The Collapse of Reconstruction The Americans, Chapter 12.3, Pages 393-401.
Opposition to Reconstruction White Southerners who took direct action against African- American participation in government were in the minority. Most white Southerners swallowed whatever resentment they felt over African Americans change in status. However, some bitter Southern whites relied on violence to keep African Americans from participating in politics. ~The Americans, page 393.
Anti-Black Violence Ku Klux Klan Started in Tennessee 1866 Existed in all Southern states by 1868 Social club for Confederate veterans Goal to restore white supremacy Klan Violence Killed thousands, Burned churches, schools, & homes Violence Against Republicans Assassinate Senator Stephens (NC) Southern Democrats Riots before state elections 1875 Frighten African Americans away from polls
Economic Pressure Klan Tries to Prevent African Americans from Economic Advancement Attacks on African Americans who do not work in agriculture Economic Necessity African Americans lack training & money Must work as wage laborers or sharecroppers Some white Southerners refuse to do business with African Americans who vote Republican
Legislative Response Enforcement Acts 1870 & 71 Federal Supervision of Elections Authority to use federal troops where the Klan is active Grant does not enforce Supreme Court rules unconstitutional in 1882 Decreased Klan activities White supremacy restored by 1880 No longer needed terrorist activities
Shifts in Political Power Amnesty Act 1872 Restores suffrage to 150,000 former Confederates Freedmen s Bureau Expires in 1872 Congress believes that its work is complete Democrats gain upper hand in the South
Scandals and Money Crises Hurt Republicans As Southern republicans struggled to maintain their hold on Reconstruction governments, widespread political corruption in the federal government weakened their party. During the early 1870s, scandals plagued the Grant administration. These scandals diverted public attention away from conditions in the South. ~The Americans, page 395.
Fraud and Bribery President Grant Personally Honest Politically Inexperienced Naive Appointed friends & acquaintances to power Credit Mobilier Scandal Construction Company for Union Pacific Railroad Skimmed large profits from government contract Many Republican officials were involved Grant s Vice President, Schuyler Colfax involved
Republican Unity Shattered Liberal Republican Party Group of republican angered by the corruption in government Split from Republican Party Hope to push Grant out of Office in 1872 elections Horace Greeley Editor of New York Tribune Had supported 14 th & 15 th Amendments but also Universal Amnesty for Confederates 1872 Elections Greeley Nominated by both Liberal Republicans & Democrats Grant wins by wide Margin Greeley dies a few weeks later
Continued Scandal Whiskey Ring 1875 IRS had taken bribes from whiskey distillers to avoid taxes 238 people indicted Grant helps his private secretary escape conviction Grant s Cabinet Sec. of War, William W. Belknap Had accepted bribes to grant trade concessions in Indian territory Impeached then resigns Sec. of Navy had taken bribes from shipbuilders Sec. of Interior had shady dealings with land Speculators
Economic Turmoil As if political scandals were not enough for the country to deal with, a wave of economic troubles hit the nation in 1873. ~The Americans, page 397.
Panic of 1873 Economic Speculation Economy expanding rapidly since the Civil War Investors convinced that profits would increase indefinitely Investors borrow heavily to invest in the South Panic of 1873 Philadelphia banker, Jay Cooke, overinvests in railroads Cooke s bank goes bankrupt setting off a series of Bank failures Stock Market temporarily collapses 89 railroads go bankrupt 18,000 companies fail by 1875 3million people lose jobs 5 year depression
Currency Dispute Greenbacks Issued during the Civil War Paper money not backed by equal value of gold Increased money supply Helped farmers & manufacturers pay off loans Specie Resumption Act 1875 Tries to withdraw greenbacks from circulation Returns to Gold Standard Causes Deflation Makes thinks worse for those in debt Slows growth of business & industry
Judicial and Popular Support Fades In 1874, a Southern Democratic senator wrote, Radicalism is dissolving going to pieces. Indeed, political scandals, economic problems, and the restoration of political rights to former Confederate Democrats seriously weakened the Radical Republicans. In addition, the Supreme Court began to undo some of the social and political changes that the radicals had made. ~The Americans, Page 397.
Supreme Court Decisions Weaken 14 th &15 th Amendments Cases of federal vs state jurisdiction Slaughterhouse Cases 1873 14th Amendment only protects interstate rights U.S. v. Cruikshank 1876 Federal government may not punish whites who oppress blacks U.S. v. Reese 1876 15 th Amendment does not confer suffrage automatically States can deny suffrage based on factors other than race Literacy tests Poll taxes
Northern Support fades Northern Voters Grow Indifferent Other Issues Panic of 1873 Scandals Tired of carpetbag governments Republicans back away from Reconstruction Major proponents are gone Thaddeus Stephens & Charles Sumner are dead Scalawags & carpetbaggers desert Republican Party Republicans lose faith that government can impose moral & social changes
Democrats Redeem the South Between 1869 and 1875, Democrats recaptured the state governments of Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia. As a result of redemption--as the Democrats called their return to power in the South an the national election of 1876, congressional Reconstruction came to an end. ~The Americans, Page 399.
Election of 1876 Republicans Nominate Rutherford B. Hayes Democrats Nominate Samuel J. Tilden Results Tilden wins popular vote Fails to gain a majority in electoral college by 1 vote 20 disputed votes Compromise of 1877 Democrats concede election Republican agree to end Reconstruction and develop Southern Infrastructure
Home Rule in the South More Disputed Elections South Carolina, Louisiana, & Florida state elections Democrats gain control Home Rule State governments in South without federal intervention Democrats control local governments in all Southern States New laws passed Cut taxes Wipe out social programs Dismantle public schools Restrict rights of African Americans
Legacy of Reconstruction Failures of Reconstruction Congress did not adequately protect newly granted civil rights Supreme Court undermined civil rights by declaring them a state matter Former slaves not made economically independent Successes of Reconstruction Slavery abolished in all states 14 th & 15 th Amendments became part of Constitution Basis for future legislation Literacy & education among African Americans increases Allows economic & social progress over time