1. Preview: Reconstruction Political Cartoon
Political cartoons express the cartoonist’s opinion on a current issue through images and words.
Political cartoons use some or all of the following artistic devices:
important people
Symbols
exaggerated details
labels that identify parts of the cartoon
voice or thought bubbles
a caption
Study the political cartoon on the transparency showing Abraham Lincoln and Andrew Johnson at the end of the Civil War. Answer the following questions in your notebook to better understand the cartoon.
1. What artistic devices can you identify in this cartoon?
Match each letter to one of the six artistic devices listed above.
2. What other examples of the six artistic devices can you identify in this cartoon?
3. What do you think is the cartoonist’s message?
4. How does the cartoonist use artistic devices to communicate his message?

3. Answers A. labels that identify parts of the cartoon B. symbol
C. caption
D. voice or thought bubble
E. important person
F. exaggerated detail

4. Unit 1 Lesson 8 - Reconstruction
Essential ?: How was the nation’s commitment to its founding ideals tested during Reconstruction?

5. Reconstruction (1865-1877) 1865 the Civil War comes to an end
The question here is what was the South like following the war?
Land  much of the Civil War was fought in the southern states
Crops were destroyed, land was destroyed, infrastructure was destroyed (think back to Sherman’s March)
Economy  again, much of the land was destroyed, coupled w/ the loss of slave labor
Major driving force of southern economy was crop production
Currency  Confederate currency became worthless after the war
Gov’t war bonds that people invested in were now gone & many southerners were left poorer than when the war started
What was “reconstruction”?
Plan for reuniting seceded states w/ the union
The war did not just end & everything went back to normal, tension was still high & seceded states were as traitors

6. Lincoln’s Plan Union armies occupied seceded states Northern reaction:
Southerners (except high-ranking Confederate officials) would be granted a full pardon and restoration of rights after taking an oath
Oath pledged future loyalty to the Union & acknowledged the end of slavery
Needed 10 percent of the 1860 voting population in a given state to take oath
From there, these citizens could vote in elections that would create new state governments and new state constitutions
Once a state government had been formed and a constitution recognizing the end of slavery ratified, that state would once again be eligible for representation in Congress and Lincoln would consider the state fully readmitted to the Union
Northern reaction:
Believed that the president's plan was too lenient
Some also thought Lincoln's program discriminated against the freed men
under it blacks could not take the loyalty oath, vote, or hold office
So slavery was over but African Americans still had little power
Lincoln’s plan does not have time to get started because he is assassinated 5 days after Civil War ends (April 14th, 1865)

7. The Original Plot March 17th
Booth plots w/ Lewis Powell, George Atzerdot, David Herold, Samuel Arnold, Michael O’Laughlen, & John Surratt to kidnap Lincoln
They were to hold him ransom for Confederate Army prisoners
Plot not carried out

8. Lincoln Assassinated
April 9th General Lee surrenders & South concedes defeat
April 14th, 1865 just a few days after the Civil War came to an end, Lincoln is assassinated
John Wilkes Booth (actor & confederate sympathizer) shot Lincoln in Ford’s Theatre in Washington D.C.

9. The Players
Booth: successful actor who had the Ford’s Theatre before
Lincoln had actually attended a Shakespearean play in which Booth played the lead role in 1863 (right before the Gettysburg Address)
9 Known Co-Conspirators
David Herold  led Booth on escape route into Virginia
George Azterodt  was suppose to simultaneously kill VP Johnson but lost his nerve & didn’t go through w/ it
Lewis Powell  was suppose to simultaneously kill Secretary of State William Seward; severely injured him, his son, & bodyguard
Mary Surratt  owned boarding house in Washington where conspirators met
Michael O’Laughlen  friend of Booth; turned himself in but his role was unclear
Samuel Arnold  friend of Booth; not in Washington during assassination, but tried for original kidnapping plot
Samuel Mudd  doctor who set Booth’s broken leg
Edmund Spangler  stagehand who was said to have assisted Booth on the night of the assassination
John Suratt  introduced Booth to Herold & Azterodt; part of original kidnapping plot but not in Washington when assassination occurred

10. The Assassination Who was in the Presidential box? 10:15 p.m.
Lincoln, his wife Mary, Clara Harris (daughter of NY Senator Ira Harris), & her fiancé, Major Henry Reed Rathbone
10:15 p.m.
Booth entered the box & shot Lincoln in the head
He then stabbed Major Rathbone in the arm & jumped from the box onto the stage
He landed awkwardly & broke a bone in his left leg
He managed to make it to his horse & rode out of the city
7:22 a.m., April 15th
Lincoln was carried across the street to a nearby house where he was attended to
He remained unconscious until he officially 7:22 a.m. the following day

