Transcript Reconstruction

Reconstruction
Ch 6.3
American History
How was the South effected by the
Civil War?
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South is destroyed
Was the richest part of the nation…now
the poorest
Politically the South lost power
Also the Democratic party lost power also.
Who’s to blame for the war?
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Slaves?
War of States Rights or Secession
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This is a humiliating and bitter defeat which
they can not escape
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Add to that military occupation from the Union, and
4 million freedmen.
George Ticknor … quote…
Major Social Change
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Cities were destroyed
Scars of war everywhere
The social order is destroyed.
No supplies left in the South.
Reconstruction
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Lincoln began his planning in 1863, two
years before the war was over.
Lincoln believed in a generous peace, that
this was the only way to preserve the
Union.
Lincoln goes public with his plan after the
victories at Gettysburg and Vicksburg…it
is called the 10% Plan
The 10% Plan
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Amnesty
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Pardon all Southerners (expect high ranking
Confederate officials) who swore allegiance to the
Constitution and the new laws regarding slavery.
When 10% of voters swore allegiance then the
state is readmitted to the Union.
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Then they would write a new state constitution with
the new slaves laws
They must also provide education for the African
Americans.
Congress Disagrees
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Radical Republicans control congress.
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Want voting rights for the former slaves, they
don’t trust the South, and they want to be able
to dictate the peace.
Separation of Powers
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Re-election a key issue, need their agenda
pushed through.
Congress’s Plan
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Wade-Davis Bill
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States must abolish slavery
A majority of voters must take a loyalty oath
Lincoln uses a Pocket-Veto on this bill.
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What are the four options a President has when he
receives a bill?
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Sign it into law
Veto and send it back to Congress
Don’t sign, if Congress is session, after 10 days = law
Don’t sign, if Congress not in session, after 10 day = dead
Lincoln needs Congress support = that is why he
doesn’t do an outright veto.
Lincoln’s next move
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??????? Who knows….he was killed
before he could reveal his next/revised
plan.
So now Andrew Johnson is in charge.
Andrew Johnson
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A Democrat…with pro-Union sympathies
Former slaveholder from Tennessee
Was against the abolitionist movement
He was a supporter of the little guy….
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Read Johnson’s Quote
Johnson con’t.
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Johnson is prejudiced, opinionated, and
unwilling to compromise…= not a good
choice for President at this time.
Republicans loved him… “hang the
traitors”
Another quote….
He earns the nickname “Mr. Veto”
Johnson’s Plan
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Johnson became a flip-flop artist once he was
President. He freely pardoned almost everyone
and allowed lesser standards for readmission.
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States only had to nullify their acts of secession,
abolish slavery, and refuse to pay Confederate war
debts (which hurt the Southern economy even more)
This allowed Confederate leaders to take charge of
Reconstruction in the South.
Some still wore their rebel uniforms!!
Painful Humiliation
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Johnson became so lenient that he pulled
troops out of the South to prevent the
“painful humiliation” that the black soldiers
were causing.
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This gave free reign to the Southern states.
In fact Mississippi refused to ratify the 13th
Amendment and Johnson still took them back
into the Union.
Plans for Reconstruction
Lincoln
Congress
Johnson
10% Plan
Wade-Davis Bill
Generous/Flexible
Peace
Rigid Peace
Easy or lazy peace
Abolished slavery
Abolished slavery
Abolished slavery
Freely pardon most
Freely pardon most
Freely pardon
10% Oath
Majority oath
Rules overlooked
Occupation
Occupation
Stopped the “painful
humiliation”
Provide for Black Ed.
New state Const.
New state Const.
Refuse to pay
Confed. War debts
Which plan was the best?
Lincoln
Northern Rep.
Congress
Radical Rep.
(although moderates
at first)
Johnson
Southern Dem.
Cool head
Former slaveholder
Flexible, insightful
Racist
Best Option
Pocket-Vetoed
Worst Option
13th Amendment – Dec 6, 1865
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Outlawed slavery
Leads to black codes (eventually to Jim Crow
Laws)
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These laws limited the freedoms of the former slaves.
Examples; no meetings without whites, no travel
without permit, no guns, curfew
Blacks were a “disgrace to civilization”
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Black viewpoint “if you call this Freedom, what do you
call Slavery?”
Congress
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Congress was originally controlled by
moderates. (Moderates held similar views
to Lincoln.)
However, once Lincoln died and Johnson
took over their views were polarized.
Thaddeus Stevens, a radical republican
swayed the moderates to his side.
Thaddeus Stevens
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“the whole fabric of society must be
changed.”
Equal rights for all, including voting rights.
40 acres and a mule – break up the
plantations
Freedman’s Bureau
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Sort of like a combination of the Red Cross,
Goodwill, and the Salvation Army.
Provides clothing, food, hospitals, schools,
employment agency etc…
Helps more whites than it does blacks…but is
seen as directed towards the blacks.
Set-up for a year – Congress extends its life
Problems with the Bureau
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Kept the African Americans on the
plantation
Forced whites to recognize emancipation
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This is both good and bad.
Johnson vetoes the Bureau, Congress
reacts by passing the Civil Rights Act of
1866
Civil Rights Act of 1866
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Basically all this did was say – if you are
born in the U.S. = citizen
Johnson vetoes again
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This act would “operate…against the white
race.”
Congress overrides the veto, passes the
Freedmen’s Bureau again, Johnson
vetoes again and is overridden again.
14th Amendment
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Citizenship for all people born on U.S. soil.
Also denies the states to right to deprive
anyone of “life, liberty, or property without
the due process of law.”
Unrest in the South
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Rioting…usually over racial issues
becomes the norm in the South.
Congress divides the South into military
occupation zones to maintain order.