1. Reconstruction & the New South 1865-1896
Chapter 17 Notes
Reconstruction & the New South

2. Ch. 17 Vocab
Reconstruction- refers to how to rebuild a devastated South, & readmit Southern states to the Union Amnesty- a pardon Radical- a person who takes an extreme approach to a cause Impeach- formal process in which an official is accused of unlawful activity

3. Reconstruction Plans Reconstruction Debate
* Following the Civil War – need for a major rebuilding period – called Reconstruction
A. Lincoln’s Plan
1) Ten Percent Plan – 10% of a states pop. swore loyalty to the Union – that state could form a new govt.
a) Also had to adopt const. that banned slavery
2) Didn’t want to punish southerners – felt it would delay healing
3) Offered Amnesty to southerners willing to swear loyalty to Union – except Confederate leaders
B. The Radicals’ Plan
1) Radical Republicans – wanted more “extreme” approach
2) Denied seats to congress from any state readmitted to Union
3) Basically wanted to punish the South before readmitting
4) Lincoln knew he would have to compromise with the Radicals

4. C. The Freedmen’s Bureau
1) Purpose was to help African American’s adapt to freedom
a) Gave food, clothes, & medical services
b) Helped acquire land or find work
c) Set up schools (some higher learning)
Johnson’s Plan
*April 14, 1865 – Lincoln assassinated by John Wilkes Booth
* Vice Pres. Andrew Johnson becomes President
* Called his plan “Restoration”
* States had to ratify the 13th Amend. but Johnson opposed equal rights for African Americans
* Felt “white men alone must manage the South”
**By the end of 1865 – all seceding states but Texas had a new govt. and were ready to rejoin Union

5. Radicals in Control African American Rights
* Due to riots in the South, Radical Rep. felt Johnson’s Plan needed to be stronger
A. Black Codes
1) Southern states passed laws to control freed men:
a) Could arrest jobless African Am.
b) Banned them from owning farms
2) Congress passed Civil Rights Act of 1866
a) Gave full citizenship to African Am.
b) Federal govt. had power to intervene in state affairs to protect rights
c) Overturned Black codes & contradicted Dred Scott Case
3) Pres. Johnson vetoed both bills
a) Said they were unconstitutional due to not including reps from ALL states
4) Republicans in Congress defeated both vetoes & they became Law

6. B. Fourteenth Amendment - 1866
1) Granted full citizenship to all people born in the United States
2) No one could take away citizens right to life, liberty, or property without “due process of the law”
3) Southern states had to ratify this Amendment to rejoin the Union
4) Was delayed until 1868 (due to southern states not ratifying it)
Radical Reconstruction
* With Rep. in control of Congress – Johnson could do little to stop them
A. Reconstruction Acts of 1867
1) Divided 10 Southern states not in the Union into five military districts run by a military commander
2) Guaranteed all African Am. men right to vote in state elections
3) Had to ratify 14th Amend. to rejoin the Union
B. Readmission of States
1) 1868 – AL, AR, FL, GA, LA, NC, & SC rejoined Union
2) 1870 – MS, VA, & TX were restored to the Union
C. Impeaching the President
1) Johnson impeached but not convicted – remained Pres. Until 1869
D. The Fifteenth Amendment
1) Couldn’t deny the right of any male to vote because of “race, color, or previous condition of servitude”

7. The South During Reconstruction
Reconstruction Politics
* Republicans dominate southern politics
A. African Americans in Government
1) 16 African Am. in House & 2 in Senate
2) Hiram Revels & Blanch Bruce
B. Scalawags & Carpetbaggers
1) Scalawags – name given to Southern whites who backed Republicans
2) Carpetbaggers – name given to northerners who moved to the south & supported Republicans
a) Brought their belongings in cheap suitcases made of carpet fabric
C. Resistance to Reconstruction
1) Most southern whites refused to rent land etc. to African Am.
2) Ku Klux Klan came into existence

8. Ku Klux Klan
Nathan Bedford Forrest –
Becomes “Grand Wizard”
In 1868

9. Education & Farming
* About 40% of African Am. Children attended school in the south
* White women & African Am. Men came from the north to teach
* Almost all schools were segregated
** Sharecropping was the most common form of farm work for African Am.
** Rented a plot of land & “shared” a percentage of crops with landowner
** After paying landowners, barely had enough to feed their families

10. Change in the South The End of Reconstruction
* Reconstruction comes to an end for many reasons
A. Republican Revolt
1) Some Republicans start to split with the party, due to reports of corruption in Grants Administration
B. Democrats Regain Power
1) 1872 – Amnesty Act is passed
a) Pardoned most former confederates
b) Nearly all white southerners could now vote & hold office
2) Democrats start to regain control of state governments in the South
3) 1873 – many political scandals come to light (Republican)
4) Panic of 1873 – economic depression
5) Election of 1874 – Democrats gain control of the House of Reps.

11. C. The Election of 1876 (Presidential)
1) Republicans - nominate Rutherford B. Hayes
a) Held modest view on Reconstruction
2) Democrats – nominate Samuel Tilden
3) Hayes wins in an interesting election
a) Tilden – more pop. votes but one electoral vote short of winning
b) Special commission formed to award 20 electoral votes – Hayes wins 8 to 7
D. Compromise of 1877
1) Hayes wins but all troops are removed from the South & more govt. aid is given to the South
E. A New Policy
1) Hayes’ message – Fed. Govt. will no longer attempt to reshape southern society
2) Reconstruction officially ends

12. Change in the South
A. Democrats in Control
1) New leaders take charge
a) Merchants, bankers, business leaders – support economic development
B. Change in Politics
1) Democrats called “redeemers” due to redeeming or “saving” the south
2) One party rule & conservative policies dominate Southern politics
C. Rise of the “New South”
1) Would have industries based on cotton, coal, iron, tobacco, & lumber
2) Southern industry grows because of a cheap reliable workforce
3) Agriculture still remains main economic activity

13. A Divided Society
A. Voting Restrictions
1) When reconstruction ends – African Am. face more problems
2) Southerners find a way around 15th Amend.
a) Poll Tax – fee paid to vote
b) Literacy Test – African Am. had little education
c) Grandfather Clauses – allowed whites who couldn’t pass the test to vote if fathers or grandfathers had voted
B. Jim Crow Laws
1) Caused African Am. & whites to be segregated in almost every public place
2) Plessy v. Ferguson – sets policy of “separate but equal” for next 50 years
C. Reconstruction’s Impact
1) Was a success & a failure
2) Allowed African Am. to advance briefly, then regressed back toward slavery

14. “Separate but Equal”