11. Fate of the Conspirators
Booth  evaded authorities for 12 days until he was killed in a the Richard Garrett’s Farm (he didn’t know what Booth had done)
David Herold  Garrett’s farm & executed by hanging in July 1865.
George Azterodt  caught & executed by hanging in July 1865
Lewis Powell  tried & convicted, & was executed by hanging in July 1865
Mary Surratt  received death sentence & hanged in July 1865, becoming the 1st woman executed by the U.S.
Michael O’Laughlen  sentenced to life in prison; sent to Fort Jefferson (Key West, Florida); died there as a result of yellow fever in 1867
Samuel Arnold  sentenced to life in prison; pardoned by President Johnson; lived until 1906, when he died of tuberculosis
Samuel Mudd  sentenced to life in prison; pardoned in 1869; died of pneumonia in 1883 (escaped execution by 1 vote)
Edmund Spangler  sentenced to 6 yrs in prison; pardoned by President Johnson in 1869; moved to Maryland, where he remained until his death in 1875
John Suratt  fled U.S. when he heard news of the crime; lived in Europe as a fugitive for several yrs until he was caught in Egypt in 1866; tried by civilian court in ; not convicted & he would live until 1916

12. Homestead Act (1862) Signed by Lincoln
Recruited African Americans to Kansas
Offered 160 acre $1.25/acre
Or $10 fee
Title for land given after 5 yrs residency
Had to also improve upon the land & build a dwelling
Kansas was home to many abolitionists
1st black soldiers joined in Kansas
One of 1st states to ratify 13th Amendment
Republican state this time Republicans were pushing for anti-slavery legislation & equality)
Problem though:
Land was being taken over rapidly by RR companies & other investors
Forced many African Americans into less fertile land w/ smaller plot sizes
These smaller plot sizes were not enough to sustain families & so many found themselves having to work for white ranchers or farm owners… hmmm… right back where they were…
Pushed Native Americans farther west to Oklahoma

13. 13th Amendment 13th Amendment (1865):
“Section 1. Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.”
“Section 2. Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.”

14. Black Codes (1865)
Southern states establish these codes in order to limit the movement of & controlling labor of ex-slaves
Remember they didn’t want to change their way of life a.k.a. abolition of slavery…
State gov’ts set up under President Johnson instituted the Black Codes
Restricted freed people to agricultural or domestic labor
Also allowed African Americans to be arrested or fined if they had no visible means of support or refused to sign a long-term contract to labor for whites
If they couldn’t/wouldn’t pay, they were turned over to local landlords to “work off their debt”
Could also “apprentice” African American children for an indefinite period of time w/o permission

15. Freedmen’s Bureau & Civil Rights Act of 1866
Ex-slaves would become citizens enjoying the “full and equal benefit of all laws”
Actually said all native people would enjoy these benefits except da-duh-da-da… Native Americans…
Gave fed courts power to step in when state/local gov’ts denied them protection under the law
This act made the Black Codes illegal
It also reversed the 1857 Dred Scott ruling
Vetoed by President Johnson
Became 1st piece of legislation to be passed over a president’s veto

16. Civil Rights Act of 1866
“Such citizens, of every race and color, and without regard to any previous condition of slavery or involuntary servitude, ... shall have the same right in every state and territory in the United States, to make and enforce contracts, to sue, be parties, and give evidence, to inherit, purchase, lease, sell, hold, and convey real and personal property, and to full and equal benefit of all laws and proceedings for the security of person and property, as is enjoyed by white citizens, and shall be subject to like punishment, pains, and penalties, and to none other, any law, statute, ordinance, regulation, or custom to the contrary notwithstanding.”

