few if any rights and privileges to
freedmen.
They also did not want Ms to share any responsibility for the abolition of
slavery or wellbeing of freedmen.
Suffrage
President Johnson encouraged Gov. Sharkey and the delegates to extend
“suffrage” (Voting Rights) to educated Blacks and those who owned
property.
The delegates ignored him
They refused to give freedmen the right to vote
They only passed resolutions voiding Mississippi’s ordinance of secession
and officially accepted the abolition of slavery.
The delegates did not vote on the 13th amendment or reject the state’s
war debt because these requirements were added to Johnson’s plan after
the convention had completed its work.
The convention delegates made it clear that they did not want any black
participation in government at all.
The Election of 1865
Elections were called and three men ran for Governor of Ms:
Ephraim S. Fisher of Coffeeville
Benjamin G. Humphreys of Claiborne County
William S. Patton of Lauderdale County
Fisher opposed secession and remained loyal to the Union during the
war.
Humphreys opposed secession but joined the Conf. Army
Patton opposed secession and it is unclear what role he had in the
war.
Humphreys won.
Most others elected served in the Conf. government of the state and
The New Black Codes
The New Black Codes
The new legislature immediately took up the issue of civil and political rights for
blacks in the state.
They passed 4 Acts, hailed as “necessary” to “protect” freedmen and were known
as the Black Codes:
1st Act - Civil Rights Act of 1865:
Legalized marriage
Right to sue in court
Prohibited interracial marriage
Prevented blacks from testifying in court cases involving whites
Limited black ownership of land
They could only rent or lease land in towns, limiting their ability to farm.
New Black Codes (cont)
Another provision required black workers to sign employment
contracts, witnessed by 2 whites. If they broke the contract they
could be arrested and returned to their employer.
Other Provisions:
Prohibited blacks from carrying firearms or other weapons
Provided for the arrest, fining, or imprisonment of blacks who
assembled without permission or who were unemployed
Blacks who could not pay the fine could be “hired out” to
anyone who could pay it
These codes were seen by Republicans as Ms trying to
reverse the outcome of the war and reinstitute slavery
The Feds React
As a result of the Black Codes Congress
moved quickly to make them
inconsequential.
They wrote and passed the 14th
Amendment to the Constitution to make
every state abide by the outcome of the
war.
The 14th Amendment
AMENDMENT XIV
Passed by Congress June 13, 1866. Ratified July 9, 1868.
Note: Article I, section 2, of the Constitution was modified by section 2 of the 14th amendment.
Section 1.
All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens
of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law
which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State
deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person
within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.
Section 2.
Representatives shall be apportioned among the several States according to their respective numbers,
counting the whole number of persons in each State, excluding Indians not taxed. But when the right
to vote at any election for the choice of electors for President and Vice-President of the United States,
Representatives in Congress, the Executive and Judicial officers of a State, or the members of the
Legislature thereof, is denied to any of the male inhabitants of such State, being twenty-one years of
age,* and citizens of the United States, or in any way abridged, except for participation in rebellion, or
other crime, the basis of representation therein shall be reduced in the proportion which the number of
such male citizens shall bear to the whole number of male citizens twenty-one years of age in such
State.
14th Amendment (cont)
Section 3.
No person shall be a Senator or Representative in Congress, or elector of President and VicePresident, or hold any office, civil or military, under the United States, or under any State, who, having
previously taken an oath, as a member of Congress, or as an officer of the United States, or as a
member of any State legislature, or as an executive or judicial officer of any State, to support the
Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or
given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof. But Congress may by a vote of two-thirds of each House,
remove such disability.
Section 4.
The validity of the public debt of the United States, authorized by law, including debts incurred for
payment of pensions and bounties for services in suppressing insurrection or rebellion, shall not be
questioned. But neither the United States nor any State shall assume or pay any debt or obligation
incurred in aid of insurrection or rebellion against the United States, or any claim for the loss or
emancipation of any slave; but all such debts, obligations and claims shall be held illegal and void.
Section 5.
The Congress shall have the power to enforce, by appropriate legislation, the provisions of this article.
Congressional
Reconstruction
Congressional Reconstruction
Mississippi and several other states refused to ratify the 14th
Amendment so Congress took control of Reconstruction
On March 2, 1867, Congress passed the Reconstruction Act
Carved the South up into 5 military districts and set new, strict
requirements for restoring the civil government.
Mississippi was in the 4th Military District.
General Edward O. Ord was put in command.
His first task was to register all eligible voters
He organized voter registration boards in each county
By Sept. 1867, 137,000 adult males (black and white) were
registered. Blacks were the majority in 32 counties and whites in 29
counties
1867 Politics
Mississippi’s Republican Party formed in 1867 during the electorate’s
first real opportunity to vote
They included white Mississippians who supported Congressional
Reconstruction, Northern whites who came after the war, and black
leaders.
Native white Republicans were known as “Scalawags”
Northern white Republicans living in the state were known as
“Carpetbaggers”
The Republican Party favored a new constitution and supported
enfranchising black voters.
Blacks overwhelmingly became Republicans and with their support
the Party got approval for a new constitution.
Constitution of 1868
The convention met in Jackson in January 1868
The composition of the 100 delegates differed dramatically from that of the 1865
convention
17 Blacks, 29 Scalawags, 25 Carpetbaggers, 17 Democrats
The black delegates offered 2 important resolutions for the new constitution:
1. Universal Male Suffrage of any race or color.
2. Free public education for all children ages 6-18.
The constitution also forbade discrimination in public transportation, eliminated the
property qualification for voting or holding office, and extended property rights to
married women
Backlash
Not all Mississippians accepted the new constitution
Democrats objected to the provision that
disenfranchised (to take the right to vote away) all
persons who supported the Conf. or secession.
