chapter 18

explain the assassination of lincoln

At a theater John Wilkes Booth a southern supporter assasinated lincoln.

explain johnsons almost impeachment. who won the election of 1868

By 1868 radical republicans were convinced not only that the power of the supreme court and the president needed to be curtailed but also that andrew johnson himself had to be removed from office. Johnson provided himself an occasion for impeachemet when he deliberately violated the tenure of office act. The radical republicans saw this as their chance to remove Johnson. In the trial Senate members who decided chose to not impeach him.Teh renegade republicans offered two primary reasons for their controversial votesL they feared damage to the separation of powers among the branches of government if Johnson were removed, and they were assured by Johnson's attorneys that he would stop obstructing congressional policy in the south. Despite not removing johnson from office the trial crippled johnson presidency. In 1868 he lost the election to REpublican Ulysses Grant in the election.

how did the civil war influence politics (for the better for the north and for the worse for the south

Development in the north: To some americans it was a social revolution not just a war for independence as it reduced the once dominant power of the south's planter elite in national politics and elevated the power of the northern captains of industry. In absence of southern members during the civil war the wartime republican congress had enacted the republican economic agenda. These acts helped stimulate the northern economy for years after the war.

explain the economic distress that made northerners lose interest in the reconstruction and how was their redemption in the house of representatives and senate from the south

Economic distress followed close upon the public scandals besetting the grant administration. Such developments help explain why northerners ost interest in the reconstruction. A contraction of the natinos money supply resulting from the withdrawal of greenbacks and investments in new railroads made investors cautious and helped precipitate a financial crisis. Hard ties and political scandals hurt republicans in the midterm elections of 1874. The democrats won control of the house of representatives and gained seats in the senate.

explain how financial issues plagued grants presidency

Financial issues dominated Grant's presidency. Grant endorsed the payment of the national debt in gold as a point of national honor.

what did the radical republicans achieve in restructuring the south

Former confederates also resented the new state constitutions because of their provusiions allowing for black suffrage and civil rights. Radical republican achievements were remarkable: they constructed an extensive railroad network and established state school systems. Blacks achieved new rights and opportunities that couldnt be taken away under law.

as apart of his compromise with the south what did president haynes do. how did the south not follow what they agreed to in the compromise

IN 1877 president hayes withdrew federal troops fromlouisiana and south carolina and the republican governments there collapsed soon thereafter. Few southern states kept their promises regarding the civil rights of blacks.

explain how republican groups began to sprout up throughout the south

In june 1868 congress agreed that seven southern states had met the conditions for readmission to the union, all but virginia, mississippi and texas. Republican groups began to sprout up throughout the south. They were part of the union league which promoted the support of the union through enrolling african americans and whites and instruting them on their rights and duties as citizens.

what was lincolns plan for reconstruction and what was congress's response

In late 1863 lincoln issued a proclamation of amnest and reconstruction under which any rebel state could form a union government whenever number equal to 10 percent of those who had voted in 1860 took an oath of allegiance to the constitution and the union and had received presidential pardon. Congress was mad because they believed that they should be the ones granting pardons and supervising the reconstruction.

how were the freed slaves in the confederate states legally free but socially bound

In the former confederate states the newly freed slaves suffered most of all. The negroes remained dependent on whites for money, food, shelter.

explain blacks role in southern politics

In the postwar south the new role of african americans in politics caused the most controversy. Several hundred african american delegates participated in the statewide political conventions. By 1867 former slaves began to gain political influence and vote in large numbers and this development revealed emerging tensions within the african american community. bLacks focused on social concerns such as full equality under law.

how did johnson lose both public and political support

Johnson lost power and influence gradually starting when he challenged congress in 1866 when he vetoed a bill to extend the life of the freedmen's bureau. This was fine however a couple days later Johnson lashed at upon radical republican leaders. From this point forward, moderate republicans backed away from a president who had opened himself to counterattack. The radical republicans took the offense and rudely commented on johnson's leadership. Johnson lost both public and political support when he vetoed a civil rights bill that the republican congress passed.

who got the office after lincolns death. What was his beliefs

Lincoln's death gave the office to Andrew Johnson. Johnson faavored the south as he was from there. He was racist. Johnson kept lincons proclamation of amnesty and he made a new plan that made each state have a native unionist become provisional governor with authority to call a convention of men elected by loyal voters. However little changed in the way life went on in the south and dispute the abolition of slavery treatment of blacks sledom changed.

how was their political reform in the election of 1872? what was the new political party and what did they support. who won the election

Long before grant's first term ended a reaction against radical reconstruction and incompetence and corruption in the administartin had incited mutiny within the republican ranks. A new faction called liberal republicans favored free trade, the redemption of greenbacks with gold, a stable currency, an end to federal reconstruction efforts in the south, the restoration of the rights of former Confederaes and civil service reforms. Horace Greeley was their candidate vs Grant in the election. Grant won easily.

