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The Rebuilding Years
RECONSTRUCTION
SC Standards Addressed in this Powerpoint
• 8.5.1
Analyze the development of Reconstruction
policy and its impact in South Carolina, including the
presidential and the congressional reconstruction plans,
the role of black codes, and the Freedmen’s Bureau.
• 8-5.2
Describe the economic impact of
Reconstruction on South Carolinians in each of the
various social classes.
• 8-5.3
Summarize the successes and failures of
Reconstruction in South Carolina, including the creation
of political, educational, and social opportunities for
African Americans; the rise of discriminatory groups;
and the withdrawal of federal protection.
The Civil War left the South
in Ruin (Give examples)
The War had destroyed many homes and
businesses forcing the South to start
from scratch (Whose job was it to rebuild the South?)
Former slaves, or freedmen, were
left with little to build a new life
What
necessities
should be
met?
They had no education,
money or shelter
(What is happening here?)
Plantation owners were shocked
to find that even their most
trusted slaves had left them
Many of them saw this as a sign
of ingratitude and disloyalty
LOYALTY
The condition of the freedmen
became national news prompting the
federal government to start the
Freedmen’s Bureau
The Freedmen’s Bureau was
established in 1865 and run
by the Army
It provided clothing, food, and medical
supplies to needy African Americans and
“po bu’ckra”
It also helped freedmen find jobs and
supervised work contracts to ensure the
illiterate blacks did not get cheated.
(Why were so many freedmen illiterate?)
The Bureau also established over 1,000
schools and military courts in the South.
(What would white Southerners say about this government agency?)
Some were critical of the Bureau saying
it provided handouts to the blacks when
actual work would have benefited them
more.
(What do some people say today about such government programs?)
Many of the Bureau’s promises
were not met either
Blacks were promised “forty acres and a
mule”. This was not delivered
Lay a line down on the road
Step it off heel to toe
Miss a step what awaits
No turning back from a fate
Instinct you must rely, governments not on your side
What would have been, is now denied, 40 acres in disguise
What did I do, but want a piece
Years after my release
Is there someway I can trace
That forty acres, they misplaced
Dignity your only ride, when governments not on your side
Left to feel like a fool and you don’t even have the mule
Forty acres and a mule, from the government
Forty acres and a mule, to server the malcontent
Forty acres and a mule, said the President
Forty acres and a mule, I wonder where it went
Before the
Civil War came
to an end,
President
Lincoln
developed a
plan to reunite
the nation
Lincoln’s Plan
• Reconstruction should
consist of two steps:
–Remove the government
officials of the Confederacy
–Replace them with officials
who were loyal to the Union
Lincoln’s plan also included 3
provisions:
• All high-level Confederate officials
were prohibited from voting
• Confederates would be pardoned and
given back their land if they pledged
allegiance to The United States
• When 10% of the eligible voters in a
state pledge their allegiance then a
state would be allowed to write their
new Constitution
Many
northerners
disagreed
with this plan
– they felt it
was too
lenient (easy)
on the South
Radical Republicans wanted to
make the South pay
On April 14, 1865, Lincoln was
assassinated by John Wilkes Booth
Booth, was a Southern Sympathizer
who felt that killing Lincoln would
help the South
As it turns out, this action
actually HURT the South
After his death his VP, Andrew
Johnson, became President
• Johnson was from Tennessee, but
remained in the Senate after
Tennessee seceded
Johnson supported Lincoln’s
plan with a few changes:
• Planters whose property was worth $20k+
had to appear in front of Johnson and
personally ask for their land back
• Johnson required all Southern states to
approve the 13th Amendment
• Southern states had to nullify their orders
of secession
• Southern states could not repay individuals
or institutions who helped finance the
Confederacy
The Radical
Republicans liked
this plan too, but
were not ready to
agree with it.
The
Amendments
The
th
13
• Passed in 1865
• 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.
• Purpose: Official End of Slavery
in America
The
14th
• Passed in 1868
• 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.
• Purpose: Give black men citizenship/equal
protection under the law
The 15th
• Passed in 1870
• 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.
• Purpose: Give black men the right
to vote
These amendments were designed
to bring a level of equality to
society – black men now had the
same “rights” as white men.
EQUALITY?
