US History: The Reconstruction 1865-1877

Frederick Douglas

"Slavery is not abolished until the black man has the ballot"

1867-1877

radical reconstruction

carpetbaggers

(reap the spoils of war from the South) Northern Reconstruction officials who made their homes in the South after the war Union soldiers who remained in the South after the war (majority) Investors in land and railroads Teachers, Freedmen's Bureau officers, etc.

Great Constitutional Revolution

13th (1865), 14th (1868), and 15th (1870) Amendments Newly empowered national state with national citizenry who had equality before the law Repudiated idea that citizenship was a white entitlement Transformed the relationship between the federal government and the states Bill of Rights - civil liberties were determined by states 13th-15th Amendments - federal government was the "custodian of freedom" ---Charles Sumner Many of the Supreme Court decisions of the 20th century were based on the 14th amendment (e.g., Brown vs. Board of Education 1954)

The Liberal Republicans

1872 - Citing corruption within the Grant administration and the growth of the federal government's power - several major Republican leaders formed their own party - the "Liberal Republicans" Nominated Horace Greeley for President (editor of the New York Tribute) Found common ground with the Democrats, and many leaders endorsed Greeley Greeley was resoundingly defeated by Grant, who was elected to his second term as President

Racial developments following the end of the Civil War

African-American communities became family-centric with many of the women preferring to stay in the home New black schools and churches South Carolina before the war there were c. 42,000 blacks worshiping in biracial churches, but by the end of Reconstruction only 600 remained Primarily Methodist and Baptist Black ministers played a dominant role in politics (250 held public office during Reconstruction) Education - Freedmen's Bureau and first black colleges (Fisk, Hampton and Howard) Patriotism and voting

The fifteenth amendment

Approved in February 1869 and ratified in 1870 Prohibited federal and state governments from denying any citizen the right to vote

Terror and the KKK

Secret societies were organized after 1867 and the Republican governments in the South Prevent blacks from voting Destroy the organization of the Republican Party by assassinating local leaders and public officials

Radical reconstruction in the south

Black political movements and organization as a result of the passing of the Reconstruction Act (e.g., plantation worker strikes) Frances Ellen Watkins Harper - Literacy, Land and Liberation Union League ties to Republican Party By 1870 all Confederate states had been readmitted to the Union 1867 - First biracial elections

The Black Officeholder

Black voters made up the majority of the Republican Party's support in the south, but the actual offices remained in white control Only in South Carolina did they form a majority of the legislature (where 60 percent of the population was black) African Americans were represented at every level of government 14 elected to the House of Representatives 2 elected to the Senate (Mississippi) Hiram Revels (1870) Blanche K. Bruce (1875) 1 Governor Pinckney B. S. Pinchback of Louisiana

Sherman's Special Order 15

Followed General Sherman's "March to the Sea" (November 15-December 21, 1864)Confiscated 400,000 acres of Confederate property (as Union) along the coast of South Carolina to the St. John's River in Florida, and re-distributed the land to emancipated slaves. Black families were given forty-acre plots of land and a broken-down mule (expression "forty acres and a mule") 40,000 freed slaves settled on "Sherman land" Rescinded by Pres. A. Johnson in the summer of 1865

1875

Civil Rights Act of 1875

Women's Suffrage

Delegation of Advocates of Woman Suffrage (1871, founded in 1869) The Agitator (ed. By Mary Livermore) Suffrage - voting equality Divorce law reform (required evidence of adultery, desertion, or extreme abuse) Recognition of a woman's control over her own body Reconstruction redefined the racial definition of freedom, but left the gender boundary intact.

Different Perspectives on Freedom

Emancipated slaves' perspective - free labor and opportunity like whites Republican North perspective - free labor for black communities that would lead to a total economic expansion in the south and north Planters' perspective - wanted to exercise old control over former slaves (freedom defined in narrow terms) Solution - The Establishment of the Freedmen's Bureau

Freedmen's Bureau

Established in 1865 and lasted until 1870 Directed by Oliver Otis Howard (pictured) Social program directed at: Establishing schools Providing aid to the poor and aged Settling disputes between whites, blacks, and freedpeople Securing for former slaves and white Unionists equal treatment before the courts Positives: Had fewer than 1,000 agents in the South, but established nearly 3,000 schools (serving 150,000 students) and provided health care using the already established hospitals from the Civil War. Negatives: No land distribution took place - freed people remained poor and without property during Reconstruction. Many returned to work on white-owned plantations often with their former owners.

