1. Reconstruction
SS8H6 The student will analyze the impact of the Civil War and Reconstruction on Georgia.
c. Analyze the impact of Reconstruction on Georgia and other southern states, emphasizing Freedmen’s Bureau; sharecropping and tenant farming; Reconstruction plans; 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments to the constitution; Henry McNeal Turner and black legislators; and the Ku Klux Klan.

2. Reconstruction
The period ( ) after the American Civil War when the southern states were rebuilt, reorganized, and reintegrated into the Union.

3. Life as a Freedmen
After the Civil War, the millions of freedmen (former slaves) faced even more challenges. They were now homeless and had little more than the clothes they were wearing.
Many went from place to place looking for food, shelter, and work.
Others searched for spouses, children, and others who had been sold away from them during slavery.
Some traveled just because they now had the freedom to do so.

4. Freedmen’s Bureau
In an effort to help the freedmen as well as poor whites, the U.S. government established the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands in March 1865 which later became known as the Freedmen’s Bureau.

5. In what ways did the Freedmen’s Bureau try to help?

6. Contributions of the Bureau
Provided food, clothing, medical care, shelter, and other necessities.
Helped educate and find jobs.
Helped reunite families.
Provided legal help.

7. Focus of Freedmen’s Bureau
Education became a priority…set up schools
4,000 primary schools, 64 industrial schools, and 74 teacher-training schools
Atlanta University Center…Morehouse College, Clark, Spellman

8. Study Guide
Freedmen’s Bureau

9. What is its official name?
Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands

10. Why was the Freedmen’s Bureau Created?
To help former slaves who were struggling to transition from slavery to freedmen.

11. Who did the Freedmen’s Bureau Help?
Former slaves and Poor Whites

12. In What Ways Did the Freedmen’s Bureau Help?
Provided food, clothing, medical care, shelter, and other necessities.
Helped educate and find jobs.
Helped reunite families.
Provided legal help.

13. In What Area Did The Freedmen’s Bureau Have the Greatest Impact?
Education

14. Agricultural South
After the war, land owners needed workers to work their land.
Former slaves and landless whites needed jobs.

15. Sharecropping
Landowners provided land, house, farming tools, animals, seeds, and fertilizer… everything needed to farm except labor.
Workers agreed to give the owner a share of harvest.

16. Downside of Sharecropping
Workers did not have basics until crops were sold.
Owners often let them have food, medicine, clothing, and other supplies on credit until crops sold.
Credit was often bad for borrower because after crops sold and credit paid back, little was left.
Most workers were uneducated and could be easily cheated.
Continued to get further in debt.

17. Tenant Farming
Similar to sharecropping, but tenants usually owned some equipment and farm animals.
They also bought their own seed and fertilizer.
Paid back set amount of money or share of crop and the end of the season.
Tenants could make some profit.

18. Sharecropping and Tenant Farming
Study Guide
Sharecropping and
Tenant Farming

19. How are sharecropping and tenant farming similar?
Workers agreed to work the land and share their crops in return for use of the owner’s land.
Both had workers made up mostly of poor landless whites and former slaves that were usually uneducated.
Workers were dependent upon landowners for basic needs until crops could be sold.

20. How are sharecropping and tenant farming different?
Sharecroppers owned nothing but their labor, while tenant farmers owned farm animals and equipment which could be used for farming.
While both left workers in poverty, tenant farmers could possibly make a small profit because they were able to supply some of their own equipment and supplies needed to farm.

21. Which one of the above would be the most likely to make a profit?
Tenant farmers… because the supplied some of their own equipment and other items needed to work the land.

22. What impact did sharecropping and tenant farming have on former slaves?
Left workers in a cycle of poverty which they could not work their way out of.

23. Reconstruction Plans
Reconstruction in Georgia was a time of major change in the state following the devastation of the Civil War. Due to the damage inflicted the United States attempted to reconstruct the South and used three different plans to do so.
Presidential Reconstruction –Lincoln’s and Johnson’s Plans combined
Congressional Reconstruction
Military Reconstruction

24. Lincoln’s Reconstruction Plan
Abraham Lincoln had thought about the process of restoring the Union from the earliest days of the war. His guiding principles were to accomplish the task as rapidly as possible and ignore calls for punishing the South.

25. Lincoln’s Reconstruction Plan
All southerners, except high ranking Confederate civil and military leaders, would be pardoned after taking an oath of allegiance to the United States.
When 10% of voters in a state had taken an oath of loyalty, the state could launch a new government, rejoin the Union and elect representatives to Congress…
Often called the “Ten-Percent Plan”

26. Lincoln’s Assassination
Lincoln was assassinated before his plan could be put into place.
Vice President Andrew Johnson became president… A Southern who criticized secession.

27. Johnson’s Reconstruction Plan
Pardons would be granted to those taking a loyalty oath
No pardons would be available to high Confederate officials and persons owning property valued in excess of $20,000
A state needed to abolish slavery before being readmitted… 13th Amendment
A state was required to nullify its secession ordinance before being readmitted.
Southern states could not repay individuals or institutions that provided them money during the war.

