THE U.S. CIVIL WAR: GALLERY WALK RECONSTRUCTION Education with DocRunning

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1 THE U.S. CIVIL WAR: RECONSTRUCTION GALLERY WALK

2 Overview US Civil War Gallery Walk for Reconstruction is a gallery walk of exhibits related to major events and issues during the Reconstruction Era following the US Civil War. Students go on a gallery walk in groups. The groups collaborate to draw conclusions about the different issues and then complete an analysis activity. Students: -Share ideas and are exposed to the idea of others -Speak, listen, collaborate, analyze and evaluate This guide contains step-by-step guidelines for introducing the activity, student handouts, and images and information for the gallery walk. This activity is one of several focused on the US CIVIL WAR. Use along with other activities, simulations, and projects. Enjoy. Cheers, DocRunning This purchase is for one teacher only. This resource is not to be shared with colleagues or used by an entire grade level, school, or district without purchasing the proper number of licenses. If you are interested in a site license, please contact me for a quote at docrunning@kulikuli.net. This resource may not be uploaded to the internet in any form, including classroom/personal websites or network drives.

3 How to Use (Time to complete: 1-2 classes): Post the gallery displays around the room. There are 13 displays included in this resource. Explain to students that you are going to be doing a gallery walk to learn about the Reconstruction Era that followed the US Civil War. Divide students into groups of 3-5 (if you have a big class you may want to have 2 copies of each station so that you can keep the groups small.) Give students the gallery walk form to complete as a group. Groups should select a recorder to write down group ideas. Give each group 3-4 minutes to respond to each gallery walk display. They are adding notes about the topic and thoughts on the impact. At the end of each session, signal students to move to the next station. Repeat this process until students are back at their original station. OPTIONAL: Have students respond in small groups to the analysis question. I like to mix up the groups for this discussion so that students can get perspectives from the groups they did not already work with. OPTIONAL: Have students work individually or in groups to complete the analysis activity. This is a great way to assess students understanding of the events of Reconstruction.

4 THE LAND DILEMMA As the US Civil War came to a close, the newly freed slaves pleaded their case to General Sherman for land. Sherman issued Special Field Order 15, which gave 40acre plots of lands and a mule that the North had confiscated to black families. This policy became known as 40 acres and a mule. Thousands of black families settled on the newly acquired land. The Union General, Andrew Johnson, was granting pardons to the southerners. Johnson ordered that the confiscated land be returned to the original owners. The black inhabitants were ordered to relinquish the land. Dreams of landownership was dashed. Some freedmen resisted and wrote to the president looking for protection. The appeals were unsuccessful. Many of the blacks had little choice to work as sharecroppers, Very few could save enough money and were consigned to working the land in poverty. Sharecroppers were only slightly better off than when they were slaves.

5 The Black Codes The Black Codes were a set of laws passed in the South during the reconstruction period. The laws varied from state to state but largely served to limit the rights of the newly freed blacks. The Laws included: limited access to courts, limited access to property ownership and limited voting rights. Freedmen were prohibited from work except as field hands. Blacks and whites were not allowed to marry. Unemployed black men could be deemed vagrants, captured and sold off as laborers. In Mississippi Blacks were not permitted to own land. In South Carolina Blacks (only) were taxed for any occupation that was not a famer or servant. Black children could be taken from their families and forced to work in the fields or into apprenticeships. Penalized black individuals for changing jobs Made it easy to arrest black people in the South Limited access to courts In the South

6 Carpetbaggers and Scalawags Carpetbagger by Thomas Nast Source: National Archives The carpetbagger The scalawag The carpetbagger image was a northern that came to the South after the war with his carpetbag of possessions to capitalize on the suffering and misery in the South. The reality was that many carpetbaggers were investors in railroads or former union soldiers who were still in the South at the end of the war. Many of them were simply looking for an opportunity in the South. Scalawags were white, Southern Republicans. They were despised in the traditionally democratic South. The Republicans in the South were largely considered traitors for supporting the reconstruction efforts of the North. James Alcon and Charles Hays were among the noteworthy scalawags. Scalawags included non-slave owning farmers as well as artisans and skilled tradesmen. They were a small an important group that sided often with the Black vote.