17. Freedmen’s Bureau & Civil Rights Act of 1866
Feedmen’s Bureau:
Drafted by Lincoln
Originally intended to last 1 yr after Civil War
Aid former slaves through education, health care, & employment
Was to establish schools, divide confiscated lands of Confederate planters, supervise contracts b/w freedmen & their landlords, & mediate disputes b/w ex-slaves & ex-planters
President Johnson vetoed attempts to extend the timeframe for the Bureau
Congress overrode his veto & passed the bill

18. Radical Reconstruction
Formed out of disagreement w/ President Johnson’s policies
Republican Radicals
Formed to override Johnson’s vetoes of the Freedmen’s Bureau Act & the Civil Rights Act
Rallied many moderate Republicans b/c of Johnson’s vetoes
Didn’t get enough support for their big idea:
Land confiscation/distribution, massive fed funding for southern education)
Able to pass the Reconstruction Acts in 1867

19. Radical Reconstruction
Reconstruction Acts of 1867
Provide for replacement of state gov’ts established by Johnson’s plan
Divide South into 5 military districts
Election of new state constitutional conventions by loyal black/white southerners under protection of fed troops (temporarily barred many former Confederate officials from voting/holding office)
Ordered conventions to draft new constitutions, including black suffrage
Decreeing election of new state gov’ts under provisions of recently drafted constitutions
Requiring ratification of 14th Amendment as condition for readmission into Union

20. Reconstruction Amendments
African Americans still struggle
Congress pushed for passage of 14th & 15th Amendments
However, northern public opinion was not fully rallied behind this movement
Actually, these amendments struggled to get passed in northern states & remember need ¾ of states to ratify for an amendment to become law
Enter the Reconstruction Act of 1867
Said in order for southern states to re-enter Union, they must ratify the 14th Amendment
w/o this act in place, 14th & 15th Amendments would probably not have been ratified

21. 14th Amendment 14th Amendment (1868):
“Section 1. All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.”
“Section 2. Representatives shall be apportioned among the several States according to their respective numbers, counting the whole number of persons in each State, excluding Indians not taxed. But when the right to vote at any election for the choice of electors for President and Vice President of the United States, Representatives in Congress, the Executive and Judicial officers of a State, or the members of the Legislature thereof, is denied to any of the male inhabitants of such State, being twenty-one years of age, and citizens of the United States, or in any way abridged, except for participation in rebellion, or other crime, the basis of representation therein shall be reduced in the proportion which the number of such male citizens shall bear to the whole number of male citizens twenty-one years of age in such State.”
“Section 3. No person shall be a Senator or Representative in Congress, or elector of President and Vice President, or hold any office, civil or military, under the United States, or under any State, who, having previously taken an oath, as a member of Congress, or as an officer of the United States, or as a member of any State legislature, or as an executive or judicial officer of any State, to support the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof. But Congress may by a vote of two-thirds of each House, remove such disability.”
“Section 4. The validity of the public debt of the United States, authorized by law, including debts incurred for payment of pensions and bounties for services in suppressing insurrection or rebellion, shall not be questioned. But neither the United States nor any State shall assume or pay any debt or obligation incurred in aid of insurrection or rebellion against the United States, or any claim for the loss or emancipation of any slave; but all such debts, obligations and claims shall be held illegal and void.”
“Section 5. The Congress shall have power to enforce, by appropriate legislation, the provisions of this article.”

22. 15th Amendment 15th Amendment (1870):
“Section 1. The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.”
“Section 2. The Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.”
**enter grandfather clause
Whites still maintain poll taxes & literacy tests
Under 15th Amendment should apply to whites as well
This clause says if ancestors voted prior 01/01/1867 then you can vote…

23. Reconstruction Retreats
Retreat on Land Reform
During the Civil War, the Union captured not only Confederate troops, but their land as well
Also, had gained large territories west from Mexico/Native Americans
The question became what to do w/ land
Enter the Freedmen’s Bureau
Was to redistribute lands abandoned by Confederate planters by leasing forty-acre tracts to freedmen/loyal white refugees
After 3 yrs renter could purchase

24. Retreat on Land Reform 1,000,000 eligible freedmen for land program
Only 800,000 acres
Freedmen’s Bureau encouraged freedmen to negotiate labor contracts w/ ex-slaveholders
Feared if freedmen didn’t work that economy would take a hit
Not enough land for them to live on
To make matters worse, Johnson’s amnesty policies allowed ex-Confederates to take some of the land back…

25. Retreat on Land Reform Not just Johnson
Land reform was broken up by others as well… certain Northerners opposed land reform
What was northern economy centered around?
Many industries relied a lot on cotton
If you break up land, you break up productive plantations, you get less cotton
Less cotton = less $ for northern industries
textile manufacturers
bankers (who invested in these companies)
import-export houses (export the products made out of cotton)
northern merchants (who sell the finished products)

26. Sharecropping “Compromise” b/w freedmen & plantation owners
Name from fact that both the owner of the land & tiller of the land were to share in the harvest/profit
Tiller received seeds, materials, & right to work on land
Landlord received share in harvest
Freedmen found it better than working under labor contracts (black codes) in groups just like they did when they were slaves
Allowed to own pace & individually
Landlords excepted it b/c for many it was the only way they could get labor
**Notice: African Americans still not able to readily own land

