Reconstruction and Daily Life 18.2

Responding to Freedom After emancipation, many freed slaves went searching for their families they had been separated from. Very difficult because records were not usually kept. Almost all freed slaves wanted to leave the plantations they had been on. For the first time, they could travel without passes, marry, have no fear that children would be sold.

Freedmen’s Schools Now that they were freed, many former slaves had the desire to learn how to read and write also help with economic goals Many went to newly formed Freedmen’s Schools Most of the schools were started by the Freedmen’s Bureau from the North By 1869 more than 150,000 African Americans students were attending 3,000 school locations 20% of the South’s African American adults could read Many white Southerner’s were against this idea sometimes even burning or damaging the Freedmen’s Schools. http://www.history.com/topics/black-history/freedmens-bureau

Working the Land People wanted land more than anything else, especially the recently freed slaves General Sherman proposed dividing the abandoned land in the south and dividing it into 40 acre parcels to be given out to the freed slaves The army had extra mules that Sherman wanted to loan out Rumors spread quickly and many freed slaves went in search of their 40 acres and a mule Most received nothing

Working the Land The few freed slaves that received land had it taken away and returned to their previous owners Radical Republicans Thaddeus Stevens and Charles Sumner pushed to have the plantations divided up and given away Arguing that civil rights meant very little without economic independence Many republicans were against the plan Congress did not pass the plan

Contract System After the war, farmers needed workers to grow cotton- still the South's main crop African Americans were still looking for work and accepted contracts to farm cotton- known as contract farming Contract system was far better than slavery, but still not good work African Americans were paid for their labor and could decide who to work for Best contracts still paid very low wages Some landowners cheated or abused workers

Sharecropping In the sharecropping system, farmers rented land on credit. The landowners provided the tools and seeds. At harvest time, the renters gave a share of their profits to the landowners as payment. This system had serious problems -No choice in what to farm- usually only cotton -Farmers had to buy everything else they needed- FOOD -Usually bought on credit and paid higher prices Usually once the renters paid their credit debits and gave the share of the profits to the landowners they have little to no money left Left with no hope to escape poverty https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EmijJOwEDTg

Violent Racism Many farmers and former Confederate soldiers did not want African Americans to have equal rights. Besides facing poverty many African Americans also faced violent racism. In 1866, racism in the South spurred the rise of a terrorist group named the Ku Klux Klan (KKK). Included members from all social and economic groups The Klan’s goals were to restore control of the south and keep former slaves powerless By 1868, the Klan existed in nearly every Southern state.

Violent Racism The Klan attacked African Americans and white Republicans They rode horseback and dressed in robes and hoods -Beat and tortured people -Burned schools, churches, and homes -They even lynched some victims- without consequences http://www.history.com/topics/ku-klux-klan

Violent Racism People who the Klan targeted had little protection The government and military ignored the problem President Johnson had rushed too greatly to restore the Southern governments who ended up being against Reconstruction The Klan’s violence presented the Democratic Party Kept Republicans away from the polls and lead to the increased power of the Democrats.