The disputed election ad bargain of 1877

Governor Rutherford B. Hayes of Ohio (Republican) versus Governor Samuel J. Tilden of New York (Democrat) Fifteen member "Electoral Commission" with an 8-7 Republican majority Bargain: Hayes would be President Hayes' administration agreed to recognize Democratic control of the entire South and to avoid further intervention in local affairs A southerner would be placed in the cabinet position of postmaster general (transcontinental line) Democrats promised to not dispute Hayes' right to office Democrats promised to respect the civil and political rights of blacks (failed)

Abraham Lincoln (16th president)

First Term - 1861-1865 Second Term - 1865 (assassinated)-1869 (Andrew Johnson) Major Events - the American Civil War (1861-1865), the Emancipation Proclamation (1863) leading to the passing of the 13th Amendment and the abolishment of slavery (1865), Lincoln's assassination by John Wilkes Boothe (1865) Wife/First Lady - Mary Todd Lincoln Vice President - Andrew Johnson

Ulysses S. Grant (18th president)

First Term - 1869-1873 Second Term - 1873-1877 Wife/First Lady - Julia Dent Grant Vice President - Schuyler Colfax (first term), Henry Wilson (second term - 1875-1877 vacant)

southern republicans in Power

First state-supported public schools serving both black and white children (only New Orleans public schools were integrated) Founding of separate black colleges (only in South Carolina were blacks admitted to white colleges) Illegal for railroads, hotels, and other institutions to discriminate on the basis of race Land Commission (South Carolina) settled 14K black families and some white familes Economy - railroad construction leading to regional economic development versus land distribution

The Black Codes

Granted blacks basic rights (marriage, ownership, access to courts), but denied other rights (testify against whites, serve on juries or in state militias, or to vote) Those who refused to sign yearly labor contracts could be arrested and hired out to white landowners Some states limited the occupations available to blacks Republican senator William Stewart of Nevada: "We must see to it that the man made free by the Constitution of the United States is a freeman indeed."

1870

Hiram Revels, first black senator; 15th Amendment ratified

New social classes in the South

Landowners Black and white sharecroppers Cotton-producing white farmers Wage-earning black laborers Urban entrepreneurs

1872

Liberal Republicans established

Andrew Johnson (17th President)

Lincoln's Second Term - 1965-1869 Major Events - Reconstruction, Impeachment (1868), returned as a state senator (Tennessee) following his presidency (1875) Wife/First Lady - Eliza McCardle Johnson Vice President - Office vacantBorn in poverty in North Carolina Taylor's apprentice Moved to Tennessee and became active in politics US Congress and two terms as governor in Tennessee Motivating factor - for the small farmers and workers and against the large planters Became only senator from a seceding state to remain at his post in Washington when the Civil War began in 1861 Became military governor of Tennessee when it was occupied by the Union Ran for Vice President with Lincoln in 1864 Incapable of continuing Lincoln's vision Categorized as being stubborn, intolerant of criticism, and unable to compromise. Believed that secession was illegal, and was therefore illegitimate (i.e., the states had never left the Union, because they had no right to do so in the first place). Supported emancipation under Lincoln, but held "deeply racist views"

1873

National economic depression begins; Slaughterhouse Cases

Effects of the Civil War in the South

Nearly 260,000 men died for the Confederacy (1 in 5 of the adult white male population before the war) Widespread devastation of animals, buildings, machinery, and farms (property value dropped 30%) All "planter families" lost their livelihood/workforce (slaves), but many also lost their savings as they had invested in Confederate bonds

