Chapter 16: The Era of Reconstruction

Fifteenth Amendment (1870)

Page 592 Gave African American men the right to vote. Officially prohibited states from denying any man the right to vote based on race.

Radical Republicans

Page 583 Believed Congress, not the President, should supervise Reconstruction following the Civil War. They favored a drastic transformation of southern society in which freed slaves would be granted full citizenship rights, as they believed all people, regardless of race, were equal, as generally motivated by religion. They also supported confiscating white-owned land and redistributing it to freed slaves.

Freedmen's Bureau

Page 584 Established by Congress within the War Department, it was intended to support former slaves by providing assistance to them directly, the first government program to provide assistance to people rather than to states. It provided former slaves with medical care, food, clothing, helped set up schools, helped former slaves reconnect with family members, and legalized previously prohibited marriages.

Johnson's Restoration Plan

Page 587 In his plan, Johnson wanted to prevent the wealthiest southerners from regaining political power. His plan included appointing a Unionist provisional governor in each southern state, as well as requiring that each state convention ratify the Thirteenth Amendment before being readmitted into the Union. Generally, Johnson wanted to bring southern states back into the Union as quickly as possible, which angered many Radicals who wanted equality for freed slaves.

Fourteenth Amendment (1866)

Page 589 Guaranteed citizenship to anyone born or naturalized in the United States, except Native Americans and prohibited any efforts to violate the civil rights of citizens (black or white), deny any person "of life, liberty, or property, without due process," or "deny any person . . . equal protection of the laws." Gave the federal government responsibility for protecting and enforcing the civil rights of citizens.

Black Codes

Page 589 Restrictive laws passed by the new all-white southern legislatures in 1865 and 1866. While they differed between states, they were always intended to restore white supremacy. They often prevented African Americans from voting, serving on juries, testifying against whites, attending public schools, owning property, or owning guns. Virtually all of them also required adult freed slaves sign annual labor contracts.

Congressional Reconstruction

Page 590 Three laws passed by Congress: 1) The Military Reconstruction Act: abolished all new governments in rebel states established under Johnson's lenient policies. In their place, Congress established military control over all former Confederate states except Tennessee, which had already ratified the Fourteenth Amendment. Required each state to create a new constitution that guaranteed all adult males (including African Americans) the right to vote. 2) The Command of the Army Act: required president issue all army orders through General in Chief Grant 3) Tenure of Office Act: required Senate permission for the President to remove any federal official whose appointment the Senate had confirmed

Sharecropping

Page 597 In which a landowner provided land, seed, and tools to a poor farmer for a share of the crop. Emerged in part because southern land would not be redistributed and freed black men could generally not get loans to purchase land. Also emerged because freed black people often preferred sharecropping to earning wages, however it eventually put the sharecroppers deep in debt to the landowners, creating a system very similar to slavery.

Ku Klux Klan (KKK)

Page 600 Formed in 1866 primarily by former Confederate soldiers, it initially began as a social club, but eventually focused on the harassment of black people and white Republicans.

Greenbacks

Page 603 Bank notes (paper currency) issued during the Civil War to help pay for the war. Their issuance caused inflation because they were never taken back out of circulation which contributed to the Panic of 1873. Their existence was also hotly debated, with farmers and other debtors generally in favor of "soft-money," while bankers and creditors generally supported "hard-money" (gold, silver, and copper coins).

Panic of 1873

Page 604 Initiated when two dozen overextended railroads stopped paying their bills, the Panic triggered a deep economic depression, which led the US Treasury to print more greenbacks. This decision only increased inflation and worsened the depression. The economic collapse also further divided Republicans into Liberals and Capitalists.

Redeemers

Page 607 White Democrats who believed they were saving the South from Republican and "black rule." They used the issue of race to excite white southern voters and intimidate black voters, relying on trickery when persuasion and intimidation failed. They were extremely effective, and by 1876 all Radical Republican regimes had collapsed, replaced again by the old white political elite, undermining Congressional Reconstruction.

Compromise of 1877

Page 610 The election of 1876 between Republican Hayes and Democrat Tilden was disputed for weeks over 19 electoral votes in 3 states (Florida, Louisiana, and South Carolina), which eventually forced an electoral commission established by Congress to determine Hayes the winner. Hayes' victory was dependent on the Compromise, in which Ohio Republicans and powerful Democrats agreed that, if Hayes was named the winner, he would remove the last federal troops from the South, which is why Tilden did not challenge the decision. The removal of troops from the South caused the collapse of Southern Republican governments, which effectively destroyed Reconstruction and efforts in the South to protect black people.