Reconstruction

Who said the following, and what was the occasion?

" malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation's wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan, to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations." Lincoln said this and it was part of his 2nd inaugural address after he was re-elected.

To what does the term Juneteenth refer?

"Juneteenth" June 19, 1865. The end of slavery is announced in rural Texas on June 19, 1865. The anniversary of the date ("Juneteenth," also called "Emancipation Day") becomes an informal holiday for African Americans.

What dangers and difficulties did freed slaves such as Henry Adams and Frank Williams experience when they tried to leave the plantations where they had been enslaved?

"[T]hey would kill you all for fun." The planter suggested that Adams and the others "had all better stay with the white people who raised you." That seemed like the safe move. Adams could stay, work for wages, and be assured food and shelter. But Adams was free, and he was willing to risk his life to explore the meaning of that freedom. Adams managed to get away, but as he continued down the road, he realized that many other freed people hadn't been as lucky. "I seen over twelve colored men and women, beat, shot and hung.gangs of white men were riding around beating and killing slaves. "Frank Williams was a young boy when slavery ended. His father, a skilled carpenter, decided the family should leave the plantation where they had been enslaved and set off in search of better work. But Tom Williams, the plantation owner, demanded that the family stay and help with the year's crop. Frank's father refused."Tom Williams got mad," Frank remembered, "and grabbed my daddy's hands, and tied dem over his head to a branch on a oak tree." Frank watched the planter whip his father, then leave him chained to the tree for three days. The planter, meanwhile, went to all the nearby farms and told fellow planters that Frank's father was a bad worker, and not to hire him. Plantation owners used violence in order to stop slaves from leaving, demanding that they help with the years crop. Plantation owners also spread rumors saying that certain slaves were bad workers, making it difficult for them to find jobs. (Slave interviews of the 1930s)

How did Grant and Lee go into negotiations differently?

As Lee and Grant negotiated the terms of surrender, the government in Washington was wrestling with what was being called reconstruction. On the surface, reconstruction meant restoring the rebel states to the Union. Lee did not acknowledge that the south had done anything wrong, and Grant... Grant went into the negotiations thinking that our principles had won, and Lee went in thinking we lost because you had more troops and weapons and admits no fault that the South would have he is not apologetic about it.

How did Lincoln see the Civil War as a test?

As Lincoln had noted in his Gettysburg Address, this was a test—a test to see if the United States, "or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure."

What was the very daunting assignment that Major General Oliver Howard was given at the end of the Civil War?

As the head of the new government agency, the Bureau of refugees, freedmen, and abandoned lands, Howard was given a few hundred agents and then charged with overseeing the entire transition of southern society from slavery to freedom.

Why did Frederick Douglass believe Andrew Johnson was no friend to black people?

At Lincolns second inaugural, Johnson meets with Frederick Douglass. When Johnson realizes that he has to shake black mans hand, his smile turns into a scowl. Douglass smells the liquor on his breath, he's already drunk at 11:00 a.m.

What did General Howard order his agents to begin doing at the end of July, 1865?

At the end of July, General Howard ordered his agents to begin renting out forty acre plots, the freedmen would have three years to buy the land outright.

Why did Thaddeus Stevens instruct relatives to bury him in Lancaster Pennsylvania's only integrated cemetery?

Because he wanted to illustrate in his death, the principles of which he had advocated through his long life- equality of man before his creator.

Why were General Howard's orders in trouble within weeks?

But within weeks, Howards plans were in trouble because many people thought that that had been a blueprint of reconstruction. Johnsons reconstruction plan which he put froward in May of 1865 basically gave amnesty to most white southerners who would take an oath to the Union and also accept he end of slavery, but those who owned twenty thousand dollars worth of property before the war would have to go and get an a individual pardon from the president. Because Johnson was busy pardoning the landowners, and that meant they could also reclaim the land that had been taken away from them.

By not distributing the confiscated land to the freed slaves, to what did the United States government consign the freed slaves?

By not redistributing that land it confined most of them to a dependence that remained for decades.

What was the Compromise of 1877?

