US History 202-071 (Chapter 16)

Reconstruction Era : 

Reconstruction Era An Introduction

The Civil War : 

The Civil War Battle of Antietam (September 17, 1862) 4,100 killed (2,100 Union and 2,000 Confederate) 18,000 wounded (9,000 Union and 9,000 Confederate) Total Casualties: 22,100 D-Day (June 6, 1944): United States suffered 6,000 total casualties.

The Civil War : 

The Civil War In total: Approximately 620,000 soldiers lost their lives (360,000 Union and 260,000 Confederate) World War II: Approximately 405,000 Americans lost their lives. Conclusion: Civil War was our nation’s bloodiest war.

Was the Civil War “worth” the bloody sacrifice? : 

Was the Civil War “worth” the bloody sacrifice? The nature of the Union decided The notion that the Union was a “voluntary” confederation of sovereign states was dead. United States became constructed in a singular rather than plural noun. National government strengthened at the expense of states. In short, the extreme states’ righters were crushed. (i.e no nullification and/or succession)

Was the Civil War “worth” the bloody sacrifice? : 

Was the Civil War “worth” the bloody sacrifice? King Cotton was crushed. North free to continue path of industrial capitalism. Higher protective tariffs possible. Federal money for transportation systems. South opposed federal funds for local projects. South used states’ rights to justify slavery. Agenda of Northern elite fulfilled.

Was the Civil War “worth” the bloody sacrifice? : 

Was the Civil War “worth” the bloody sacrifice? The legal end of slavery & limited freedom for “Freedmen.” Freedom from being whipped or sold. Freedom to send their children to school. Freedom to worship in their own churches. Freedom to work independently on their own farms. So was it worth it?

Reconstruction: An Unfulfilled Promise : 

Reconstruction: An Unfulfilled Promise When did Reconstruction begin? It began during the Civil War. Who has the power the President or Congress?

Wartime Reconstruction : 

Wartime Reconstruction Lincoln’s plan: 1) Full pardon for rebels that renounce secession and accept emancipation. 2) When 10% of population took oath of allegiance, the state could return to the Union. Long term federal assistance nor extension of political rights for African-Americans addressed. Bottom Line: Lincoln wanted to shorten the war and end slavery. The goal of Reconstruction was “restoration” rather than “revolution.”

Wartime Reconstruction : 

Wartime Reconstruction Wade-Davis Bill At least 50% of voters must take an oath of loyalty. Ex-Confederates could not participate in the drafting of new state constitutions. Guarantee equality of freedmen before law. Bill killed by Lincoln’s pocket veto. Important to note that before Lincoln was killed, he publicly endorsed suffrage for African-Americans.

Wartime Reconstruction : 

Wartime Reconstruction The US Army confronts problems with land and labor. Compulsory free labor system. Army wanted labor stability and followed the spirit of Lincoln’s philosophy of moderation. Congress authorized Freedmen’s Bureau to divide confiscated land. Many African-American families received 40 acres of land.

Presidential Reconstruction : 

Presidential Reconstruction Andrew Johnson’s Plan 1) South must renounce right of secession. 2) Debts of the Confederacy were not legal or binding. 3) Thirteenth Amendment must be ratified. If the southerners complied, all confiscated and abandoned land would be returned to white southerners. What does this mean for the freedmen?

The motives of Andrew Johnson : 

The motives of Andrew Johnson A man of humble origins. He detested the planter class. Believed in the idea of white supremacy. Believed that the major task of Reconstruction was to empower the white middle class. Advocated states’ rights. (Not secession) Believed federal government had no right to determine voting rights or protect the civil rights of citizens.

The Response of the South : 

The Response of the South Black Codes Required African-Americans to sign annual employment contracts that limited them to agricultural work. Could not move about the countryside without permission. Could not own or carry guns. Could be forced into labor if found to be vagrants. Purpose: to reassert white supremacy. Election of 1865, ex-Confederates won seats in the Senate and House of Representatives.

The Battle Lines Are Drawn : 

The Battle Lines Are Drawn Moderate Republicans joined with Radical Republicans to confront the resurgence of Southern power. Significance: Congress had votes to override a veto. Congress refused to seat the new members. Civil Rights Act designed to nullify the Black Codes. President Johnson vetoed the bill. (states’ righter) Congress overrode the veto. Significance: The power of the Federal Government increased.

Congressional Reconstruction : 

Congressional Reconstruction Congress passes the 14th Amendment. Provided citizenship rights so that national government could protect African-Americans. Indirectly forced white southerners to give African-Americans the right to vote. Purpose: to protect African-Americans and to increase Republican political power. However, women were ignored in the provisions. Andrew Johnson opposed this amendment and advised the south to resist it politically. Republicans won the Congressional elections in 1866.

