Transcript Economic Problems of the US during Reconstruction

The Era of Reconstruction
1865-1877
The Civil War has just ended, and the
Southern economy is in ruins. Slavery
has been abolished and President Lincoln
has been assassinated. Northerners and
Southerners feel deep anger towards one
another.
The government now has to figure out
how to rebuild the nation while also
recognizing the rights and citizenship of
over 4 million ex-slaves.
th
13 ,
th
14 ,
th
15
and
Amendments
13th: Freed the slaves by outlawing the
“peculiar institution of slavery” in the
United States.
14th: Gave all people born in the United
States citizenship regardless of race**.
Acceptance (ratification) of this amendment
was required for all Confederate states before
they were allowed back into The Union.
**This amendment did NOT give citizenship to
Native Americans.
14th Amendment
Once the Southern States approved their
new state constitution, they were allowed
to send representatives to congress.
Hiram Rhodes Revels – from Mississippi
One of two African Americans to serve in the
U.S. Senate.
13th, 14th, and 15th
Amendments
15th: Said suffrage (the right to vote) could
not be denied based on race.
This wording is important because later U.S.
courts would decide that this only protected
African Americans from being discriminated
against due to their race.
It did not protect African Americans from being
denied the right to vote for other reasons
States would begin adding poll taxes and
literacy tests to the requirements to vote so
that African Americans would hopefully not be
able to participate.
13th, 14th, and 15th
Amendments
Women (like Elizabeth Cady Stanton) were
outraged that “uneducated former slaves and
immigrants who had never even read the
Declaration of Independence would be making
laws for educated white women.”
Because Native Americans were not citizens
this Amendment didn’t apply to them either.
13th, 14th, 15th
Amendments
Major People involved in
Reconstruction
President Andrew Johnson
Served as Lincoln’s Vice President and took office after
Lincoln was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth.
Believed Reconstruction was his job, not the job of
Congress.
Wanted to follow the plans outlined by President
Lincoln before his death.
He was impeached by the House of Representatives
but managed to make it without being removed from
office by the Senate.
President Ulysses S. Grant
Succeeded Johnson
Scandals in his presidency caused rifts in the
republican party and weakened support for
Reconstruction.
Social Problems of the South
during Reconstruction
4 Millions freedmen… what to do?
Slavery was terrible but at least slaves had a
place to work and sleep and had food to eat.
After the Civil War they had nothing.
The Freedmen’s Bureau was created by
President Lincoln to help former slaves find
jobs and obtain much needed shelter, food,
and medical care.
Many former slaves began attending school
after they were free and many more moved
around the country hoping to find long-lost
family and friends who had been sold.
Social Problems of the South
during Reconstruction
Black Codes
In order to keep former slaves “in their place” many states created
new laws that mimicked slavery.
Laws required former slaves to work or be arrested for vagrancy
and put to work against their will on a plantation.
Freedmen often weren’t allowed to hold jobs other than field work
or as house servants.
Former slaves were forced to follow strict curfews and weren’t
allowed to meet in “unsupervised” groups or carry guns.
Ku Klux Klan: a “secret” group that aimed at keeping
blacks from getting full equality by using fear, violence,
and intimidation tactics.
The Klan wanted Democrats from the South to be in charge so
that former slaves would be kept powerless.
To intimidate former slaves, the KKK often burned down people’s
homes, beat people (especially successful African Americans), and
sometimes even lynching them on the spot for no reason.
Economic Problems of the US
during Reconstruction
The Contract System
Former slaves got jobs (contracts) to work on plantations
Better than slavery because their families were safe and couldn’t be split up
However, workers were paid very little and were often mistreated or cheated
by land owners.
Under the contract many freedmen were forced to bring their whole families
to work for just one wage and often they weren’t allowed to leave the
plantations without permission.
It was against the law to break contracts even if their boss was abusing
them.
Sharecropping and Debt
Former slaves often worked on plantations for former slave owners.
The Freedmen were in charge of planting and tending to the crops and in
exchange would get a percentage of the harvest.
All the sharecropper’s supplies would have to be purchased on credit from
the landowner’s store while he and his family were waiting for harvest time.
Sharecroppers didn’t usually make enough money to pay their debts (or
they were cheated by the land owner) and stayed in debt, owing more and
more each year.
This cycle kept them in poverty and didn’t allow them to have a life much
better than when they were slaves.
Economic Problems of the US
during Reconstruction
Panic of 1873
Several banks ran out of money after making bad
loans.
A panic soon swept the nation and banks all over
the country closed.
The stock market collapsed
This caused an economic depression (low business
activity and high unemployment)
The railroad industry was hit hard by all the bank
closings and many railroads were forced to close
which in turn caused problems for farmers because
they couldn’t ship their goods and many were
financially ruined.
The depression lasted 5 years and was blamed on
the Republicans so the Democrats became very
popular at this time.
Radical Reconstruction Congress
Wanted the federal government to play an active role in
reconstruction.
Demanded full and equal citizenship for African
Americans.
Wanted to destroy the South’s old ruling class and turn
the South into a region of small farms, free schools,
respect for labor, and political equality for all.
Reconstruction Acts of 1867
Split the South into 5 districts and each district was run by the
military.
Members of the ruling class prior to 1861 lost voting rights.
Stated that before a state could be readmitted to the Union it
must:
Approve a new state constitution that gave the right to vote to all
adult men.
Must ratify the 14th Amendment recognizing that all people born in
the US were citizens and have the right to due process under the law.
Economic Differences of regions
in the US during Reconstruction
The North was still the major
manufacturing base for the United
States.
The South was trying to maintain it’s
former way of life growing cash crops
but was struggling and would
eventually become more and more
industrialized.