1. Ch 17-3 Reconstructing the South
After Grant took office- the Republicans seemed stronger than ever!

2. Carpetbaggers and Scalawags
Carpetbaggers was the name given to the Northerners who moved to the South after the war. Many in the South thought they were trying to unfairly profit from reconstruction.
Scalawags was the name given to the white southerners who supported the republicans-greedy rascals!

3. African American Leaders
More than 600 were elected to state legislatures (mostly Republican you could guess)
16 were elected to Congress and many held local offices
Hiram Revels and Blanche Bruce were two examples of U.S. Senators

4. State Governments
Some of the first state funded schools in the South were established
Hospitals, prisons, orphanages were built
Laws were passed to limit discrimination
Railroad, bridges, road, and public buildings were built as a way to get the southern economy to recover from the war
Money generally came from taxes and bonds

5. KKK
Ku Klux Klan (KKK) was a secret group formed to oppose civil rights for African Americans
They used violence and terror against African Americans, White Republicans, and other public officials
Members wore robes to hide identity
Many local governments did little to stop the Klan

6. Federal Reaction to the Klan
Federal Government stepped in and congress passed laws making it illegal to interfere with elections of deny citizens equal protection under the law
Within a few years, the Klan was no longer

7. Reconstruction Ends
The General Amnesty Act of 1872 allowed many former Confederate Officials to hold office again
Many were soon elected (Democrats) to hold office in the South
Republicans were starting to lose power in the North (Scandals)

8. Panic of 1873 1873- Jay Cooke and Company declared Bankruptcy
They had lied about the value of land it was trying to sell- when the truth leaked- the company failed
This sent a panic through the stock market
This left many people out of work as companies failed.
This allowed the Democrats to take controll of the House of Representatives

9. Election of 1876
Democrats were gaining power due to economic problems being more important than reconstruction
Republicans were able to push through the Civil Rights Act of 1875-African Americans had equal rights in public places

10. 1876 cont.
Republican- Rutherford B Hayes- wanted to end federal reconstruction
Democrats- Samuel J. Tilden
Democrats in the South again used violence to keep Republicans away
Looked like Tilden won, but Republicans challenged

11. Hayes Wins!
Commission that looked into the election gave all disputed votes to Hayes
Compromise of Democrats agreed to accept Hayes as the winner if all federal troops were removed from the South, received funding to help rebuild the South and had a Democrat on the Cabinet.

12. Redeemers
This was the name given to Democrats who brought their party back to power
They wanted to reduce the size of the state governments and limit the rights of African Americans
They cut taxes and got rid of several social programs

13. African American Rights Restricted
Poll Tax- people had to pay before they could vote
Literacy Test- had to be able to pass before they could vote
Grandfather Clause- if your father or grandfather could vote before 1867 you did not have to do these things

14. More Restrictions
Segregation-Forced separation of Whites and African Americans was common in the South
Jim Crow Laws- Laws that enforced segregation

15. Plessy v. Ferguson Case said that Separate but Equal was fine.
This forced African Americans to use separate schools, libraries, parks and other public facilities.
These were often of lesser quality (not really equal, but deemed ok)

16. Farming in the South
Sharecropping was common for many African Americans. They could not afford to buy land or move so they would farm for a large landowner.
Most hoped to make enough money to buy their own land, but that rarely happened.
Most lived in a cycle of debt that they could not get out of.

17. Rebuilding Industry
Cotton prices would rise and fall. Many wanted something more stable
Some thought about building factories since there was a large supply of cheap labor
Textile Mills began to pop up-often African Americans were not allowed to work there though- Mostly Rural Families took these jobs who had trouble making ends meet.

18. Southern Mill Life Many families worked in mills together
It was steady work, but not great.
Workers often worked 12 hour days-6 days a week
Many injuries occurred in the mills-Brown Lung and injuries from machinery were common
While wages were low- it was an alternative to farming for many