Reconstruction 1865-1877 Take notes on the following slides. You will need to know the text in red. Reconstruction definition: What do you think it means?

The War Ends!!! Surrender at Appomattox April 9, 1865 General Lee surrendered his Confederate army at Appomattox Court House, Virginia, on April 9, 1865

Everything is going to be great now. The war is over. The North won Everything is going to be great now! The war is over. The North won! All the slaves are free! Life is going to be awesome for all people! Yayyyyy!

Not Really!...

Lincoln is assassinated Just six days after the war ended, on April 15, 1865, President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated while watching a play. Lincoln was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth, a Southerner who was angry at Lincoln. Vice-President Andrew Johnson became president.

The South is destroyed The Civil War ended April 9, 1865. Much of the land in the South was destroyed by the Civil War. The South would need to be rebuilt. This rebuilding of the South was called Reconstruction. (Already on your notes sheet)

State of the South

Raise you hand if you think the South should be punished harshly for the war!

Questions of Reconstruction How to rebuild the South after the Civil War? How to readmit the Confederate states to the Union?

Lincoln’s Reconstruction Plan President Lincoln wanted to reunite the nation as quickly as possible. Any southern state with at least 10% of its voters making a pledge to be loyal to the U.S. could be readmitted to the Union. The South also had to accept a ban on slavery. Not very harsh! But he dies and Johnson takes over.

President Andrew Johnson Jacksonian Democrat. Anti-Aristocrat. White Supremacist. Agreed with Lincoln that states had never legally left the Union. “Damn the negroes! I am fighting these traitorous aristocrats, their masters!”

Johnson’s Reconstruction Plan Pardon all southerners who take an oath of loyalty to the Union Former Confederate states could set up state governments

Johnson’ Reconstruction Plan Each state needed to revoke secession, ratify the 13th amendment This plan was not harsh enough for many in congress!

Growing Northern Alarm! Many Southern state constitutions fell short of minimum requirements. Johnson granted 13,500 special pardons. Revival of southern defiance. BLACK CODES

The Black Codes The Black Codes were laws passed by Southern states that limited the new-found freedom of African Americans. Black Codes forced African Americans to work on farms or as servants. They also prevented African Americans from owning guns, holding public meetings, or renting property in cities.

Black Codes-Voting Rights Other laws were passed to keep blacks from voting. One law said former slaves had to pay a tax to vote. It was called a poll tax. Another law was passed that said a person could only vote if their grandfather had voted. These laws were called the Grandfather Clause.

Radical Republicans Opposed Johnson’s plan- it was too easy on the southerners. They wanted punishment! Led by Thaddeus Stevens What does “radical” mean?

Radical Republicans The Black Codes angered many Republicans in Congress who felt the South was returning to its old ways. The Radical Republicans wanted the South to change more before they could be readmitted to the Union. They were angry at President Johnson for letting the South off so easy.

Johnson and The Radical Republicans Congress was angry at President Johnson for not going along with their Reconstruction policies. As a result, Congress impeached Johnson.

Impeachment Impeachment is the process of charging a public official with a crime. The next step was to try the president in the Senate. By a single vote, Republicans failed to convict Johnson. This only happened one other time in US history. Who was the other president?

Military Reconstruction Act Passed by Congress Divided the South in five military districts Union general was in charge of each district

Some good stuff finally! Three new Amendments to the Constitution (THE Law of the Land) are going to come out of this mess. Know these!!!!

13th Amendment With the ending of the war, the slaves were now free. The 13th Amendment to the Constitution was passed. The 13th Amendment made slavery illegal forever in the United States.

The 14th Amendment The 14th Amendment guaranteed citizenship to all people born or naturalized within the U.S. (except for the Indians!). It said that state governments could not “deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law.”

15th Amendment In 1870 the 15th Amendment became law. The 15th Amendment gave African American men the right to vote. Women’s rights activists were angry because the amendment did not also grant women the right to vote.

The story so far… Lincoln dead. The politicians are bickering and fighting amongst themselves (some things never change!), the Southern States are still trying to oppress the newly freed slaves, everyone hates Johnson, the south in still in ruins, life is still really bad for blacks in the south and we have three new Amendments to make it all “better”. But wait, it gets worse!

Ku Klux Klan In 1866 a group of white southerners created the Ku Klux Klan. The KKK was a “secret” society opposed to African Americans obtaining civil rights, particularly the right to vote. The KKK used violence and intimidation to frighten blacks. Klan members wore white robes and hoods to hide their identities. The Klan was known to have murdered many people.

Ku Klux Klan Started by Nathaniel Bedford Forrest Secret society Mostly former Confederate soldiers

Goals of the KKK Drive out carpetbaggers (northerners who moved south) Regain control of the South for the Democratic Party Use terror

Tactics of the KKK Broke up Republican meetings Harassed Freedmen’s Bureau workers Burned homes, churches, schools Kept Republicans (white and black) from voting- How do you think they would do this?

Sharecropping New system for agriculture Tenant farmers paid rent with a share of their crops

Sharecropping Landlords – landowners who control sharecroppers Crop liens – crops taken to cover debts

Sharecropping Sharecroppers became trapped because farmers could not pay their debts Debt peonage- pretty much SLAVERY again!

Segregation and Jim Crow Laws Starting in 1881, blacks had to stay in separate hotels, sit in separate parts of theaters, ride in separate rail cars, and have separate schools, libraries, and parks. This is known as segregation. Segregation - the legal separation of blacks and whites in public places Jim Crow Laws - laws that forced segregation

The Freedmen’s Bureau The Freedmen’s Bureau was established to help poor blacks and whites in the South. The Freedmen’s Bureau established schools in the South. Laws against educating slaves during the Civil War meant that most ex-slaves did not know how to read and write.

Plessy v. Ferguson (Supreme Court ruling) The Supreme Court ruled segregation was legal in Plessy v. Ferguson. They said that segregation was fair as long as “separate-but-equal” facilities were provided for African Americans. In practice, the African American facilities were usually “separate-and-unequal.” It would take until the 1965, 100 years after the Civil War ended, for Jim Crow laws to be outlawed and blacks to finally realize legal equality in America. More on this in 10th Grade!

40 Acres and Mule During Reconstruction, ex-slaves were promised 40 acres of land and a mule. Unfortunately, the government never came through with their promise. Our government breaking promises…imagine that! What other group saw unfulfilled promises from the government?

End of Reconstruction April 1877 Hayes pulled federal troops out of the South (this can’t be good!) Southern Democrats took control of all state legislatures-It all just gets worse from there…

Jim Crow Laws Continue Southern states will continue creating laws to segregate public spaces for the next 100 years. There is much more “bad” to come! That’s another unit though!