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As we learned last week, the Civil War ended when the South surrendered, but the war was far from over. It left devastation and destruction all throughout the nation.
Summarize the two plans for Reconstruction –
Lincoln and Johnson.
Should the South be punished for its actions during the Civil War or be forgiven and allowed to recover?
THINKER: What do you think is more important for the U.S. after the Civil War: restoration of the Union or helping freed slaves achieve equality? EXPLAIN!

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The debate over Reconstruction centered around three issues:
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Under what terms were the former
Confederate States to be readmitted to the Union, and who should establish those terms – Congress or the President?
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Who should be punished for the rebellion and how?
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What was to be done, if anything, to aid the newly freed slaves?

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The Confederates had been defeated and their homes were completely destroyed.
Charleston, SC was described as “a city of ruins, of desolation, of empty houses, of widowed women, of rotting docks, of deserted warehouses, of weed wild gardens, of acres of pitiful….barrenness.”
Between 1865 and 1877 the federal government implemented reconstruction which was a program to repair the damage to the South and restore southern states to the Union.
This program was extremely controversial.

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Physical: destroyed 2/3 of South’s shipping industry and 9,000 miles of railroads. It ruined farm land, farm buildings, farm machinery, animals, livestock, bridges, canals and factories. The value of Southern property decreased 70%.
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Humans: destroyed a whole generation of young, healthy men.
One out of three southern men were killed or wounded.

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Postwar South:
Black Southerners: 4 million freed slaves were starting a new life. As slaves, they received food and shelter. Now, they found themselves homeless, unemployed, and starved.
Plantation Owners: Planters lost slave labor worth $3 billion. The government seized $100 million in land and cotton.
Poor White Southerners: high unemployment rate because of competition, many started moving West

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Offered a pardon (official forgiveness of a crime) to any Confederate who took an oath of allegiance.
Denied pardons to all Confederates who had killed African American war prisoners.
Permitted each state to create a new state constitution (only when 10% of voters had sworn their allegiance)
States should hold elections and resume full participation in the Union.

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Pardoned southerners who swore allegiance to the Union.
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Permitted each state to hold a constitutional convention (without
Lincoln’s 10%)
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States could hold elections to rejoin the
Union ONLY if they voided secession, abolished slavery and denied the
Confederate debt.

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Even though Johnson remained in
Washington supporting President Lincoln, he closely identified with his fellow
Southerners' views on slavery.
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Johnson disagreed strongly with their calls to break up the Union over the issue.

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Johnson was deemed a traitor; his property was confiscated and his wife and two daughters were driven from the state.
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In the North, however, Johnson's stand made him an overnight hero.

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Though Johnson was deeply committed to saving the Union, he did not believe in the emancipation of slaves.
After Lincoln made him the military governor of Tennessee, Johnson convinced the
President to exempt Tennessee from the
Emancipation Proclamation.
By the summer of 1863, however, he began to favor emancipation as a war measure.

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It quickly became clear that Johnson would block efforts to force Southern states to guarantee full equality for blacks.
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The stage was set for a showdown with
Congress, who viewed black voting rights as crucial to their power base in the
South.

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In 1866, Congress passed the Freedmen's
Bureau Bill.
Civil Rights Act of 1866 – granting citizenship
Congress also passed the Fourteenth
Amendment to the Constitution, authorizing the federal government to protect the rights of all citizens.
Each of these -- except the Amendment -- was passed over President Johnson's veto.

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In a final humiliating gesture, Congress passed the Tenure of Office Act, which stripped the
President of the power to remove federal officials without the Senate's approval.
In direct opposition to the act, he fired Secretary of War Stanton.
Congress then voted to impeach Johnson by a vote of 126 to 47 in February 1868.
He was acquitted by 1 vote.

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Citing his violation of the
Tenure of Office Act and charging that he had brought disgrace and ridicule on Congress, an impeachment trial was held.
By a margin of one vote, the Senate voted not to convict Johnson, and he served the duration of the term won by Lincoln.

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Strongly antislavery
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Wanted total political change in the south
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Wade-Davis Bill
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Majority of white male population had to swear loyalty to the Union
Helped to pass many legislative acts to give rights to newly freed slaves

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1865
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“Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.”
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Officially abolished and prohibited slavery.
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CIVIL RIGHTS ACT: 1866 – gives citizenship to African Americans and guarantees equal protection under the law.

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1868
“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…”
Prevented states from denying rights to any
United States citizen.

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1870
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“The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.”
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Gives all citizens the right to vote regardless of race, color, or former servitude.

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Land ownership: could purchase land
Worship: formed their own churches, volunteer groups, clubs, and associations.
Education: In 5 years, they founded 30
African American learning institutions.
Sharecropping: provided land and capital for workers; both parties working together
Freedmen’s Bureau: gave clothing, medical supplies, education, and meals to black and white war refugees.

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The free movement of blacks terrified the less populated whites.
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Black Codes: laws restricting the rights of newly freed African Americans; such as, contract negotiation, travel, weapons, and property ownership.
(some states were more radical)
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Ku Klux Klan (KKK): lynching blacks and any whites who might support them.

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US v. CRUIKSHANK (1875)
A mob of whites attacked and killed 100 blacks over black voting rights.
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The court ruled that the Reconstruction amendments only applied to state governments and not individuals.
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This made it difficult to prosecute groups such as the KKK for civil rights violations.

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The end of Reconstruction was met with extreme racism and corruption.
By 1877 Reconstruction was dead and the
North had lost interest in helping Southern blacks.
Many factors contributed to its demise:
Economic troubles in the country
A more conservative turn in the nation
A general feeling that Reconstruction failed
The resurgence of the Democratic party
Allowance of racist attitudes.

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What were the similarities and differences between Lincoln and Johnson’s
Reconstruction plans?
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What were the 13, 14, 15 Amendments?
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How did the Freedmen’s Bureau and Black
Codes effect African Americans?
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Why did Reconstruction fail?