They also fought the provision that gave the governor
more power and the oath that former Confederates had
to take acknowledging that “All men are created equal.”
The ratification of this constitution failed because of
KKK intimidation and Democrats refusing to vote.
Ratification
In November 1869,
President Grant
resubmitted it to the
voters having removed
the oath and the
disenfranchisement
provisions and it finally
passed.
Republican Rule in Mississippi
Republicans ruled the state
beginning in 1869 when James L.
Alcorn won the Governorship
Republicans also won a majority
in the legislature
In January 1870, the legislature
met the final 2 requirements for
readmission into the Union by
ratifying the 14th and 15th
Amendments.
The Prodigal State Returns
To represent the state in the US Senate, the legislature
elected:
Adelbert Ames...who had originally come from Maine
Hiram Revels...a black minister from Natchez
Hiram Revels took Jefferson Davis’ seat and became the first
African American to serve in the US Senate.
On February 23, 1870, Mississippi was finally readmitted into
the Union.
Governor James L. Alcorn
In his inaugural address he
denounced secession and pledged
to be the Governor of ALL the
people.
He was popular but did not have
the support of white Democrats
who railed against equality of the
races.
The economy of the state improved
Land values increased
Public school system was
The Party’s Over
In 1871, Alcorn resigned to replace Revels in the Senate.
Revels became the first President of Alcorn State College,
a newly established college for African Americans
In 1873, Alcorn and Ames both ran for Governor
Ames accused Alcorn of deserting Republican
philosophies and siding with white Democrats in the
state.
Ames also accused Alcorn of not protecting African
Americans from the KKK.
Ames won but the Republican party was split and
weakened in the state
African American Political
Power
In 1868, Gen. Ord appointed Benjamin T. Montgomery, a
planter, to be Justice of the Peace. He was the first African
American in the state to hold public office.
Between 1869-1881 African Americans held a number of seats
in the legislature.
Several served as Speaker of the House and Secretary of
State
Many local political offices were also held by African Americans
Robert H. Wood was elected the mayor of Natchez and was
likely the first African American mayor in the nation’s history.
Blanche K. Bruce became the first African American to serve
a full term in the US Senate
Education
Education was always bad in the state but the Civil War hurt it even
further.
Whites had been unwilling to institute a public school system before
the war and after the war there were virtually no functioning schools.
Education was revived in 1868, when the new constitution required
it.
In 1870, the legislature established a school system in each county
under the leadership of an elected state superintendent and county
superintendents appointed by a state board of education.
Over $3 million was spent on education and school construction and
by 1875 there were nearly 90,000 African American and 79,000
white students
The End of Republican
Rule
Return of the Democrats
Democrats desperately wanted to regain political power.
They argued that Republicans were wasting money
They hated federal troops still present in the state
They argued that carpetbaggers controlled the African American vote
They considered themselves “Redeemers” of the old way of life.
The Democrats used intimidation to coerce white Republicans to
switch parties and violence to prevent African Americans from voting
In December 1874, 500 white Democrats in Warren County gathered
at the courthouse and forced the sheriff to resign
Violence Continues
African Americans came out to support Sheriff Crosby but a riot ensued
and 29 African Americans were killed along with 2 whites and violence did
not end until federal troops stepped in.
Similar violence occurred across the state.
After riots broke out in Clinton in 1875 and a prominent Republican was
murdered people began to fear speaking out.
The federal government had pulled back and the Democrats’ strategy
worked.
On November 4, 1875 the Democrats won back the state legislature and
used it to bully and impeach Republican leaders across the state.
The legislature was able to appoint an interim governor and take control of
the state
Presidential Election of 1876
Democrat Samuel Tilden and Republican Rutherford B. Hayes basically
tied in the Electoral College
There were disputed votes in Louisiana, South Carolina, Oregon
and...surprise, surprise Florida
Congress set up a commission to decide on the disputed votes
It was composed of 8 Republicans and 7 Democrats awarded all 20
electoral votes to Hayes.
Congress accepted the decision after a secret deal was reached ending
a “Filibuster” (Continuous speechmaking to delay a vote) by Southern
Democrats
They agreed to end the filibuster if Hayes would remove all troops from
the south
Effects
The removal of federal troops from the south was the last
obstacle the Democrats had to taking complete control of
the politics of the state
Now they could intimidate voters, use violence, conduct
voter fraud and basically engineer elections at will
The Democrats reversed the Republican’s policies and cut
taxes and funding for schools and colleges.
The Democrats decreased the number of state jobs and
institutionalized racism throughout the state.
The Constitution of
1890
It All Comes Full Circle
By the mid-1880’s white Democrats had decided that they could no
longer accept a state constitution that they perceived as having been
written by scalawags, carpetbaggers and African Americans
The whites from the northern counties favored “Reapportionment”
(redrawing the voting districts) of the state to take power away from
Republicans
The convention met in August 1890, and was dominated by white
Democrats. Only 1 African American delegate was sent (Montgomery)
The Democrats devised a scheme to eliminate African American political
participation
James Zacharias George wrote much of the scheme which is outlined in
Sect. 12 of the state constitution
The Scheme
Adult Males who “wanted” to vote had to:
Register at least 4 months before an election
Live in the state for 2 years and in that district for at least 1 year
Pay an annual $2 poll tax
Be able to read any section of the state constitution OR “understand
it when read to them”
This is known as the “Understanding Clause” which was added as
a loophole to allow illiterate whites to vote
Two years after the adoption of the Second Mississippi Plan, African
American registered voters dropped from 142,000 to 8,615.
30,000 poor whites were removed from the rolls because of the $2
tax
End Chapter 6
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