Reconstruction
What were the three goals of Reconstruction?
1. Grant the rights to African Americans that they deserve. 2. Rebuild the South 3. Find a way to rebuild the Union and let the south back in
What were the three amendments that were ratified during Reconstruction?
13th amendment (abolished slavery in the USA) , 14th amendment (granted citizenship to all people born in the USA), 15th amendment (granted all men the right to vote in the USA).
What were Johnson's plans for Reconstruction after Lincoln was assassinated?
Andrew Johnson was a southerner, but he had supported the Union throughout the Civil War. However when he assumed presidency after Lincoln was killed on April 14th, 1865, he decided to grant amnesty to all southerners who would pledge their allegiance to the Union (just like Lincoln) but unlike Lincoln, he would grant amnesty to former Confederate leaders as well, if they appealed to the president. This was done to humiliate them, for he believed that they had tricked poorer southerners to secede. Johnson believed in the abolition of slavery, but he did not believe in equal rights for African Americans. Johnson made it so that all southern states had to ratify the 13th amendment (that outlawed slavery in the USA), to be readmitted into the Union. By the end of the year of Lincoln's death, all states but Texas in the south had rejoined the Union under Johnson's plan.
Who were carpetbaggers and scalawags?
Carpetbaggers were people who came down to the south from the north, looking to make money off rebuilding the south. Southerners didn't like them because the saw them as "opportunists". Scalawags were people who lived in the south, but supported the Republicans.
What was Lincoln's plan for Reconstruction?
Lincoln proposed the 10% plan. This plan made it so that for southern states to be readmitted into the Union and to be able to form a state government, they needed to take a vote. If 10% of the people in the state voted to rejoin the Union, they would be readmitted and would be allowed to form a new state government. His plan also granted amnesty to any southerner if he/she would pledge loyalty to the Union. Confederate leaders, however, would not be granted amnesty. Although Louisiana, Arkansas, and Tennessee all agreed to this plan, and voted to rejoin the Union, Congress (who was mostly Radical Republicans at the time) would not accept them because they thought Lincoln's plan was not harsh enough.
What were the conditions like in the south after the Civil War?
Much of the south was in ruins; burnt to the ground or ravaged by the many battles and frequent raids from Union Soldiers. State governments were corrupt or nonexistent, and even after slaves were freed, they were treated terribly. Furthermore, most people in the south were bitter over the loss of the war.
Describe sharecropping and tenant farming.
Sharecropping was when a white southern plantation owner would hire an African American to farm a part of his land and in return the worker would get a portion of the crops and shelter and food. However many times the plantation owner would take advantage of the African American's illiteracy and would trick them into signing and doing things that would just get them into debt so they could never leave or stop working for the owner. This is why it got the nickname "slavery without the name". Tenant farming was similar, but less manipulative. An African American would be paid to till the land, but was free to go and do what he or she pleased. This ended up reverting the country back to its times of slavery.
What were Black Codes?
The Black Codes were a series of laws passed in most southern states that restricted the freedom of African Americans.
Describe Andrew Johnson's impeachment.
The Radical Republicans wanted to limit Johnson's power, so they passed the Tenure of Office Act. This act prohibited the president from firing any member of his cabinet without the approval of the senate. They passed this so they could keep Secretary of War Edwin Stanton in office because he was in charge of the military and he was a supporter of the Radical's plan for Reconstruction. However in August of 1867, Johnson suspended Stanton, while Congress was not in session. When the Senate reconvened, they would not approve the suspension, so Johnson fired Stanton. This lead to the House of Representatives voting to impeach Andrew Johnson, however they did not get the two thirds majority they needed to remove him from office. After his impeachment, however, Johnson stopped interfering with the Radical's plans for Reconstruction.
What were the Radical Republican's plans for Reconstruction?
While Johnson, as president, had his plan for Reconstruction, so did congress, which was mainly Radical Republicans, lead by Thaddeus Stevens. The Radical Republicans believed that the South should be dealt with harshly. They opposed Lincoln's plan, because they thought it was too soft and they opposed Johnson because they believed he sympathized with the South too much. The Radicals plan for Reconstruction (the Wade-Davis Bill) had three requirements that states had to fulfill to become a part of the Union again. 1. A majority of the white males in the state had to vote to rejoin. 2. Only white men who swore that they did not fight for the Confederacy during the war could vote for delegates at the states new constitutional convention. 3. All new states had to ban slavery. It also prohibited former Confederates from holding office. Even though Lincoln "pocket vetoed" the bill, it was clear that anything the president wanted to do from here on out would have to be a compromise with the Radical Republicans. One example of this forced collaboration between Lincoln and Congress came when they worked together to form the Freedmen's Bureau. This was an organization that was formed to help newly freed African Americans adjust to their freedom by building schools, providing shelter, food, etc. During Johnson's presidency, however, the president and congress did not work together as well. Former Confederate states had started to form new state governments under Johnson's plan. When elected officials arrived in DC, the congress would not seat them because they did not believe the south had the right to new state governments yet. When the southern states started passing Black Codes, and mistreating African Americans, the Radical Republicans granted the Freedmen's Bureau many new powers and passed the Civil Rights Act of 1866. This act gave the federal government the right to get involved in state governments if they were denying the rights of African Americans. It also granted citizenship to all African Americans. Johnson tried to veto both bills, arguing that they were unconstitutional, but congress overrode both vetoes. In 1868, the states ratified the 14th amendment, that was proposed in the Civil Rights Act. This amendment granted citizenship to all people born in the USA and that no law could be passed to take this right away. It also stated that if any state tried to prevent certain people from voting, they could lose representation in Congress. In the Congressional election of 1866 Johnson campaigned against the Radical Republicans, and took a negative view on the 14th amendment, saying it was unconstitutional. However despite his efforts, the Radicals won an overwhelming majority in congress again. In 1867, congress passed the First Reconstruction Act, which required all states that had not yet ratified the 14th amendment to create new state governments. This act also turned the 10 states into 5 military zones, that were to be governed by army generals until the new state governments were created. Finally, the act gave African American males the right to vote in state elections. In 1869, the 15th amendment was ratified, which gave all men, regardless of race, the right to vote. By 1870, all southern states had been rejoined the Union. Reconstruction came to a close after the Panic of 1873 and many more incidents that made people lose faith in the Radical Republicans such as scandals and corruption. After Reconstruction the Radical Republican party fell apart and essentially ended.