28. Johnson’s Plan
Most of the seceded states, including Georgia, began compliance with the president’s program.
Georgia held a constitutional convention in In the new constitution they repealed the Ordnance of Session and passed the 13th amendment. However, the Constitution was very similar to the one that of the Secessionist Constitution of 1861, including and amendment banning interracial marriage. Nonetheless, due to the passage of the 13th amendment, Georgia was readmitted into the Union in December of This proved to be temporary.

29. Congressional Reconstruction
Congress was not in session when Johnson’s plan was put in place, so there was no immediate objection. However, Congress reconvened in December problems began immediately.

30. Congressional Reconstruction
Trouble began between the southern states and the Republican controlled Congress when several former confederate leaders were elected to Congress.
In Georgia, former CSA Vice President Alexander Stephens, and CSA Senator, Hershel Johnson, were elected as the state’s two senators.
The northern Senators, especially those called “Radical Republicans,” who favored harsher punishments for the South, were appalled at having these high ranking CSA officials in Congress and refused to seat them.

31. Congressional Reconstruction
Additionally, there began to be calls in the House of Representatives against President Johnson for abuse of power and proceedings for his impeachment started to take place… Johnson committed no impeachable crime and was not removed from office.
The Radical Republicans were appalled at the South’s treatment of the freedmen under laws that were called Black Codes. Under these laws, blacks were not allow to vote, testify against whites in court, and could not serve as jurors.

32. Congressional Reconstruction
Georgia, along with the other southern states, refused to ratify the 14th amendment. With this action, Georgia and the rest of the South was placed under the authority of Congress.

33. Congressional Reconstruction Plan
Congress and many Northerners opposed the presidential reconstruction plans…thought the South should be punished.
Wanted to protect the rights of freedmen and keep the political power in the North.
A state must have a majority within its borders take the oath of loyalty
A state must formally abolish slavery (13th Amendment)
No Confederate officials could vote or run for office.

34. Military Reconstruction
As a result of Black Code laws in the South and the rise of the Ku Klux Klan, Congress passed the Reconstruction Act of 1867 which created Military Reconstruction.

35. Military Reconstruction
Military Reconstruction was a part of Congressional Reconstruction.
Congress was disturbed at how Southern states treated Freedmen.
Congress passes the Military Reconstruction Act which divided the 10 unreconstructed states into 5 military districts.

36. Military Reconstruction
States had to pass the 14th Amendment which granted citizenship and equal protection of the law to all persons born in the United States… except Native Americans.
Former Confederate office holders were not allowed to vote or run for office.
States had to pass the 15th Amendment guaranteed all male citizens the right to vote.

37. Military Reconstruction
During this period, Georgia held another constitutional convention, this time in Atlanta.
Atlanta was chosen because it was more accepting of the state’s Republican delegates along with the 37 African American delegates that had been elected to serve in the convention.
During this convention, Georgia created a new constitution that included a provision for black voting, public schools, and moving the capital to Atlanta.

38. Military Reconstruction
After this convention, Republican Rufus Bullock was elected Governor and the Republican controlled General Assembly began its session.
Georgia was finally readmitted into the Union in 1870 when reinstated Republican and black legislators voted for the passage of the 15th amendment.

39. NOTE
By 1872 southern Democrats called the “redeemers” were voted back into office and took control of the Governorship and General Assembly.
Democrats controlled state politics in Georgia until Sonny Perdue was elected governor in 2003.

40. Study Guide
Reconstruction
Plans

41. Lincoln’s Reconstruction Plan
What was it called?
10 % Plan

42. Lincoln’s Reconstruction Plan
What did it require?
All southerners, except high ranking Confederate civil and military leaders, would be pardoned after taking an oath of allegiance to the United States.
When 10% of voters in a state had taken an oath of loyalty, the state could launch a new government, rejoin the Union and elect representatives to Congress…

43. Johnson’s Plan How was Johnson’s plan different from Lincoln’s?
Pardons would be granted to those taking a loyalty oath
No pardons would be available to high Confederate officials and persons owning property valued in excess of $20,000
A state needed to abolish slavery before being readmitted… 13th Amendment
A state was required to nullify its secession ordinance before being readmitted.
Southern states could not repay individuals or institutions that provided them money during the war.

44. Congressional Reconstruction
What was the main purpose of Congressional Reconstruction?
Wanted to protect the rights of freedmen and keep the political power in the North.

45. Congressional Reconstruction
What did the Radical Republicans want to do to the South?
Congress and many Northerners thought the South should be punished.

46. Military Reconstruction
What did the Military Reconstruction Act do?
The Military Reconstruction Act which divided the 10 unreconstructed states into 5 military districts.

47. Military Reconstruction
What did Georgia do while under Military Reconstruction?
Held constitutional convention
During this convention, Georgia created a new constitution that included a provision for black voting, public schools, and moving the capital to Atlanta.