7 Lincoln s 10% Plan and Wade-Davis Bill Lincoln s 10% Plan. Late in 1863 Lincoln declared that states could be readmitted to the Union if 10% of their eligible voters from the 1860 election swore allegiance to the Constitution and the Union. Tennessee, Arkansas and Louisiana formed governments under this provision but were not recognized by the United States Congress. Congress thought the plan was too lenient to the Southern states. Wade-Davis Plan In response to Lincoln s 10% plan, Congress passed the Wade-Davis bill in The bill, also known as the ironclad oath, declared that in order to be re-admitted into the union, the majority of a state s white male voters needed to declare their allegiance to the Union. Lincoln refused to sign the bill, so it did not become law. Even if Lincoln had signed the law, it is unlikely that any state would choose to readmit itself under the terms of the bill.

8 Johnson s Reconstruction Plan by Thomas Nast Source: National Archives Andrew Johnson became president when Lincoln was assassinated in April He was a war democrat who spent most of his life in Tennessee. He was soft on the South and called for amnesty and restoration pf property to all who swore loyalty to the Union. Andrew s plan was initially popular both with Congress and with the public. Then in the summer of 1865, Johnson began issuing pardons in the hundreds. By fall he had issued nearly 13,000 pardons. The Southern states had passed the Black Codes and Johnson was doing little about it. Congress and the public realized that Johnson had no intention of punishing the defiant South.

9 Civil Rights Bill The Civil Rights Bill of 1866 is the first major law to be passed over a presidential veto in the United States. The Civil Rights bill granted citizenship to black Americans. It also guaranteed equal rights for black Americans. The Civil Rights Bill was meant to formalize the concept of emancipation as more than just freedom from slavery.

10 The Reconstruction Acts In 1867 Republicans passed 3 reconstruction acts over Johnson s veto. The first reconstruction act determined the terms under which southern governments could apply for readmission to the Union. The new states would be divided into 5 military districts controlled by the Union in order to keep order. Additionally a majority of voters in each state had to ratify the constitution including ratification of the 14th amendment. The subsequent acts instructed all commanders to swear an oath of loyalty and prove their eligibility to vote.

11 The Freedman s Bureau The Freedman s Bureau was created in 1865 to support the four million freed slaves with shelter and medical services, negotiating labor contracts, managing disputes and more. The Bureau initially had a contract of one year for operation. Through extensions passed by a Republican Congress, the Bureau stayed operational through The Freedman s Bureau was underfunded. There were two few agents to manage supervising trials, setting up schools, and aiding older citizens. Land disputes became particularly difficult when Johnson returned land that had been recently given to the freedmen back to their slave masters. Blacks were angry, and many protested. Some of the Bureau s most notable achievements included establishing nearly 3,000 schools in the south over a four year period. Over 150,000 students received an education due to these schools. The Bureau also took control of hospitals and gave medical care to both blacks and whites.

12 Black Leadership W.E.B. Dubois African-Americans took on leadership roles in public office. Nearly 2,000 served in public office during reconstruction. There were 14 black men elected to the House of Representatives and two black men elected to the Senate. (Since reconstruction only 3 blacks have served in the U.S. Senate). In Louisiana Pinckney Pinchback became the first black governor. Beyond public office blacks were community leaders. They served as ministers and business leaders. Many whites, in both the North and the South, portrayed this rise to power as a period of black dictatorship.

13 The Fourteenth and fifteenth Amendment The 14th amendment declared that all persons born or naturalized in the United States are citizens. It counted all citizens in determining the number of delegates a state can send to Congress (representative apportionment). This eliminated the three-fifths clause that previously existed. The 15th amendment stated that no citizen could be denied the right to vote based on race, color or a previous condition of servitude. Together these amendments strengthened the principles set forth by the Civil Rights Bill. Despite these two amendments guaranteeing the right for freed slaves to vote, there was oppression of the Black vote in the late 19th century. Many black voters were disenfranchised through state constitutions and laws that included poll taxes and literacy tests. Additionally, violent intimidation by white groups suppressed the black vote.