Compromise of 1877 proposed, February 26, 1877. As part of the bargain to break a deadlocked election and gain southern support, Republican presidential nominee Rutherford B. Hayes agrees to end Reconstruction in the South by removing federal troops from South Carolina, Florida, and Louisiana. Compromise of 1877, March 2, 1877. The Compromise of 1877 is approved. The next day, March 3, Rutherford B. Hayes is sworn in as president in a private ceremony. As promised, federal troops are withdrawn from statehouses in South Carolina, Florida, and Louisiana in April. A southerner would be place in Hays party. Another part of the deal was money for a transcontinental railroad. Democrats would be able to nominate people for federal positions in the South.

Why was the Freedmen's Bureau created?

Congress creates the Freedmen's Bureau to help slaves make the transition to freedom. The Bureau offers food, clothing, and fuel, and protects the rights of former slaves. That was under the war department, it was considered part of the military.

Why did Congress form an electoral commission to determine who won the presidential election of 1876?

Congress forms election commission, January 29, 1877. In the 1876 presidential election, Democrat Samuel J. Tilden wins the popular vote. Republican Rutherford B. Hayes claims the electoral college by one vote. Congress forms a commission to settle the deadlocked election and a deal is brokered with southern Democrats. South Carolina, Florida, and Louisiana turned in two different sets of electoral ballots, therefore we did not know who won, they were states that were still occupied by Union troops and there was still a lot of chaos.

Who were the Copperheads, and what did they protest?

Copperheads, or Peace Democrats— Northerners opposed to the war—protested a loss of freedom, military conscription(forced enrollment in military service/the draft), and economic hardship. They encouraged desertion from the military and opposed the emancipation(liberation or release) of slaves, which made them a lot of enemies among Union veterans and freed slaves.

What impact did the Depression of 1873 have on Reconstruction?

Depression cripples the U.S. economy, September 1873. A major depression puts many Americans out of work and thwarts the efforts of Radical Republicans to extend Reconstruction policies. The depression lasts five years.

What did the Republican Party stand for during Reconstruction?

During reconstruction the Republican Party is the party of civil rights, the party that promotes a vision of interracial democracy. The Republican Party is the party of African Americans.

Why did the House of Representatives vote to impeach President Andrew Johnson?

During the years immediately following the Civil War, President Andrew Johnson clashed repeatedly with the Republican-controlled Congress over reconstruction of the defeated South. Johnson vetoed legislation that congress passed to protect the rights of those who had been freed from slavery. This clash culminated in the House of Representatives voting, on February 28, 1868 , to impeach the President. On March 5, the trial began in the Senate, where Republicans held more seats than two-thirds majority required to remove Johnson from office. When the trail concluded on May 16m however, the president had won acquittal, not because a majority of senators supported his policies but because a sufficient minority wished to protect the office of the president and preserve the constitutional balance of powers.

What was one of the most important outcomes of the Civil War?

Equality was going to take a while. But slavery was over. It wasn't the only reason the war started, but the end of slavery was one of the most important outcomes of the war.

What did the Fifteenth Amendment require?

Fifteenth amendment, February 3, 1870. The Fifteenth Amendment is ratified, guaranteeing the right of African American men to vote. Several Supreme Court decisions in the 1870s, however, limit the impact of both the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments. No one can deny the right to vote by race, color, or previous conditions of servitude.

What were the Black Codes?

First Black Codes, November 1865. Mississippi and South Carolina are the first states to enact "Black Codes." These laws restrict the rights of newly freed African Americans, and enact specific labor requirements intended to keep African American workers on plantations. Within a few years, all southern states have Black Codes. Black people would need to sign a contract with some white person, and if they didnt do it they would be auctioned off and even their children might become apprentices of a white person. The motive of black codes was to get as closer to slavery as possible.

What did the Reconstruction Act of 1867 do, and what did it require?