Women were not included in these
amendments – they will not receive the
right to vote for another 50 years
BLACK
CODES
During Reconstruction,
South Carolina implemented
Black Codes
Black Codes were a series of
laws designed to restrict the
freedom of blacks
Some common restrictions
included:
• Not Permitted to:
–Possess Firearms
–Travel without a permit
–Appear on the streets after
sunset
–Hold certain jobs
The Black Codes were just another
way to keep blacks in slavery
Radical Republican Plan
“Teaching Southern States A Lesson”
• Confederate States were divided into
military districts- under command of military
Governor
• Black males could vote – others could not
• Participants in the war could NOT hold
office
• State could rejoin the Union after its
Constitution was approved by Congress
• Voters had to approve Constitution
• HAD to approve the 14th Amendment
Reconstruction
in South Carolina
The Radical Reconstruction plan
was approved in March of 1867
SC ratified the 13th Amendment
but refused to ratify the 14th
As a result, the army took
control of the state government
The military was in charge of
making sure certain changes
were made in SC politics
The primary focus was to guarantee
the civil rights of blacks
Before the state would be
reinstated into the Union it
had to re-write its
Constitution and ratify the
th
th
14 and 15 Amendments
The
Constitution
of 1868
The convention met in Charleston
in January 1868 – under the
military supervision
This constitution had many parts:
• Representation was based on population alone (not
population and wealth)
• Property requirements for officials was abolished
and all men were given the right to vote
• Women received some rights – i.e. right to own
property in their name after marriage
• Education became the responsibility of the state
• Robert Smalls (of Civil War fame) participated in
the writing of this version of the Constitution
African Americans in Politics
• Made up majority of Republican party
• Held more power in South Carolina politically than
any southern state.
– Partially do to the Constitution of 1868 – allowed
them to vote and hold office
• This reflected their population
• Held every position but Governorship
– During Reconstruction they made up the majority of
state legislature
– 6 African Americans were sent to the House of
Representatives
• Many whites refused to participate in state
government after being outnumbered
• After the 1868 Constitution – no more militia
– KKK, Riflemen, Red Shirts emerge
Carpetbaggers
and Scalawags
15 of the delegates at the
Convention were carpetbaggers
Carpetbaggers
Northern Whites who
moved South after the
Civil War
Southerners claimed these people
came with their possession in a
bag made of carpet and….
Left with trunk loads of Southern
wealth!
Not all carpetbaggers were in
the South for selfish reasons
Many of the carpetbaggers
were teachers and missionaries
who came down to help the
African American community
These people made a significant
contribution to the education
of African Americans in the
South.
Reconstruction saw a great
increase in the number of schools
and universities within the state
The first school founded by the
Freedman’s Bureau was The Penn
School
The Penn School was located in
St. Helena Island near Beaufort
Several colleges also gave freedmen
an opportunity for higher education
Some include:
• Allen University in Columbia
• Benedict College in Columbia
• Claflin College in Orangeburg
• South Carolina State in
Orangeburg
Most carpetbaggers determined to
build a strong Republican party in the
South with the new black voters
Unfortunately, many blacks
were mislead by the
carpetbaggers who promised
them things without
delivering
Many ex-slaves
blamed the
carpetbaggers
for ruining the
country for
both them
AND the
whites
Southerners hated scalawags
even more than carpetbaggers
Scalawags
white southerners who did
not participate in the
Confederacy
Carpetbaggers
and Scalawags
were two major
components of
the Republican
party in SC –
the other was
the freedmen
The Republican party attempted
to rebuild the South by raising
taxes and passing legislation
The taxes were high, but
necessary, to run the government
Despite these efforts, the
federal government began losing
interest in Reconstruction
A boom in the Northern economy
also pulled many away from
rebuilding the South
Economic
Conditions…
and failures
The Reconstruction era consisted of
high taxes and big government
spending
Much of the money was used to pay
for internal improvements and
rebuilding
Unfortunately, a good deal of the
money also went into the pockets
of corrupt officials
From 1865-1868 The Federal
government imposed a tax on cotton
This was seen as a punishment
to the South
Some questioned whether or not
this tax was constitutional
In the four years the tax
existed, the South paid $68
Million dollars
This was FAR more money than what was
put back into rebuilding the South
The high taxes increased the cost of
everyday items making life hard for
Southerners
Sharecropping
After the war, planters and
farmers needed laborers
And Freedmen needed work
Sharecropping was a form of tenant
farming introduced at this time
In this system the tenant
provided the labor
The landowner provided the land,
housing, fuel, seed, fertilizer, tools,
and animals
The Sharecropper, in return for
their labor, got about 1/3 of the
crop, depending on the agreement
Unfortunately
this system
was unfair to
the
sharecroppers
and resembled
slavery in
many ways
It also caused addition problems for
poor white farmers, who had never
owned slaves – they were now losing
work to these sharecroppers
Successes & Failures
of Reconstruction
Successes of Reconstruction
•
•
•
•
Building of Schools
Building of Railroads
Farms were re-planted
African Americans received some
Civil Rights
• Some African Americans were given
land by the Federal Government
Failures of Reconstruction
• Vigilante Groups were formed
creating a hostile racial environment
• Sharecropping/Crop Lien system
• Falling crop prices
• Corruption in politics