48. What were the names of the laws passed by Southern states to prevent freedmen from exercising their rights?
Black Codes

49. What happened when Georgia elected former Confederate officials to represent them in Congress?
Congress refused to seat them… did not allow them to serve out their term.

50. Changes to the Constitution
After the Civil War, 3 amendments were passed and ratified to ensure the rights of the former slaves.
They are sometimes called the Reconstruction Amendments.

51. 13th Amendment Officially abolished slavery.
Was passed by Congress in January 1865 and submitted to the states for ratification (approval/acceptance and implementation).
President Johnson made ratification of the amendment a requirement for the southern states to rejoin the Union.

52. 13th Amendment
It abolished slavery, but it did not abolish discrimination.
By 1865, most of the Southern states, including Georgia, had passed a number of laws known as Black Codes, which were designed to restrict the rights of freedmen.
Examples- Could not serve on juries, could not testify against whites, could be arrested for not having a job.

53. 14th Amendment The 14th Amendment was in response to the Black Codes.
It granted citizenship to the freedmen and forbade any state from denying anyone the “equal protection of the law.”

54. 15th Amendment
Granted all male citizens the right to vote regardless of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.
Women still could not vote.
Voting age was 21.

55. What did the 13th Amendment do?
Officially abolished slavery.

56. What did the 14th Amendment do?
It granted citizenship to the freedmen and forbade any state from denying anyone the “equal protection of the law.”

57. What did the 15th Amendment do?
Granted all male citizens the right to vote regardless of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.

58. Which U.S. Supreme Court decision did the Fourteenth Amendment reverse?
Dred Scot

59. Henry McNeal Turner and the Black Legislatures
For a brief period during Reconstruction, African American freedmen were given more political rights than they had ever had and would not have again for 100 years.
Primarily, the freedmen were given the right to vote. With this freedom, 32 black legislators were elected to the Georgia General Assembly in The most prominent of these legislators was Henry McNeal Turner.

60. Henry McNeal Turner and the Black Legislatures
Preacher of African Methodist Episcopal Church
Organized and was chaplain of African-American troop during Civil War.
Organized the Republican Party in Georgia.
Elected to Georgia House of Representatives

61. Henry McNeal Turner and the Black Legislatures
Threatened by KKK
Expelled from House… said he did not have the right to be elected and serve
Framed for unethical practices while serving as postmaster in Macon
Was able to get seat back in Hose but lost in fraudulent election a few months later

62. Henry McNeal Turner and the Black Legislatures
Bishop if African Methodist Episcopal Church
Created his own news paper
Black legislators who were elected at the same time were also expelled and received threats from KKK.
Over ¼ were killed, beaten, or jailed during term

63. Henry McNeal Turner and the Black Legislatures
Study Guide
Henry McNeal Turner and the Black Legislatures

64. Who was Henry McNeal Turner?
Preacher and Bishop of African Methods Episcopal Church
Organized black troops and served as chaplain
Organized Republican party and served as Representative in Georgia

65. Why was HMT and the black legislatures expelled from the Georgia Senate?
Said they did not have the right to be elected and serve.
13th said they were free, 14th said they were citizens, and 15th said they could vote, but none of them said they could serve in government.

66. Ku Klux Klan
The Klan was one of several secret organizations to keep freedmen from exercising their new rights.
Began in 1867 in Pulaski, Tennessee as a social club for returning Confederate soldiers, but changed into a force of terror.

67. Ku Klux Klan
Members dressed in robes and hoods so no one would recognize them.

68. Ku Klux Klan
Soon after their creation, they began to use terroristic actions to intimidate freed blacks and white Republicans (derogatorily called Carpetbaggers for those whites who moved from the North, and Scalawags, their white allies from the South) from voting and running for office during the Reconstruction period.
This group also used tactics of intimidation, physical violence, and murder against black organizations such as the Freedmen schools and churches in hopes of establishing social control over African Americans and their white allies.

69. Ku Klux Klan
The KKK was successful in their political goals as Democrats gained control of Georgia politics in It was over 100 years before Republicans gained a control in the state again.

70. Ku Klux Klan
The first KKK disbanded sometime around 1871, when Democrats regained political control of the state and Congress passed the Force Act of 1870 and Civil Rights Act of 1871 (also called the Ku Klux Klan Act). These acts authorized federal authority to fight and arrest members of the Klan.
The Klan resurfaced again in 1915.

71. Study Guide
Ku Klux Klan

72. What did the Klan start as?
A social club for returning Confederate soldiers

73. Secret organizations to keep freedmen from exercising their new rights
What was the Klan?
Secret organizations to keep freedmen from exercising their new rights

74. What did the Klan hope to do?
Control politics by keeping African Americans from enjoying their new freedoms… voting, running for office, etc.

75. How did the Klan accomplish their goals?
Threats, beatings, killings

76. What is a Carpetbagger?
A Northerner who went to the South after the Civil War for political or financial advantage… this was not a complement

77. What is a Scalawag?
A white Southerner working for or supporting the federal government during Reconstruction