First Reconstruction Act, March 2, 1867. The First Reconstruction Act divides the South into five military districts and establishes the conditions for setting up new state governments. The Act requires states to ratify the Fourteenth Amendment before being readmitted to the Union. President Andrew Johnson vetoes the bill; Congress overrides it the same day. -Second Reconstruction Act, March 23, 1867. Congress directs commanders of the five military districts to hold constitutional conventions in the former Confederate states. Because former Confederate political leaders are not allowed to participate, the conventions in effect create state governments favorable to the Republican Party. - Third Reconstruction Act July, 19, 1867. The third Reconstruction Act passed by Congress confirms the power of military district commanders to remove state officials from office. It also tightens military control of the former Confederate states.

What did many freed people think was the basis of truly being free?

For many, the basis of being truly free was the right to own land.

What words of Abraham Lincoln convinced John Wilkes Boothe that that would be the last speech Lincoln would ever give?

For the first time in public, the president suggested that some black men, the very intelligent and black veterans deserved the right to vote. These words convinced John Wilkes Boothe that that would be the last speech Lincoln would ever give.

To what does the term conscription refer?

Forced enrollment in military service.

What did the Fourteenth Amendment define, and what did it require?

Fourteenth Amendment ratified, July 9, 1868. The Fourteenth Amendment defines national citizenship and requires that states provide equal protection under the law to those within their jurisdictions.

What was President Johnson's plan for Reconstruction?

He approved amnesty and pardons for former Confederates who pledge loyalty to the Union and to emancipation. Johnson also returns confiscated land and sets requirements for the readmission of southern states. And the requirements were very easy. Residential Reconstruction, May 29, 1865. President Johnson begins implementing his plan for Reconstruction. He approves amnesty and pardons for former Confederates who pledge loyalty to the Union and to emancipation. Johnson also returns confiscated land and sets requirements for the readmission of southern states. "He required people who owned more than $25,000 in land to personally go and ask him for a pardon."

Who did Andrew Johnson believe was responsible for causing the Civil War, and who did he think were the main victims of these men?

He believed very strongly that the civil war had been caused by the planter class, the southern elite. He imagined that the primary victim of the planter class was the class to which he belonged, the poor whites of the South.

What did Howard have to inform the freed people that they would have to do?

He had to go and inform the free people that they were probably going to have to start entering into labor contracts, with in many cases their former owners. Now they would be working for wages, but the question was how would a former slave owner treat and pay them.

Who was Thaddeus Stevens?

He was a house member of Congress in Pennsylvania and a leader of the Radical Republicans.

Who was W.E.B. Du Bois?

He was an African American writer, and he summoned up the results of Reconstruction by saying, "The slave went free; stood a brief moment in the sun; then moved back again toward slavery." He was the first African American PhD from Harvard, he said that African Americans fight for equal rights. He had never been a slave, his family were free black from New England. He became an advocate for fighting for your rights. The leader of the accommodate yourself to the status on and someday white people will respect you was Booker T. Washington.

Who was Mathew Brady?

He was the first American war photographer, and he purchased equipment and hires staff of twenty photographers to accompany the Union army on its marches into battle.

Who was Hiram Revels and Joseph Rainy?

Hiram Rhodes Revels was a Republican U.S. senator, minister in the African Methodist Episcopal Church, and a college administrator. He was born free in North Carolina, he later lived and worked in Ohio, where he voted before the civil war. First African American senator, February 25, 1870. Following the passage of the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments and reform of voting laws, African Americans make unprecedented strides in politics. For example, Hiram Revels represents Mississippi in the U.S. Senate (a seat once held by Jefferson Davis). Joseph Rainy was the first African American to serve in the House of Representatives, and he represented South Carolina. In December 1870, Joseph Haynes Rainey is elected to represent South Carolina's First Congressional District, the first African American to serve in the House of Representatives. He is reelected four times and serves the district until his term ends in March 1879.(Rainey elected first African American congressman.)

How did the Tenure of Office Act limit the power of President Andrew Johnson?

Impeachment of Andrew Johnson March, 1868. After Johnson's attempts to remove Radical Republicans from his cabinet, Congress impeaches Johnson on charges of being "unmindful of the high duties of his office." After a three-month-long trial in 1868, Johnson is acquitted, but with his political power severely weakened. The tenure of office act said that a president who had appointed someone with the consent of 2/3 majority of the senate would also need to have of 2/3 majority of the senate to fire that person. Johnson wanted to fire Stanton. The tenure of office act was unconstitutional.