Congressional Reconstruction : 

Congressional Reconstruction Southern resistance forced greater cohesion among Republicans. Radical Republicans gained esteem. Radical Republicans demanded civil and political equality for African-Americans. Is this radical?

Radical Reconstruction : 

Radical Reconstruction Reconstruction Acts 1) divided 10 un-reconstructed states into 5 military districts. 2) Required state constitutions to guarantee black suffrage. (Also had to ratify the 14th Amendment) Purpose: Believed power to vote would bring about a permanent revolution in the South. Did it go far enough?

Radical Reconstruction : 

Radical Reconstruction Plus side: Spurred an unprecedented experiment in interracial democracy. Negative Side: Measures for confiscating and redistributing land not included. Why was economic independence critical for the freedom of African-Americans?

African-Americans views on freedom : 

African-Americans views on freedom Desired educational opportunities. Aspired to have full and complete families. Desired opportunities for independent worship. Land was the source of economic independence. Without economic independence, laws to protect African-Americans undermined.

Ramifications of Failing to Redistribute Land… : 

Ramifications of Failing to Redistribute Land… Led to sharecropping Agricultural system in which tenant farmers give landlords a share of the crops, rather than cash, as rent.

How did sharecropping come about? : 

How did sharecropping come about? 1) A great deal of land was owned by a few. 2) Needed people to work these lands. 3) A large number of black and white families wanted to raise crops with their own labor but they lacked the means. 4) Reconstruction Acts stopped short of re-distributing land as some Radicals wanted. 5) Sharecropping was the end result.

Pitfalls of Sharecropping : 

Pitfalls of Sharecropping Black and white southerners needed supplies. Merchants offered supplies on credit. Created a system whereby poor sharecropping families were in debt. The only benefit: families could still work independently on their own rented farms. Whites could undermine black voting.

Johnson Impeached : 

Johnson Impeached Johnson vetoed the Reconstruction Act. Congress overrode his veto on the same day. Johnson’s resistance led to his impeachment. Pretext: Congress claimed he violated the Tenure of Office Act. He avoided impeachment by 1 vote. Who was stronger?

The Struggle in the South : 

The Struggle in the South The 15th Amendment. Prohibited exclusion of the right to vote on grounds of race. What is the weakness of the amendment? Northerners believed they discharged their responsibilities with the Reconstruction Acts and the Constitutional Amendments.

Struggle in the South : 

Struggle in the South Yet organizations such as the Ku Klux Klan used terrorist tactics to restore white supremacy. Passed the Ku Klux Klan Act which almost destroyed the Klan, but failed to end terrorism. Jim Crow- segregation developed at white insistence. Civil Rights Act of 1875 outlawed racial discrimination, but it wasn’t enforced.

The Collapse of Reconstruction : 

The Collapse of Reconstruction By 1870s North wanted to move on. Economic depression of 1873. Republican Party more business oriented. Northern businessmen wanted to invest in South and believed Federal involvement caused of instability. Northerners had racist feelings. Supreme Court weakened Reconstruction as well.

The Collapse of Reconstruction : 

The Collapse of Reconstruction The Redeemers Southern Democrats who hoped to bring back “home rule.” Republicans: Northern transplants, poor whites, and African-Americans. Use racism to divide Republicans and terrorism to intimidate blacks. Promised to end corruption and opposed raising taxes.

The Collapse of Reconstruction : 

The Collapse of Reconstruction What did Republicans aim to do? Pushed for education, civil rights, and economic development. Land owners were overwhelmingly white. Like other governments, there was some measure of corruption. (Gilded Age) 1 out of 5 Republican officeholders black. Myth of excessive corruption is racially biased and part of the white southerners agenda to “win” back South.

Collapse of Reconstruction : 

Collapse of Reconstruction White southerners ostracized those that supported rights for African-Americans. Democrats also used terrorism to intimidate blacks & whites who supported Reconstruction. Federal government did not intervene. North willing to look the other way if South promised to avoid opposing Northern economic programs.

The End of Reconstruction : 

The End of Reconstruction Samuel Tilden (D) vs. Rutherford B. Hayes (R) Tilden won the popular vote, but was one vote shy in the electoral vote count. (Of course Florida was in the center of the controversy) Special commission arbitrated the dispute. Hayes win in the majority of votes in Congress. Compromise of 1877- army will withdraw from South and money for internal improvements.

After the Civil War… : 

After the Civil War… African-Americans gained the freedom from being whipped or sold. Freedom to send their children to school. Freedom to worship in their own churches. Freedom to work independently on their own farms.

The Failures of Reconstruction : 

The Failures of Reconstruction African-Americans failed to gain land. Full protection of their rights was denied. Jim Crow (Segregation) was in place. The failure of Reconstruction made the Civil Rights movements of the 1960s necessary. Would a Barack Obama have risen earlier?