The Civil War Reconstruction of the South 1865-1877
Intended Targets for Assassination on Friday, April 14, 1865: Abraham Lincoln Andrew Johnson William Seward
Ford s Theatre Petersen House
Lincoln on his deathbed at the Petersen House across the street from the theatre.
John Wilkes Booth and David Herold were able to hide out for 12 days, but were finally captured on April 26, 1865.
Lewis Payne (Powell) George Atzerodt David Herold The first four were all executed for being part of the conspiracy. Mudd, and others were imprisoned for awhile as part of the conspiracy, and some were jailed for being in on the earlier plots to kidnap Lincoln. Mary Surratt Samuel Mudd
Execution of the conspirators, July 7, 1865
Lincoln s journey to his grave site lasted two weeks Lincoln was buried in Springfield, IL
Funeral Procession down Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, D. C.
New York City
Chicago
Although he thought he was doing the South a favor by killing Lincoln, John Wilkes Booth s actions tremendously damaged the South.
In 1864, Lincoln had held off a challenge from one of his former generals, George McClellan.
With 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. Last paragraph from Lincoln s Second Inauguration Speech March 4, 1865
Much of the South lay shattered, and in ruins by the Spring of 1865. Thousands of acres of valuable cropland had been damaged, some cities laid charred and destroyed. Hundreds of thousands had been killed, and hundreds of thousands had suffered devastating injuries. What little industry that had existed in the South was mostly ruined, as were the railroads that had existed. To top it off there were now approximately 4 million former slaves that really had nowhere to go.
Before he was assassinated, Lincoln had already been thinking ahead to when peace would be restored. As evidenced in his inaugural address, he was tired of all the bloodshed, and wanted to have the nation heal as quickly as possible. One of his plans was to allow states back into the Union once 10% of adult males swore a loyalty oath. That s very generous!!!
He was also planning on PARDONING Confederate officials, and allowing the states to form new governments and send representatives to Congress.
Radical Republicans control Congress However, Lincoln s murder caused the North to want revenge against the South, leading to bad feelings that still linger today. In the years following the Civil War, the Republican Party controlled both branches of Congress. They saw this as a chance to radically change the South. They expected the new president, Andrew Johnson, to go along with their plans he didn t.
Johnson a Democrat, was chosen to run with Lincoln To show unity, Lincoln had Johnson on the ticket. He was a southern Democrat from Tennessee, but had remained loyal to the Union. Republicans thought he would work with them on Reconstruction, but they clashed.
Lincoln had originally fought the war to preserve the Union, but of course, it also became a fight to end slavery. With the Union victory, there were now approximately 4 million former slaves. (A little less than the current combined populations of Utah and Idaho.) Before his death, Lincoln had created a government agency known as the FREEDMEN S BUREAU. The bureau helped to set up schools and hospitals for blacks, and also provided clothes, food, and fuel throughout the South. Children, parents, and grandparents all sometimes went to school. Can you imagine doing that today?
Change Proves to be Difficult Johnson believed that it was the President s job rather than that of Congress to be in charge of Reconstruction. Many of his policies were based on Lincoln s plans. AMNESTY, or an official pardon was offered to many southerners in exchange for loyalty. In 1865, the 13 th AMENDMENT was proposed, and passed in congress. It banned slavery forever in the United States. However, as the South started to rebuild, many states refused to ratify the amendment.
The Southern states also passed BLACK CODES, which were laws that limited freedom. For instance, one law required blacks to have written proof of employment, or they could be put to work on a plantation. In some areas, blacks were forbidden to meet in large, unsupervised groups or carry guns. When news of these laws reached the North, many people, including the Radical Republicans were angry.
By the time Congress met again in December 1865, its members refused to let representatives from the South take their seats. Many of the representatives had only months before been leaders of the Confederacy! The Constitution gives Congress the right to decide if its members are qualified to serve. The Radicals had enough votes to control things. Their goal was to re-make the South, and give full and equal citizenship to blacks. They wanted to destroy the old ruling class, and turn the region into small farms, free schools, respect for labor, and political equality for all citizens. Thaddeus Stevens and Charles Sumner were their leaders.
Representative Thaddeus Stevens from Pennsylvania, and Senator Charles Sumner from Massachusetts Same man who had nearly died after being beaten with a cane in the Senate by Representative Preston Brooks.
Andrew Johnson Angers the Radicals In 1866, Congress passed a bill that gave all persons born in the U. S. (except Indians), citizenship and equal rights. However Johnson vetoed the bill, and said it would make the federal government too powerful, and hurt whites! Congress went ahead, and with a 2/3 vote in both houses, overrode his veto. Johnson s actions encouraged Congress to push the 14 th AMENDMENT. This would constitutionally guarantee citizenship to people born in the U. S. The president refused to support the amendment, as did all southern states except for Tennessee.
Fed up with what was happening, Congress divided the South into 5 military districts, to make sure new constitutions were written, and the 14 th Amendment was ratified.