In September, 1865, what did President Johnson order Gen. Howard to do with the land he had distributed to the freedmen?

In September, Johnson ordered Howard to restore almost all of the lands in the hands of the Freedmen's Bureau back to the confederates he had pardoned.

How had the KKK changed by the spring of 1867?

In the spring of 1867, former Confederate general Nathan Bedford Forrest becomes the organization's first "Grand Wizard." The organization begins its reign of terror in southern states, targeting blacks and white Republicans.

What civil liberties were curtailed by the anti-government activities of the Copperheads?

Ironically, the anti-government activities of the Copperheads brought about further erosion of civil liberties, including censorship of treasonous speech and the suspension of habeas corpus(the right of a prisoner to be brought before a judge to determine if he or she is being held legally.)—anyone viewed as being disloyal could be put in prison without due process of law. The government restricted freedom of speech.

To what does the term habeas corpus refer?

It refers to the right of a prisoner to be brought before a judge to determine if he or she is being held legally.

What was Lincoln's plan for Reconstruction called, and what did it involve?

It was called the 10% plan, and Lincoln was willing to pardon any Confederates who took an oath of loyalty to the United States. When ten percent of a state's voters took the oath, the state could form a new state government. As soon as the state recognized the freedom of African Americans, it was more than welcome to rejoin the Union. In their new state constitution they had to eliminate slavery. Lincoln did this while the war was still going on, he would not punish any states.

What were Jim Crow laws?

Jim Crow Laws, April 1877. After Reconstruction, southern politicians regain control and develop a system of repressive and discriminatory "Jim Crow" laws. These laws, beginning with the "Black Codes" of the Civil War, along with the continual threat of violence, severely limit African American participation in government and economic opportunity. By Jim Crow we Mena discrimination and segregation. They are called like this because there were acts that were popular back then and there would be this character that popped up with a black face to make fun of African American people and he was named Jim Crow, and there for they took the name of that character for these laws. They were the laws in the south, and those were the laws that segregated African American people like telling them that they had to sit in the back of the bus.

When and where was the Ku Klux Klan organized?

Ku Klux Klan founded, December 1865. The Ku Klux Klan is founded in Pulaski, Tennessee. In the spring of 1867, former Confederate general Nathan Bedford Forrest becomes the organization's first "Grand Wizard." The organization begins its reign of terror in southern states, targeting blacks and white Republicans.

To what does the term emancipation refer?

Liberation or release of the slaves.

Why did Lincoln want to keep the United States united?

Lincoln hoped war could be avoided, but he also wanted to keep the United States united. He believed that it would ruin the North financially to have the South secede. The country would not just be divided; it would be economically devastated.

How long did Presidential Reconstruction last?

President Johnson begins implementing his plan for Reconstruction. He approves amnesty and pardons for former Confederates who pledge loyalty to the Union and to emancipation. Johnson also returns confiscated land and sets requirements for the readmission of southern states. It lasted until about 1866, and then congress is going to take over because congress finds out what is going on in the confederate states.

What bills did Congress pass over President Johnson's vetoes?

President Johnson vetoes bill, February 19, 1866. President Andrew Johnson vetoes a bill that would expand the powers of the Freedmen's Bureau bill, and Congress overrides his veto. The Bureau remains operational until 1872. Civil Rights Act, April 9, 1866. Congress passes the Civil Rights Act of 1866 over President Johnson's veto, out of concern about the Black Codes enacted by southern states to restrict African American rights. The act requires states to protect citizens without regard to race, color, or "previous condition=slavery."

To what does the term Redeemer Governments refer?

Redeemer Governments, January 1869. "Redeemers," White Southern Democrats seeking an end to Reconstruction's reforms, begin to win control of southern state governments by convincing voters that Reconstruction governments are too big, intrusive, and expensive. By 1877, all eleven governments of the old Confederacy are under Democratic control.

How were Radical Republicans, led by Thaddeus Stevens and Charles Sumner, able to gain the upper hand over President Johnson?

