Reconstruction

• 1865-1877

• A period after the Civil War to rebuild infrastructure and reunite the US

• People disagreed over whether to help or punish the Confederacy

• Made the Southerners very angry

Ten Percent Plan

• 1863 - Proposed by Abraham Lincoln

• The Confederacy was forced to emancipate their slaves and swear loyalty to the Union

• If 10% of the citizens of a state swore their loyalty, the Union would recognize their gov’t and allow them to join the US

Wade-Davis Bill

• Radical Republicans were angry at Lincoln for being too lenient on the Confederacy

• This bill forced the Confederate states to emancipate their slaves and for 50% of their citizens to swear loyalty (compared to 10%)

• Lincoln didn’t sign off on this bill

Andrew Johnson

• Didn’t approve of secession

• Became Lincoln’s VP in 1864

• Became President in 1865

• The Radical Republicans resisting him eventually led to Johnson’s impeachment trial

Thirteenth Amendment

• Abolished slavery

• Ratified in 1865

• Signified the end of the abolition movement

Radical Republicans

• Wanted to punish the Confederacy and help freed African Americans

• “Waving the bloody shirt” meant the Radical Republicans blaming the Democrats for the Civil War in order to gain more political power

• Supported the passing of the 13th, 14th, 15th Amendments

Civil Rights Bill

• Written by the Radical Republicans

• Would make freedmen citizens of the US

• Would lessen influence of Black Codes

• Vetoed by Andrew Johnson

Freedmen’s Bureau

• 1865-1871

• Response to Black Codes

• Led by Oliver O. Howard

• Aimed to provide freedmen with basic necessities to support themselves (ex. education)

• Struggled to find resources and staff

• Was vetoed by Andrew Johnson

Sharecropping

• Tenant farming

• Done by former slaves and poor whites

• Farmers would receive a portion of their harvest as income

• Basically the same conditions as slavery

Thaddeus Stevens

• 1866 - Radical Republican takeover of Congress

• Leader of Radical Republicans in House

• Committee on Reconstruction

• Charles Sumner was the leader of Radical Republicans in Senate

• Wanted to punish the South with Reconstruction

Committee on Reconstruction

• 1865

• Provided oversight on Reconstruction

• Led by Thaddeus Stevens

• Achievements included the 14th Amendment + military reconstruction

Fourteenth Amendment

• Ratified in 1868

• The Civil Rights Act of 1866 provided citizen rights for freedmen

• Clarified citizen status for Americans

• The federal government would have the responsibility of monitoring states’ treatment of citizens

• Aimed to punish important Confederate leaders

Ex parte Milligan

• 1866

• Military tribunals weren’t allowed to try citizens because civilian courts were open

• Military Reconstruction was ignored by Congress

Military Reconstruction Act

• 1867

  • Combined seceded states into 5 military districts

  • Would be monitored by Union generals and armies

• Scalawags were Southerners that cooperated

• Carpetbaggers were Northerners that traveled to the South to reap benefits

Tenure of Office Act

• 1867

• Created by the Radical Republicans to get rid of Andrew Johnson

• Congress must consent to firings

• Because Johnson fired Edwin Stanton without the approval of Congress, he was impeached

Impeachment

• Used as a political weapon

• Johnson violated the Tenure of Office Act

  • 1868 - Impeachment of Johnson

• Because there was 1 vote short of ⅔ majority, Johnson was not removed

Chinese Exclusion Act

• 1882

• Influx of Chinese immigrants during Gold Rush

• Chinese worked on transcontinental railroad, taking over the economy + taking away jobs

• Barred Chinese immigration for 10 years

Louis Agassiz

• Came to the US to give lectures

• Proposed the ice age + glaciers

• Believed in natural selection + that African Americans are inferior

  • Justified Southern racism

  • Racism based on Darwinism

Fifteenth Amendment

• Ratified in 1870

• Legalized African American male suffrage

• Women suffragists protested

Ku Klux Klan

• 1865

• Used intimidation + terrorism against African Americans (burning, lynching, murder, etc.)

• Targeted supporters of Reconstruction

Compromise of 1877

• 1877

• Rutherford B. Hayes (Republican) vs. Samuel B. Tilden (Democrats)

• Hayes won, putting Florida + South Carolina + Louisiana back under Home Rule

• Withdrawing the military from the South signified the end of Reconstruction

• Put former slave masters back in power

Redeemers

• Composed of Southern white Democrats

• After the Union army left, they took control of the state governments

• Home Rule + Solid South

Disenfranchisement

• With Southern leaders back in power, they removed African American voting rights

• Literacy tests and poll taxes prevented African Americans from voting

Jim Crow

• Symbolized Southern racism

• Restrictions on African American freedom + rights

• Segregation laws banned African Americans from public facilities

BIG PICTURE

• Reconstruction - Healing wounds of Civil War

• Political battles - Democrats vs. Republicans + executive vs. legislative

• Radical Republicans - Reforms → Punish South

• Racism + weak Southern economy → Difficult change

• Unfair laws + bad economy + no freedom/rights → Hurt freedmen