27. Sharecropping Vicious cycle:
Still didn’t own land & were dependent on white landlords
African Americans often found themselves in debt (remember they had to buy seed, materials, equipment…)
Landlords extended credit, but this only increased the debt
Coupled w/ lower value of cotton
Landlords would extend credit if they produced more, but this only flooded the market (increased supply, decreased demand or constant demand = lower price = less profit = more debt for African Americans)

28. Reconstruction Retreats from Protection of African American Rights
KKK
Who did the Klan target & why?
Did not just target African Americans
Targeted African Americans, Republicans (white or black), teachers (especially if they were educating African Americans), anyone involved in the judicial process who was attempting to arrest/try a KKK member or anyone who had committed a crime against an African American, whites who provided any sort of aid to African Americans…
Intimidation; terror; racism; control…

29. KKK Formed in 1866, Tennessee by ex-confederates
Founder = Nathan Bedford Forrest (ex-confederate general)
Initially public outcry was great
Congress implemented 2 methods to counteract the KKK
1st = 15th Amendment
Prohibits fed & state gov’t from denying anyone right to vote “on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude”
Only took 1 yr for the required 3/4ths states to ratify & for it to become law
2nd = Congress established joint congressional committee to investigate violence & draft legislation against KKK
Through this they drafted several pieces of legislation in attempt to protect public (in particular Republicans) from KKK

30. KKK Ex) The Enforcement and Ku Klux Klan Acts
Established broad principles for legal/military intervention to protect rights/lives of African Americans & allies in South
President Grant used these acts to send troops into the South & declare martial law in South Carolina
Prosecuted KKK members under the Enforcement Act
As these issues continued, public support declined… grew frustrated (think about public opinion of our current situation in Iraq & Afghanistan)
Consequently Grant retreated on his previous gung-ho policies on tracking down & prosecuting KKK members
1875 Mississippi governor begged Grant to send troops in order to ensure a free election
Grant refused… had grown “tired” of the situation

31. KKK FYI KKK has had a presence in Michigan for decades
Former Grand Dragon Robert E. Miles lived in Cohort Township, near Howell, Michigan (SW over by Brighton)
U.S. Senator Robert Byrd is a former member of the KKK
He has since renounced the group & claims that his ties w/ the Klan were loose...

32. Carpetbaggers & Scalawags
White, southern Republicans = Scalawags
Derogatory word originally describing worthless livestock
Most were poor southern yeoman farmers who joined the Republican party b/c they resented large planters’ monopoly on land, labor, & political power
Some were wealthy planters who realized that the future was not w/ slave labor but in industrialization, urbanization, & construction of wage-labor system
White, northern Republicans = Carpetbaggers
Used as derogatory term for northern Republicans who were viewed as coming to the South to gain $ & power
Referred to the cloth bags many of them used for transporting their possessions
However, many were coming to the South as Union soldiers, Freedmen’s Bureau agents, religious missionaries, or teachers
Some were business opportunists…

33. Panic of 1873 Triggered by Jay Cooke & Company
Many businessmen withdrew support for Reconstruction (large investment house)
Led to runs on the banks
NY stock exchange closed
1874 construction on railroads came to an end
By 1876 ½ of railroads defaulted on their bonds
Companies tried to stay in business by engaging in price wars  prices plummeted
Longest period of uninterrupted economic downturn
65 days
People hit very hard… many were now employed in industry
NY counted 100,000 unemployed

34. Panic of 1873 Labor unions suffered
Wages dropped, hours went up
Democrats took advantage of the downturn
People began to turn away from arguments for racial equality
Marked end of Reconstruction for African Americans
Had to accept working for whites

35. Panic of 1873 Compare to Great Depression Compare to Today
Run on banks
Compare to Today

36. Reconstruction Retreats
Panic of 1873
w/ the recession came further decline in support for Reconstruction
Many businessmen spoke out against the plan
Felt recession was partly due to the state the South was still in
If the South could regain its economic prominence, perhaps the country as a whole would pull out of the recession
Called for removal of all union forces from southern states

37. 1876 Election Ends Reconstruction
Contested returns from 3 southern states left the presidential election in doubt
Democrats agreed to recognize Republican Rutherford B. Hayes as president
Republicans in turn conceded control of southern states to Democrats & agreed to abandon Reconstruction
Called “Compromise of 1877”