14 Suffrage movement and reconstruction Although not the same as slaves, women also were limited in their rights during this period. Women s employment was restricted and they were paid less than men. Women were not permitted to divorce unless they could prove that their husband had deserted them or committed adultery. Women also could not vote. The suffragettes were an integral part of the abolitionist movement. Their advocacy for the freedom of blacks was similar to their own goals of equal rights for women. They hoped that the social changes that occurred during and after the Civil War would extend to both race and gender. The suffrage movement, led by Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony, presented a petition to Congress demanding the right to vote for women in The 14 th amendment established both citizens and voters as men, thus prohibiting women from voting. Some women such as Stanton rallied against the 14th and 15th amendments while others saw the amendments as a step in the right direction.

15 Ku Klax Klan The Ku Klux Klan formed during the Reconstruction era to maintain an order of white supremacy in the South. Often described as the original American terrorist organization, the Klan or KKK used violent coercion to suppress blacks and intimidates whites who did not agree with their viewpoint. The Klan worked to undermine the Reconstruction attempts at establishing equality for blacks. Klansmen walked around in white robes and hoods to disguise themselves. The members were individuals from all backgrounds from farmers to doctors to lawyers. The Klan took the law into their own hands and terrorized blacks. Ironically, the Klan prolonged the Reconstruction era. The KKK campaign against blacks energized congressional Republicans to stay involved in affairs in the South. The Congress passed the Enforcement Acts which protected African-Americans right to vote, to hold office, to serve on juries and to receive equal protection under the law.

16 The Corrupt Bargain In the presidential election of 1876, voting irregularities were found in South Carolina, Florida and Louisiana. A Senate committee was established to determine the outcome of the election. Tilden, a Democrat, won the popular vote but Rutherford B. Hayes, a Republican, won the electoral vote, by one vote. Given the uncertainty of the validity of the election outcomes, Hayes was willing to compromise to solidify his position as president. He made what was later known as the corrupt bargain (also known as the Compromise of 1877). Hayes agreed to remove the federal troops and guarantee that the troops would not return for at least 80 years. The bargain signaled an end to the Reconstruction era. The North essentially agreed to ignore Southern practices in return for the South s acceptance of Republican dominance in the White House. The black population lost the protections they had in the South. Following the Reconstruction period the black population became increasingly disenfranchised, segregated and socially persecuted.

17 US Civil War - Reconstruction GALLERY WALK GROUP MEMBERS: DIRECTIONS: For each station, examine the images and information. Write your response to the image or information. Include not only ideas about the topic but your thoughts about it. THE LAND DILEMMA THE BLACK CODES CARPET BAGGERS AND SCALAWAGS LINCOLN S 10% PLAN AND WADE-DAVIS BILL

18 US Civil War - Reconstruction GALLERY WALK JOHNSON S RECONSTRUCTION THE CIVIL RIGHTS BILL THE RECONSTRUCTION ACTS THE FREEDMAN S BUREAU BLACK LEADERSHIP

19 US Civil War - Reconstruction GALLERY WALK THE 14th and 15th AMENDMENTS WOMEN S SUFFRAGE THE KU KLUX KLAN THE CORRUPT BARGAIN Analysis: What strikes you about the different events and acts that occurred as part of reconstruction? Which groups were favored? What are some of the consequences of the acts from the reconstruction period?

20 US Civil War - Reconstruction GALLERY WALK Visualize it! THE LAND DILEMMA THE BLACK CODES CARPET BAGGERS & SCALAWAGS Using the template provided, work with your group to create a visual summary of the events from Reconstruction. Each card should include an image related to the topic and a brief description of the topic. In the description include at least 1 sentence related to the potential impact of the topic/event on individuals.

21 THE RECONSTRUCTION ACTS

22 WOMEN S SUFFRAGE THE 14th & 15th AMENDMENTS BLACK LEADERSHIP THE FREEDMAN S BUREAU

23 LEGACY OF RECONSTRUCTION THE CORRUPT BARGAIN THE KU KLUX KLAN

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