Reconstruction

Lincoln’s Beliefs  Since secession was illegal, Confederate governments in the Southern states were illegitimate (not legal) and the states had never really left the Union.  Reconstruction was a matter of quickly restoring legitimate state governments that were loyal to the Union in the Southern states.

Lincoln also believed…  …once the war was over, to reunify the nation, the federal government should not punish the South, but act “with malice towards none, with charity for all…to bind up the nation’s wounds…”

The Assassination of Abraham Lincoln  The assassination of Lincoln just a few days after Lee’s surrender at Appomattox enabled Radical Republicans to influence the process of Reconstruction in a manner much more punitive (harsh) towards the former Confederate states.

Radical Republican Reconstruction  The states that seceded were not allowed back into the Union immediately, but were put under military occupation.

Radical Republican Views  Believed in aggressively guaranteeing voting and other civil rights to African Americans.  Clashed repeatedly with Lincoln’s successor, Andrew Johnson, over the issue of civil rights for freed slaves, eventually impeaching him, but failing to remove him from office.  Added the three “Civil War Amendments” to the Constitution.

The Thirteenth (13 th ) Amendment  Slavery was abolished permanently in the United States.

The Fourteenth (14 th ) Amendment  States were prohibited from denying equal rights under the law to any American.

The Fifteenth (15 th ) Amendment  Voting rights were guaranteed regardless of “race, color, or previous condition of servitude.” (aka former slaves)

The South Under Reconstruction  Confederate Veterans despised:  Southern Republicans (“scalawags”)  Northerners who moved to the South to benefit during Reconstruction (“carpetbaggers”)  Black freedmen (former slaves) were elected to numerous political positions as 1 in 4 white males in the South were excluded from voting or holding office due to supporting the secession.

The South Under Reconstruction  Congress established the Freedmen’s Bureau, an agency of the army directed to  Distribute food to freedmen  Establish schools for freedmen  Help freedmen gain property  Help poor whites of the South  It lasted only one year after the war.

The End of Reconstruction  The Reconstruction period ended following the extremely close presidential election of In return for support in the electoral college vote from Southern Democrats, the Republicans agreed to end the military occupation of the South.

End of Reconstruction  Known as the Compromise of 1877, this enabled former Confederates who controlled the Democratic Party to regain power.  It opened the door to the “Jim Crow Era” and began a long period in which African Americans in the South were denied the full rights of American citizenship.

KKK emerges to intimidate blacks and Republicans…

Jim Crow Laws are created to hinder social and economic equality for blacks.  Grandfather Clauses : You cannot vote unless your grandfather was a registered voter.  Literacy Tests : You cannot vote unless you pass a reading test.  Poll Tax : You cannot vote unless you pay a special tax.

Jim Crow  “Jump Jim Crow” – a song and dance caricature of blacks performed by a white actor in blackface.

Social and Economic Impact: The South  The Southern states were left embittered (sad and angry) and devastated by the war.

Social and Economic Impact: The South  Farms, railroads, and factories had been destroyed throughout the South, and the cities of Richmond and Atlanta lay in ruins.

Social and Economic Impact: The South  The South would remain a backward, agriculture-based economy and the poorest section of the nation for many decades afterward.

Social and Economic Impact: The North and Midwest  The North and Midwest emerged with strong and growing industrial economies, laying the foundation for the sweeping industrialization of the nation (other than the South) in the next half-century and the emergence of the United States as a global economic power by the beginning of the 20 th century.

Social and Economic Impact: The Railroad  The completion of the Transcontinental Railroad soon after the war ended intensified the westward movement of settlers into the states between the Mississippi River and the Pacific Ocean.

Social Impact: Women and Soldiers  Women:  During the war, women were forced to manage the home, farm, and family with very little.  Assumed new roles in agriculture, nursing, and war industries.  Soldiers:  Over 600,000 Americans killed and more than 500,000 wounded during the Civil War.  Southerners returned home to find destroyed homes and farms, and poverty.  Soldiers forced to live with physical disabilities.

Lee and Grant Robert E. Lee  Urged Southerners to reconcile and rejoin the United States  Served as president of Washington College (Washington and Lee University today)  Emphasized the importance of education to the nation’s future. Ulysses S. Grant  Urged Radical Republicans not to be harsh with former Confederates  Was elected president in 1868 and served during most of Reconstruction:  Advocated rights for the freedman.  Opposed retribution directed at the defeated South.  Administration marked by corruption.

Frederick Douglass  After the war:  Supported full equality for African Americans  Advocated for the passage of the 14 th and 15 th Amendments  Encouraged federal government actions to protect the rights of freedmen in the South  Served as ambassador to Haiti and in the civil service.