Rival Plans for Reconstruction American history

Goals Students will be able to: Terms to know: Review the causes and the consequences of the Civil War. Assess the influence of significant people and groups on Reconstruction Describe the issues that divided Republicans during early Reconstruction Distinguish the freedoms guaranteed in the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments. Terms to know: Reconstruction, Radical Republican, Wade-Davis Bill, Freedmen’s Bureau, Andrew Johnson, black code, Civil Rights Act of 1866, Fourteenth Amendment, impeach, Fifteenth Amendment

How would the Southern Economy Be Rebuilt? During the Civil War, the South’s percentage of national wealth had fallen from 30% to 12% and the Union had destroyed much of the South’s major infrastructure A quarter of men age 20 to 40 had died, robbing much of the south of it’s workforce The South also needed to find a way to handle their newly freed African American populations Some proposed redistributing Southern land to newly freed slaves in order to provide them a way to support themselves Many rejected this course of action, even many African Americans, who felt that Southerners should be paid for their land and that it should be sold at a fair price to the newly freedmen

How Will Southern State Rejoin the Union? During the era of Reconstruction, the government needed to determine how it would handle allowing the Southern state back into the Union. Lincoln proposed a moderate approach to allowing Southern states readmission into the Union Lincoln had, in 1863, issued a Proclamation of Amnesty and Reconstruction, which stated that if 10% of a states voters swore allegiance to the Union, that the state could set up a new government and be readmitted into the Union without penalty If the state abolished slavery and provided education for African Americans, the state would regain representation in Congress Lincoln also wanted to grant pardons to former Confederates

Opposition and Government Aid Radical Republicans, who sought to punish the South for their actions during the Civil War, soundly rejected Lincoln’s 10% plan The Radical Republicans also pushed for full citizenship and voting rights for newly freed African Americans The Wade-Davis Bill was passed in 1864, in response to Lincoln’s 10% plan The bill required that a majority of a state’s prewar voters swear loyalty to the Union and demanded African American equality This measure was however stopped by the use of a pocket veto Lincoln was able to get Radical Republican support for the Freedmen’s Bureau This organization was created in order to reunite families separated by slavery, to negotiate fair labor contracts between former slaves and white landowners, by representing African Americans in court and by establishing a precedent that black citizens had full legal rights

Standards Check How did Lincoln and the Radical Republicans differ in their approach to reconstruction?

Johnson’s Reconstruction Plan Johnson, like Lincoln, wanted to restore the political status of the southern states quickly, and without punishing them Johnson required that southern states ratify the 13th amendment and draft a state constitution that outlawed slavery Johnson also sought to restore land rights to all that were pardoned, but those who sought pardon, had to write to him personally Despite Johnson’s requirement that slavery be outlawed, he did not seek to push racial equality, as he favored a government for white men only

Black Rights Due to Johnson’s lack of requirements for racial equality and suffrage and his strong support of states rights, southern states sought to suppress black political rights The South put into place black codes which sought to limit African American rights and keep them as landless workers The codes required blacks to work in a limited number of jobs, stipulated that any black person wo did not have a job could be arrested and sent to prison, and failed to punish those who used violence and intimidation against blacks In response to these actions, Congress refused to allow Southern Congressmen to take their seats Congress also tried to pass laws that would allow the Freedmen’s Bureau to punish those who did not civil rights to African Americans and attempted to pass the Civil Rights Act of 1866 that sought to overturn the black codes Johnson accused the Radical Republicans of trying to “Africanize the south” and vetoed both measures

Congressional Reconstruction The plan of Reconstruction proposed by the Radical Republicans centered on a few key provisions The 14th Amendment to the Constitution was proposed in order to guarantee equality under the law to all citizens The Amendment also revoked representation to states that refused to allow African Americans to vote and made it illegal to allow leading Confederate generals the ability to serve in public office The Radical Republicans also passed the Military Reconstruction Act of 1867 This divided the southern states into military districts Once the state had ratified the 14th Amendment and had passed a state constitution that had made slavery illegal, the military rule would be lifted and the state would be allowed to reenter the Union

Impeachment and the 15th Amendment Due to the massive disagreements that existed between the Radical Republicans and Andrew Johnson, each looked for an advantage in the legislative process Under the Tenure of Office Act, the president required Congressional approval to remove cabinet members prior to the end of the presidential term When Johnson tried to fire Edwin Stanton from his post as Secretary of War, the Radical Republicans seized upon this opportunity to try and remove Johnson from office based upon the idea that Johnson had committed an impeachable offense To impeach is to put on trial with the intent of removing one from government office Johnson avoided being removed from office by one vote, and he then promised to uphold the legislation of the Radical Republicans The law that Johnson had be impeached for violating was later found to be unconstitutional In 1869, Congress passed the 15th Amendment, forbidding any state from denying suffrage on the grounds of race, color, or previous servitude. This was largely done because of the impact African American voters had on the election of 1868 Grant won the race by a large majority of votes, but only because he received a large majority of the votes cast by black voters

Standards Check What freedoms were guaranteed under the 14th and 15th Amendment? How did Johnson and the Radical Republicans differ in their approach to reconstruction? How did Lincoln, Johnson, and the Radical Republicans shape the reconstruction of the south?