explain the radical republicans beliefs about southern reconstruction

Most radical republicans had been connected with the anti slavery cause for decades. They wanted to give voting rights to blacks for partisan reasons and just plain ole' justice. These radical republicans believed that by the acts of succession and war these southern states had forfeited "all civil and political rights under the constitution". And congress not the president was the proper authority to determine how and when such rights might be restored.

explain the freemen's bureau

On march 3rd, 1865 congress set up within the war department the bureau of refugees, freedmen, and abandoned lands to provide necessities to relieve the suffering of refugees and freedmen. However white intransignence and the failure to grasp the intensity of racial prejudice increasingly thwarted the efforts of freedmen's bureau agents to protect and assist the former slaves.Congress was not wiling to strengthen the powers of the bureau to reflect those problems. Beyond temporary relief measures, no program of reconstruction ever incorporated much more than constitutional and legal rights for freedmen.

who won the election of 1876 and when were the candidates

President grant despite the controversies swirling around him wanted to run again in 1876 but many republicans were not enthusiastic about the prospect of grant as the nations first 3 term president. Instead after feeling that he wont win announced his retirement. Rutherford B Haynes became new republican candidate. Democratic candidate was Samuel J Tilden. The 1876 campaign generated no burning issues. Both candidates favored the trend toward relaxing federal authority and restoring white conservative rule in the south. Haynes won in the house of representatives.

explain white terror groups in the south and grant's response

President grant initially fought hard to enforce the federal efforts to reconstruct the postwar suth. By the time he became president southern resistance had turned violent. The prototype of all terrorist groups was the Ku Klux Klan. It became a group focused on intimidating white republicans and blacks.

how was postwar southern society transformed

The defeat of the confederacy transformed much of southern society. The freeing of slaves, the destruction of property, and the collapse of land values left many planters destitute and homeless. Old social roles reversed as the negroes had greater power and white power lessened. In the south there was widespread hatred for the yankess.

how was there a democratic resurgence in the south as a result of the klu klux klan

The klan's impact on souther politics varied from state to state. In the upper south it played a minor role in facilitating a democratic resurgence however in the deep south klan intimidation had more substantial effects. As a result a lot of republcian political control collapsed.

what was the postwar southern landscape like

The postwar south offered a sharp contrast to the victorious north. The land was in ruins. Property values collapsed. Confederate bonds and currency was worthless.

what was the central problem that politicians were tasked with when reconstructing the south

The problem of reconstructing the south politically centered on deciding what governments would constitute authority in the defeated states.

why were the terms scalawags and carpetbaggers relevant in southern politics? what did they mean

The top positions in southern state governments went for the most part to white republicans whom the opposition whites soon labeled carpetbaggers and scalawags, depending on their place of birth. The northern opporuntiists who rushed to the south for political opportunities were carpetbaggers and the native white republicans of the south were scalawags. These scalawags opposed succession and supported the radical republican reconstruction.

who decided on how to restructure the south president johnson, congress (radical republicans), or the senate? explain why for your answer

The triumph of congressional reconstruction: As 1866 drew to an end, the congressional elections promised to be a referendum on the growing split between Andrew Johnson adn the radical republicans. In the 1866 congressional elections despite johnson's efforts to take power away from the radical republicans, the republicans won more than a 2/3s majority in each house, a comfortable margin with which to override presidential vetoes. As a result the republican congress pushed forward many acts for black suffrage and proper reconstruction of the south.

explain how scandals affected grants presidency

grant's administration fell into a cesspool of scandals.

explain southern intransigence despite the conclusion of the war

when congress met in december 1865 they faced the fact that new southern governments were much like the old southern governments. Despite the abolition of slavery black codes suppressed the "free" negroes. Congress let initiative fall into the hands of the radical republicans for reconstruction as they were more knowledgeable on how to fix it.

what was the 14th amendment? explain it

To remove all doubts about the constitutionality of the new civil rights act which stated that all citizens were entitled to full and equal benefit of all laws, the joint committee recommended a new constitutional amendment which congress passed. The 14th amendment went far beyond the civil rights act by reaffirming the state adn federal citizenship of persons born or naturalized in the u.s.

how was grant as a president

Ulysses S. Grant who presided during the collapse of republican rule in the south brought to the white house little political experience. The republican platform of 1868 endorsed congressional reconstruction. Despite being a great war leader grant wsnt that great of a president as he listened to people outside of his cabinet too often and was influenced by others around him to much

how did the freed slaves become active agents in affecting the course of reconstruction

White republicans didn't fully give the blacks freedom as they helped earn their freedom as well as they were active agents in affecting the course of reconstruction. Participation in the union army or navy had provided many freedmen with training in leadership as black military veterans would form the first generation of of african american political leaders in the post war south. This provided them with economic advancement and more socia respectability. Former slaves ewstablished church communities and other organziations to support the southern black community. The blacks also tried to establish public schools.