With the protection of the military blacks and poor whites in the South flourished for a time. Many of the old leadership (who had lost their voting rights) were angry that some whites worked with the Republicans. They called them SCALAWAGS, (a term that originally meant rascal, but also referred to a worthless farm animal). They also were resentful of CARPETBAGGERS who had come down from the North to profit from Reconstruction. The term carpetbagger referred to someone quickly moving down South by throwing their belongings into a carpetbag suitcase.
For at least a few years, the South was dominated by the Republicans, and by 1870, all states had ratified new constitutions, and were accepted back into the Union. More than 600 blacks served in state legislatures, 14 in the U. S. House of Representatives, and 2 in the Senate, including Hiram Revels of Mississippi.
Irritated with Andrew Johnson, Radical Republicans were looking for a way to possibly get rid of him. When he tried to fire Secretary of War, Edwin Stanton, they claimed he violated the Tenure of Office Act. This act said presidents could not fire government officials without the Senate s approval. The House of Representatives IMPEACHED him, but when his trial was held in the Senate, he was saved by a single vote.
Andrew Johnson and Bill Clinton are the only two presidents to have ever been impeached (charges brought against them). Richard Nixon would have been as well, but he resigned before it could happen.
New Opportunities for Blacks After achieving freedom, many blacks left the plantations looking for something new. Some wandered, just to be able to go where they wanted. Others began searching for their relatives and friends. Others tried to learn to read and write. Some former slaves were hoping to gain their own land a sign of wealth. There were some Congressmen that wanted to forcibly take land and give it to former slaves. However, others felt that was going to far, and that the new civil and voting rights were a good start.
The Contract System and Sharecropping Without their own land, some former slaves went back to plantations, and tried to negotiate with former slave owners for work and wages. This CONTRACT SYSTEM was better than slavery, because at least black people could work for who they wanted, and they could not be abused or have their families split up. Still, most remained in poverty. SHARECROPPING also proved to not be very beneficial to the former slaves or poor whites either.
The KKK Ku Klux Klan Poverty was not the only issue facing freedmen. Violence and racism existed throughout the South (and in parts of the North too). Successful blacks, those who spoke out, and white Republicans were targets of the Klan, who used threats and intimidation to regain Democrat control of the South.
A political cartoon against white Republicans and Carpetbaggers.
The Election of 1868 The Republicans chose the war hero Ulysses S. Grant, who had never held elected office. The Democrats chose former governor of New York, Horatio Seymour. Ulysses S. Grant Horatio Seymour
The vote of freedmen in the South helped Grant win the election.
Grant won re-election, against a Democrat party that was terribly divided.
A great achievement during his first term was the passage of the 15 th AMENDMENT, which gave voting rights to former slaves. Although probably not totally corrupt himself, Grant had the misfortune of surrounding himself with people who were very corrupt. He poorly chose advisors, and put some of his friends into positions that they should not have held. Many of them took bribes. In the 1870s, financial problems around the country scared a lot of people, and there was a slowdown in the economy, and unemployment rose.
The Republican party weakened, and many people stopped focusing on issues in the South. At this time, the Supreme Court also began to undo some of the changes that had been made in the South. These changes helped weaken Republican influence in the South, and eventually gave the Democrats control of the region for a century, well into the 1980s. The Election of 1876 finally ended Reconstruction.
Republican governor from Ohio, Rutherford B. Hayes, and Democrat governor from New York, Samuel J. Tilden
This controversial election was one of the few times the person who didn t win the popular vote, won the electoral.
On election day, Tilden fell just one electoral vote short of capturing the presidency. There was a disputed vote in Oregon, and because the votes had been interfered with by fraud in Louisiana, Florida, and South Carolina, there were 20 votes that were still in dispute. Arguing went on for 3 months, until a compromise was reached. A congressional commission awarded the 20 disputed votes to Hayes, giving him the election 185-184. There were 5 other parts to the compromise.
#1 Troops would be removed from the South. #2 The government would provide land grants and loans for the construction of railroads linking the South to the West Coast. #3 Southern officials would receive money for construction and improvement projects. #4 Hayes would appoint a Democrat to his cabinet. #5 The Democrats promised to respect the civil and political rights of blacks. (THEY DID NOT DO THIS!)
The Legacy of Reconstruction Historians like to debate about whether or not Reconstruction was successful. For instance, the 13 th, 14 th, and 15 th, Amendments were all passed protecting certain rights for black Americans. However, many continued to deal with poverty and racism. Black schools and churches started during Reconstruction also endured.
Political freedoms were established, but many either chose to not get involved, or they were prevented from doing so. POLL TAXES were fees charged in order to vote.
LITERACY TESTS required you to read and discuss complex parts of the Constitution, or pass other tests in order to vote.
SEGREGATION became a normal way of life into the 1960s and 1970s. Reconstruction did put Blacks on their way to equality, but it did not happen nearly as soon as so many people had hoped for after the Civil War.
Um, no Ms. Richards. Racism exists amongst all groups of people