Rise of the Radical Republicans, November 1866. Radical Republicans led by Thaddeus Stevens and Charles Sumner have a utopian vision of civil equality. In the mid-term election, they gain the upper hand over President Johnson by garnering more than three-quarters of the seats in both houses of Congress.

How did Southern states begin Reconstruction, and who was governing the South by the end of Reconstruction?

Southern states began Reconstruction under military occupation. But by the end of Reconstruction, they were clearly governing themselves, with little interference from Washington. Many of the men who had led the Confederacy were able to return to power in the U.S. government. By 1880, nineteen former Confederate generals were serving in Congress.

What was the Colfax massacre?

The Colfax massacre, April 13,1873. In Grant Parish, Louisiana, violence erupts when white supremacists attack an all-black militia attempting to defend newly elected Republican officials at the courthouse in the town of Colfax. More than sixty blacks and three whites are killed. The event helps bring about the United States vs. Cruikshank decision of 1876. United States vs. Cruickshannk decision, March 27, 1876. In a case steaming from the Colfax massacre in 1873, the Supreme Court rules that the states, not the federal government are responsible for enforcing the Fourteenth Amendment, and that the 1870 Enforcement Act cannot be applied to individuals, but only to state governments.

What did Edward Pollard, a Virginian, say the North had fought to do, and what did he claim the North had never said it was fighting for, and therefore, should not force the South to accept?

The North had fought to preserve the Union and to end slavery. He says the south accepted it. The North had never said it was fighting for these civil rights reforms(Negro equality and Negro suffrage=(the right to vote)), Pollard reasoned.

What did the United States government have the opportunity to do with the confiscated lands, and what could it have made it possible for the freed people to be?

The United States had the opportunity to make amends for centuries of enslavement. The United States had the opportunity to make it possible for the formerly enslaved people to be economically independent, and the country failed to do it.

What was the first order of business for freed slaves?

The first order of business for freed slaves was to reconnect with family members who had been torn away by slavery.

What did the freed people long for?

The freed people longed for all those things that other people enjoy, things denied to them under slavery. The right to marry, the right to make a home, the right to an education, and the right to earn a living.

Who were carpetbaggers and scalawags?

The term "carpetbaggers" refers to Northerners who moved to the South after the Civil War, during Reconstruction. Many carpetbaggers were said to have moved South for their own financial and political gains. Scalawags were white Southerners who cooperated politically with black freedmen and Northern newcomers. Carpetbaggers were northerners who seeked to improve their political and economical life. Many southerners viewed these northerners as opportunist. Scalawags weren't able to get positions in the government and politics. They viewed them as being corrupt and traitors.

Who were the Radical Republicans?

They were a group of northern congressmen committed to punishing former Confederates—and extending equal rights to freed people.

While the Freedmen's Bureau had very little money, what did it have plenty of?

Though having limited resources, but the Friedman's Bureau had plenty of was land, over 850,000 acres of it.

How was it that the slaves themselves brought about emancipation?

To a remarkable degree it was the slaves themselves who had helped bring this to pass from the wars first days, legions of enslaved people defied their masters and fled to Union line, and others were liberated by the United States Army as it occupied parts of the south. By the summer of 1862, many thousands of slaves had found save haven, their brave actions as much as any other factor, converted President Lincoln and many other Americans to emancipation.

What did the Civil Rights Act of 1866 require states to do?

To protect citizens without regard to race, color, or "previous condition."

What was the Wade-Davis Bill?

Wade-Davis Bill, July 2, 1864. Congress passes the Wade-Davis Bill, a Radical Republican plan for readmitting rebel states to the Union. Once fifty percent of a state's eligible voters take an oath of allegiance, the state may apply for readmission to the Union. Lincoln pocket vetoes the plan.(a pocket veto is when there is less than 10 days left in the congressional term, he simply left it like that and it was vetoed.)

How many black men enlisted in the Union Army during the Civil War?

When black men were finally allowed to enlist in the Union army, 180,000 answered the call most of them former slaves.

Who said "War is cruelty, and you cannot refine it"?

William Tecumseh Sherman believed, "War is cruelty, and you cannot refine it." • the U.S sanitary commission was set up in 1861 and organized in part, by Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell, the first woman to earn a medical degree in the country,