Reconstruction in Texas
Unit 6
Reconstruction Begins
John W. Booth
Ford’s Theatre
-Reconstruction: the plan to
restore the South to the
Union after the Civil War
-Lincoln was assassinated
on April 14, 1865 by
John Wilkes Booth
-Andrew Johnson became
the 17th Pres. of the U.S.
Lincoln/Johnson’s Plan
Southern states would have to meet these conditions before
reentering the Union:
“I wish to carry out
Lincoln’s plan for
Reconstruction. You MUST
agree to the following.”
President Andrew Johnson
1. Had to set up
temporary governments
2. End slavery
3. Declare secession
illegal
4. Adult white males had
to take oath of loyalty
to the U.S.
Black Codes/Jim Crow Laws
-Laws limiting the civil rights and liberties of blacks after the Civil
War
-Enacted in 1866 in TX
-Not allowed to: Vote, hold office, serve on juries, or marry whites.
-State prohibited from providing public land to blacks & barred from
supporting schools for blacks out of the state’s public school fund.
-The black codes also defined labor relations: could be fined or
arrested for not working
Freedmen’s Bureau
-1865 the fed. government established the bureau to help blacks
-Protected newly freed slaves from violence and black codes
-Provided food and
health care
-Helped adults obtain
jobs and set up
schools for children
-Bureau closed in 1868
when South reorganized
their governments
Congressional Plan for Reconstruction
-Texas had not ratified the 13th & 14th amendments to the U.S. Const.
13th: Banned slavery 14th: Made all African Americans citizens 15th
Amendment: right to vote can’t be denied because of race
Congress Takes Action:
-1867 Congress placed South under control of the army
-Army would supervise TX until it passed a new const. giving African
Americans the right to vote/hold office
-State’s elected officials left office
-White males had to take the “ironclad oath” swearing they didn’t
support the Confederacy to vote –if they didn’t, no vote!
Ku Klux Klan (KKK)
-Many white Texans resented actions by Congress
-Disliked Texans who won public office that were Unionists
-Formed in the Southern U.S. in the 1860’s to intimidate and
terrorize African Americans
As a secret vigilante group, the Klan targeted freedmen and
their allies; it sought to restore white supremacy by threats
and violence, including murder, against black and white
Republicans.
Ku Klux Klan
Convention of 1868
-Delegates called a new convention.
-Convention split into 2 main groups
*Republicans – more rights for African Americans
*Moderate Republicans – moderate, or less extreme changes
New constitution
-Gave TX a strong centralized government
-African Americans had the right to vote
-Governor could appoint judges
-Required kids to go to school
“I am pleased with
-Texans approved new
your new Constitution.
const. in 1869
Texas, you are officially
readmitted to the Union.”
-Edmund J. Davis
become governor
-U.S. Pres. Grant was satisfied
-March 30, 1870 Texas was readmitted
into the Union
Pres. Grant
End of Reconstruction
-Davis was criticized:
*Created a state police force (critics said used it to arrest
his opponents)
*Postponed elections
*Raised taxes
-Used tax money to build roads/schools & defend the
frontier
-1872: Ran for reelection and lost to Richard Coke
-Former Confederates now had control of TX government
Economic Changes
-End of Reconstruction, more cotton, wheat, and corn
production…how??
-Expansion of railroads and more immigrants into TX!
-TX farmers could now send crops/livestock to distant
markets
-Began to develop more industries
-Most Texans still earned a living on small farms
-Sharecropper system replaced slave labor
Sharecropper system
-Landowners paid for tools, seed, animals, and housing
-In exchange, sharecroppers worked the land and gave half
the value of their crops to the landowners
-Landowners controlled sharecroppers by selling supplies at
a high price
-Sharecroppers would go into debt and were tied to the land
until their debt was paid off.
Constitution of 1876
-Texans did not want a strong central government
-Held another convention to make changes
-The Const. of 1876:
*Cut governor’s power to appoint officers
*Limited elected leaders to two-year terms
*All males received the right to vote
-Voters approved the new const. on Feb. 15, 1876
*Political Effects during Reconstruction:
-13th, 14th and 15th Amendments
-Black codes/ Jim Crow
*Economic Effects during Reconstruction:
-The increase of migration >>>>> more land owners >>>>>
need for farm labor >>>>> increase of sharecroppers and
tenant farmers.
-Social Effects during Reconstruction:
-Concern over future of freedmen
- June 19th, 1865 or Juneteenth celebrated by freed slaves
-Freedmen’s Bureau established
-KKK became features of Southern segregation
-Immigration to Texas increased