1865-1867

Presidential Reconstruction

Presidential Reconstruction

Occurred in 1865-1867 Issued pardons to white southerners who took oath of allegiance (restored all property - except for slaves) Exempted Confederate leaders and wealthy planters who had a pre-war property value of more than $20K (punitive), but then exempted the majority of these owners through individual pardons (curious). Appointed provisional governors who would establish state conventions (elected by whites only) loyal to the Union Returned prominent Confederates to power, which led to violence against former slaves and northerners in the south. Most Republicans were against President Johnson's reconstruction policies According to Foner - "Few groups of rebels in history have been treated more leniently than the defeated Confederates." Most were quickly released if they were arrested at all Only one was executed - Henry Wirz Result - The white south was totally unable to to accept the reality of emancipation

The Overthrow of Reconstruction

Old southern elites (planters, merchants, and Democratic leaders) continued to oppose Reconstruction Could not accept the idea of former slaves voting, holding office, and enjoying equality before the law Campaign of violence ensued that radically changed government policies in the South and in D.C.

Background to Civil Rights Bill Proposal

Political environment - South was unrepresented, and Republicans were an overwhelming majority in Congress Divided between moderates (majority) and radicals Radicals - Johnson's plan needed to be replaced Moderates - Johnson's plan was flawed, but most wanted to work with president Senator Lyman Trumbull's bills Bill extending the life of the Freedmen's Bureau The Civil Rights Bill (did not address the right to vote for blacks) President Johnson vetoed both bills Blacks did not deserve the right to citizenship States would be deprived of the authority to regulate their own affairs Congress Passed Civil Rights Bill by two-thirds majority (first major law in American history to pass over a presidential veto) Missed by single vote to pass Freedmen's Bureau Bill (but later passed to extend to 1870)

reconstruction act

Pres. Johnson's campaigns led to riots in Memphis and New Orleans where white policemen and citizens killed dozens of blacks Congressional elections fall 2016 - many Republicans running in opposition to Johnson's Reconstruction policies won, but every southern state except Tennessee refused to ratify the 14th Amendment 1867 Congress adopted the Reconstruction Act South divided into five military districts Called for the creation of new state governments Black men were given the right to vote Ushered in "Radical Reformation" (1867-1877)

Radical Reconstruction

Radical Republications (led by Thaddeus Stevens and Charles Sumner) Very dissatisfied with Pres. Johnson in the summer and fall of 1865 Called for the dissolution of "rebel" governments and the guarantee of black men to vote Supported the expanded powers of the federal government, and prioritized the protection of the rights for all Americans over individual state's rights Desired to confiscate the land of disloyal planters and divide it among former slaves and northern migrants to the south (failed to pass)

presidential election of 1868

Reconstruction was the central issue Republicans - Democrats are secessionists and traitors "waving the bloody shirt" Democrats - Reconstruction was unconstitutional and black suffrage was a violation of American political tradition

impeachment of president Johnson

Removal of Edwin M. Stanton from post of Secretary of War (1868) House of Representatives approved articles of impeachment against Johnson (1868) Final tally - 35-19 to convict Johnson - one short vote of a 2/3 majority Ulysses S. Grant nominated as the Republican candidate for president

The US Constitutional Amendments Amendment XIII (1865)

Section 1. 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. Section 2. Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.

1865

Sherman's Special Field Order 15; Lincoln assassinated; Andrew Johnson becomes President

The North's Retreat

Shifting public opinion contributed to resurgent racist views in the North and South The South's economic problems were attributed to the "Negro government" and the solution was to restored the leading whites to power 1873 - severe economic depression 1874 - Democrat gains and took control of the House of Representatives 1875 - The Civil Rights Act of 1875 (final act of Reconstruction Legislation - outlawed discrimination in places of public accommodation) United States v. Cruikshank - convictions of some of the KKK responsible for the Colfax Massacre of 1873 were overturned

The Fourteenth Amendment

Start of Congress' new plan of Reconstruction Principle of citizenship for all persons born in the US - empowered the federal government to protect the rights of all Americans States could not "abridge the privileges and immunities of citizens or deny them the equal protection of the law" Did not grant blacks the right to vote, but punished states for denying any group of men to vote by reducing their representation Breakdown in Congress - No Democrat voted in favor, but only 4 out of 175 Republicans opposed it Most important change (amendment) to the Constitution since the adoption of the Bill of Rights (Amendments 1-10) Ratified in 1868

The Reconstruction

The period of 1865-1877 following the Civil War, during which the states of the Confederacy were controlled by the federal government and social legislation, including the granting of new rights to African-Americans, was introduced.

