Transcript Congressional Reconstruction

Texas and Reconstruction, Pt. 1
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Essential Question:
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Identify significant
individuals and events
concerning Texas and
Reconstruction
Main Idea:
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Reconstruction in
Texas involved
readmission to the
Union addressing the
rights of former slaves.
What is Reconstruction?
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The period after the end
of the Civil War during
which Southern states
were brought back into
the Union.
Much of the South lay in
ruins, though Texas had
been largely spared.
African Americans were
free, but many were
w/out food or shelter,
and the differences b/w
the N & S remained.
What is Juneteenth?
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On June 19, 1865, two
years after the
Emancipation
Proclamation was issued,
Gen. Gordon Granger
landed in Galveston and
announced that all slaves
were free.
The day African
Americans received
freedom was called
Juneteenth, and it
became a great day of
celebration.
Two Presidential Plans
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Lincoln had wanted a
moderate policy of
Reconstruction.
New President Andrew
Johnson set up a provisional
government in each
Southern state and
appointed officers until the
state is readmitted to the
Union.
To be readmitted to the
Union, each Southern state
had to abolish slavery and
nullify its ordinance of
secession.
Hamilton Restores Statehood
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Andrew Jackson
Hamilton, who had been
against secession, was
named provisional
governor of Texas in June
1865.
He sympathized with
Texas people, and many
pledged cooperation, but
others were openly
hostile to him.
The Freedmen’s Bureau
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Operated for 5 years,
helping find jobs for freed
Texans and issuing food
and clothing to the sick,
aged, and poor. It
established the first public
schools in Texas for African
American children.
Many white Texans accused
agents meddling in local
matters, wasting taxpayers’
money, and strengthening
the Republican Party.
Government Restored in 1866
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Hamilton appointed
hundreds of state and
local officers.
Delegates met in Austin
to write a new state
constitution, which
states:
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Made secession illegal
Abolished slavery
Canceled state war debts
Gave blacks certain legal
rights (voting not one)
People Moving
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Ports and roads in Texas
filled with travelers during
Reconstruction.
Travelers came to Texas
in search of a better life.
Freedmen had ability to
travel in search of loved
ones.
Radical Confederates
emigrated out of the
state.