1. American I Mr. Hensley SRMHS
RECONSTRUCTION
American I
Mr. Hensley
SRMHS

2. United States AFTER Civil War

3. Reconstruction (1865 to 1877)
Reconstruction is the era after the Civil War when the U.S. gov’t:
Brought the seceded Southern states back into the Union
Ended slavery & tried to protect newly emancipated slaves
Rebuilt the nation after more than four years of fighting

4. Reconstruction: 1865-1877 Reconstruction occurred in 2 phases:
Presidential Reconstruction ( ) was lenient in order to allow Southern states to quickly rejoin the Union; It was initiated by President Lincoln but carried out by President Andrew Johnson

5. Reconstruction: 1865-1877 Reconstruction occurred in 2 phases:
Congressional Reconstruction ( ) was directed by Radical Republicans in Congress who wanted a stricter plan that protected the rights of former slaves & kept Confederate leaders from regaining power in the South

6. Lincoln’s Reconstruction Plan
Before the Civil War came to an end (& before his death), Lincoln proposed his Ten-Percent Plan
This plan was very lenient & allowed former Confederate states could re-enter the Union when:
10% of its population swore an oath of loyalty to the USA
States ratified the 13th Amendment ending slavery

7. Lincoln’s Reconstruction Plan
Radical Republicans in Congress rejected Lincoln’s plan because:
It did nothing to protect ex-slaves or to keep Confederate leaders from regaining power in the South
Wanted 50% of state populations to swear an oath of loyalty
When the Civil War ended & Lincoln was assassinated in 1865, there was no Reconstruction Plan in place

8. Presidential Reconstruction
When Lincoln was assassinated in 1865 VP Andrew Johnson tried to continue Lincoln’s policies:
His Presidential Reconstruction plan was lenient towards Southerners
States could come back into the USA once they ratified the 13th Amendment

9. Presidential Reconstruction
Johnson’s Reconstruction plan hoped to quickly re-unify the nation
But, this plan did not require strict regulations to protect former slaves
Southern states passed black codes to keep African-Americans from gaining land, jobs, voting rights, & protection under the law
Johnson pardoned 13,000 ex-Confederates

10. Radical Republicans
Led by Thaddeus Stevens, many “radical” Republicans in Congress opposed Johnson’s plan & pushed for laws to protect African-Americans:
Created the Freedman’s Bureau
Pushed for the 14th Amendment

11. The Freedman’s Bureau
The Freedman’s Bureau was established in 1865 to offer assistance to former slaves & protect their new citizenship:
Provided emergency food, housing, medical supplies
Promised “40 acres & a mule”
Supervised labor contracts
Created new schools

12. The Role of Freedman’s Bureau Agents
Many former abolitionists moved South to help freedmen, called “carpetbaggers” by Southern Democrats

13. A Freedman’s Bureau School

14. Historically Black Colleges in the South
The emphasis on education led to the creation of black universities, such as Morehouse College in Atlanta

15. The 14th Amendment
Congress feared Johnson would allow violations of civil rights so it drafted the 14th Amendment:
Clarified the idea of citizenship to include former slaves
All citizens were entitled to equal protection under the law & cannot be deprived of life, liberty, property without due process of law
Tennessee was the only Southern state to accept the amendment
Federal gov’t must protect the civil rights of all Americans
Defined the meaning of “citizenship” for Americans
Clearly defined punishments for Southern states who violated the civil rights of African-Americans

16. Equal Protection

17. Uses of 14th Amendment Equal protection under the laws Women’s rights
Gay rights
Used in 1960’s to justify expanded Civil Rights laws
Disability laws (ADA), Fair Housing laws
Ageism
Marital/family status

18. Johnson vs. Radical Republicans
President Johnson opposed these new protections because he felt it would slow reconstruction:
Johnson vetoed the Freedman’s Bureau bill & encouraged Southern states to not support the 14th Amendment
This backfired when Republicans increased their control of Congress in the 1866 elections
(but Congress overrode his veto)

19. With a dominance in Congress, moderate & “radical” Republicans took control & began “Congressional Reconstruction” in 1867:
Did not recognize the state gov’ts approved under Johnson’s Plan
Made Reconstruction more strict

20. Congressional Reconstruction
The Reconstruction Act of 1867 required that any Confederate state that wanted to re-enter the Union had to:
Ratify the 14th Amendment
Allow African-American men the right to vote in their states
Keep Confederate leaders from returning to power

21. Created 5 military districts to protect former slaves & to enforce reconstruction
The success of Reconstruction

22. Johnson’s Impeachment (1868)
President Johnson obstructed Congressional Reconstruction:
He fired military generals appointed by Congress to oversee Southern military zones
He violated a new law called the Tenure of Office Act when he tried to fire his Secretary of War who supported Congress’ plan

23. Radical Republicans used this as an opportunity to impeach the president
To impeach is to formally charge an elected official of wrongdoing
The House of Representatives voted to impeach Johnson

24. After an 11 week trial, the Senate fell 1 vote short of removing the president from office
Johnson argued that removal could only occur due to “high crimes & misdemeanors” but no “crime” had been committed
But…Johnson did promise to enforce Reconstruction on for the remainder of his term…& he did!
11 week trial.

25. The Senate trial of Johnson’s impeachment was the hottest ticket in town

26. In 1868, Civil War hero Ulysses Grant won the presidency & worked with Congress to reconstruct the South:
By 1868, most Confederate states had been re-admitted to the Union under Congressional Reconstruction
Under Grant, the last Southern state would re-enter the Union

27. Because of Congressional Reconstruction, African-American men in the South could vote for the first time

28. Re-Admission of the South

29. In 1870, the 15th Amendment gave black men the right to vote
Prohibited any state from denying men the right to vote due to race
But…the amendment said nothing about literacy tests, poll taxes, & property qualifications

30. Conclusions As a result of Congressional Reconstruction (1867-1877):
All eleven Southern states were re-admitted into the Union
The 13th, 14th, & 15th Amendments provided protection & opportunity for African-Americans in the South
But, this was difficult to enforce & sustain as Democrats slowly took back control of Southern states

31. CIVICS Monday
From the article “Encumbered Exchange”, answer these three questions on a sheet of notebook paper
ONE: Describe the THREE ways the ACA makes health care available to Americans
TWO: Describe one good thing and one bad thing about the ACA
THREE; What do Demicrats want to do with the ACA? Republicans?