The End of Reconstruction

The period of Reconstruction lasted from the end of the Civil War (1865) until the return of the Southern Democrats to power (1877) Marked by Republican control throughout the US, black voting, and blacks holding office The civil rights era of the 1950s and 1960s would sometimes be called the "Second Reconstruction"

1876

United States v. Cruikshank

Lincoln's Assassination

When - Occurred on April 15, 1865 (less than three months into his second term as President) Where - Peterson House (theater), Washington, D.C. Who - John Wilkes Booth (actor and Confederate sympathizer) Secretary of State W.H. Seward was severely injured by L. Powell, but recovered Vice President A. Johnson was not attacked (G. Atzerodt seems to have had second thoughts) How - With a gunshot to the back of the head (Booth fled the scene and was found and killed 12 days later in Virginia) Why - To prolong the Civil War and avenge the south

The redeemers

White Democrats who had won majorities - "The Redeemers" Violence erupted in places were Reconstruction governments remained, but Grant did not intervene 1875-1876 - Violence took place in "broad daylight" Mississippi 1875 - White rifle clubs drilled in public and openly assaulted and murdered Republicans Election day - Democrats destroyed ballot boxes and drove former slaves from the polls resulting in a Democratic landslide and the end of reconstruction in Mississippi South Carolina - nominated former Confederate general - Wade Hampton

scalawags

White Republicans (majority of southern Republicans) who had been born in the South - considered traitors to the race and religion of the South Most were Unionists who wanted to restrict Democratic (and former Confederate power)

1869

Women's feminist organization split into two groups; Inauguration of Ulysses S. Grant

1877

bargain of 1877; Inauguration of Rutherford B. Hayes

1866

civil rights bill; ku klux klan established

before the civil war

farmers had simply grown enough food for their families and grew little cotton

after the war

farmers were forced to pledge part of their cotton crop as collateral to purchase equipment, seed, etc. to grow the cotton - this procedure was known as a "crop lien"

1865

freedman's bureau established

Tenure of Office Act (1867)

illegal for president to remove certain officeholders without Senate consent

1868

impeachment of president Johnson; 14th amendment ratified

tenant farming

is a system in which a person farms the land of another and pays rent with cash or with a portion of the produce (very common practice until today).

Sharecropping

is a system where the landlord/planter allows a tenant to use the land in exchange for a share of the crop (1870s-1950s).Dominant form of farming in the south from c. 1870s-1950s 2/3 of sharecroppers were white and 1/3 were black - landowners were white Landowners would lease land and equipment to renters while offering seed, fertilizer, food, etc. for credit until the harvest. Selling crops to others was difficult or illegal - resulting in a monopoly for the landowner Laws favored land-owners who often used the threat of punishment to sharecroppers who could not pay back their debt and/or attempted to move Result - sharecropping simply became another form of indentured servitude (i.e., slavery) Lasted until the 1950s but gradually became less popular in the 1930s and 1940s (Southern Tenant Farmers Union, Great Depression, agricultural mechanization, etc.)

Ku Klux Klan (KKK)

military arm of the Democratic Party in the South Terrorist organization founded in Tennessee Spread to every Southern State Led by planters, merchants, and Democratic politicians Committed some of the most brutal criminal acts in American history directed at Republican whites and blacks (particularly - African-American local political leaders) South Carolina - nearly the entire white male population joined - 11 murders and hundrds of whippings Mississippi - 30 blacks were murdered along with a white Republican judge Louisiana - Hundreds of former slaves murdered along with 50 men of the black militia unit who had surrendered Enforcement Acts and federal marshals brought an end to the Klan (1870-1871) 1872 - Peace in most of the former Confederacy

1867

reconstruction act; tenure of office act

Despite slow economic growth

southern cities grew exponentially because of railroads connecting these cities to the north (e.g., Atlanta), which enabled interior cities to bypass coastal towns