Reconstruction Of the South

The War’s Aftermath  Human toll of the Civil War: The North lost 364,000 soldiers. The South lost 260,000 soldiers.  Between 1865 and 1877, the federal government carried out a program to repair the damage to the South and restore the southern states to the Union. This program was known as Reconstruction.  Black Southerners were starting out their new lives in a poor region with slow economic activity.  Plantation owners lost slave labor worth $3 billion.  Poor white Southerners could not find work because of new job competition from freedmen.  The war had destroyed two thirds of the South’s shipping industry and about 9,000 miles of railroad. Chapter 12, Section 1

Lincoln’s Plan  Pardon and grant amnesty  When 10% of the 1860 voters took an oath and agree to abide by the government which abolishes slavery, then the state government will be recognized  States had never left the union; some citizens were in rebellion; we are all country men again

Johnson ’ s Plan  Follow Lincoln’s plan  Generous with pardons – Forgiving: He was a southerner  Let states pass black codes  For a state to hold a constitutional convention they must – Void secession – Ratify the 13 th amendment – Stop paying war debt

Problems for Johnson  Lincoln was popular / Johnson was not  Lincoln could get along with critics / Johnson could not  Northerners were blaming the south  Johnson is impeached for political reasons: Johnson is saved by one vote  His crime: use of “intemperate language” and bringing disgrace and ridicule on Congress.

Lincoln’s plan Johnson’s plan Denied pardons to officers and anyone who had killed African American war prisoners. Permitted each state to create a new constitution after 10 percent of voters took an oath of allegiance. Offered pardons to Southerners who swore allegiance. States could then hold elections and rejoin the Union. Each state could create a new constitution without Lincoln’s 10 percent allegiance requirement. States had to void secession, abolish slavery, and repudiate the Confederate debt. Although it officially denied pardons to all Confederate leaders, Johnson often issued pardons to those who asked him personally. Reconstruction Plans Chapter 12, Section 1

Reaction to Lincoln’s Reconstruction Plan A group called the Radical Republicans felt that the Civil War had been fought over the moral issue of slavery. The Radicals insisted that the main goal of Reconstruction should be a restructuring of society to guarantee black people true equality. The Radical Republicans viewed Lincoln’s plan as too lenient. In July, 1864, Congress passed a stricter Reconstruction plan, the Wade-Davis Act. Among its provisions, it required ex-Confederate men to take an oath of past and future loyalty and to swear that they had never willingly borne arms against the United States. Lincoln let the bill die in a pocket veto. Chapter 12, Section 1

Wade- Davis Bill  Congress controls Reconstruction, not the President  South will be under a military government  Lincoln uses pocket vetoes

Radical Republicans’ Plan  South must be Punished  Military Reconstruction Act of 1867 – Divides the South into 5 Military Districts Each governed by a Union General – Confederacy can’t pay war debts or Southerners for the loss of their slaves. – Punish states which do not allow African-American males to vote

RR Cont.  All qualified voters not including those who supported the Confederacy could vote for delegates to a Constitutional Convention when – The 14 th amendment was ratified – Guaranteed the rights to all citizens – Permit African American males the right to vote

North – Freedman ’ s Bureau: aid medical care to help newly freed blacks: built schools and hospitals – 13 th amendment: ends slavery – 14 th Amendment: everyone born in the U.S.A is a citizen; state can ’ t deny a citizen federal rights of life, liberty or property without due process – 15 th amendment: The right to vote for African American males

Black Codes  As southern states were restored to the Union, they began to enact black codes, laws that restricted freedmen’s rights. The black codes established virtual slavery with provisions such as these: – Curfews: Generally, black people could not gather after sunset. – Vagrancy laws: Freedmen convicted of vagrancy– that is, not working– could be fined, whipped, or sold for a year’s labor. – Labor contracts: Freedmen had to sign agreements in January for a year of work. Those who quit in the middle of a contract often lost all the wages they had earned. – Land restrictions: Freed people could rent land or homes only in rural areas. This restriction forced them to live on plantations. Chapter 12, Section 2

South – Black Codes: used to control the actions of ex-slaves examples are curfews, can ’ t serve on a jury, can ’ t marry whites, can ’ t carry a weapon – Sharecropping: ties workers to land; like slavery – Segregation: separate by race – Solid South: south votes strongly democratic

Sharecropping and the Cycle of Debt 1. Poor whites and freedmen have no jobs, no homes, and no money to buy land. 2. Poor whites and freedmen sign contracts to work a landlord’s acreage in exchange for a part of the crop. 3. Landlord keeps track of the money that sharecroppers owe him for housing and food. 4. At harvest time, the sharecropper owes more to the landlord than his share of the crop is worth. 5. Sharecropper cannot leave the farm as long as he is in debt to the landlord. Chapter 12, Section 3

Voting Restrictions  South passed laws to keep African-Americans from voting or holding office.  Poll Taxes: pay a fee in order to vote  Grandfather clause: you may vote only if your grandfather had voted in the past  Literacy test: you must show you can read in order to vote

Attempts to profit from Reconstruction  Carpetbaggers: Northerner who moves to the south to exploit situations created by Reconstruction for their own advantage  Scalawag: Southerner who cooperates with Reconstruction and joins the Republican party. These individuals are considered traitors by white Southerners.

Jim Crow Laws  Laws passed that separated blacks and whites in – Trains – Theaters – Streetcars – Playgrounds – Hospitals – Beaches – Cemeteries

Post Civil War Agenda  Caring for the needs of newly freed slaves – Employment assistance – Housing assistance – Educational provision – Granting full rights as citizens  Mending the rift between North and south – Granting amnesty to confederates – Restoring states their full rights – Returning confiscated land to former confederate owners

Grant as President  Elected in 1868  Radical Republicans want to divide the plantation land among slaves. Not supported by the Republican moderates  Sharecropping and tenant farming developed  15 th amendment passed: voting rights