ReconstructionWhat do you remember??

Essential Question:

• Who is constitutionally in charge?• If the South had seceded, was reconstruction under the

jurisdiction of the President or the Congress?• If they had not left the union, then Reconstruction could be

handled by the President under his executive pardoning power.

• If they HAD left the union, then Congress should handle it.

3 positions on Reconstruction

• 1. Extreme: the states had no constitutional existence and the Congress had to decide how and when they were readmitted. (PUNISH!! Sumner & Stevens)

• 2. Moderate: the states had forfeited their constitutional rights and Congress had to determine how to restore them. (most Republicans)

• 3. Lenient: rebellion had not affected the south’s status; could be restored to union by executive pardon. (Lincoln)

Lincoln’s 10% plan

• Political justice for blacks (vote)• Restore the South to the union• “with malice toward none, charity toward all”• Pardon to all but the civic/military leaders of the

Confederacy; when any 10% of registered voters in 1860 took oath, they could set up a new state gov’t; they HAD to abolish slavery

But Lincoln dies….

• So Johnson, who is not as respected (or as wise), carries through w/ Lincoln’s plan EXCEPT he would not let anyone with more than $20,000 worth of property be pardoned.

• Why? Not a fan of the southern aristocracy• BUT: he pardons more than 13,000 former Confederates

What were the goals of Reconstruction?

• Brainstorm a list: • What did African Americans want? What did “freedom”

mean?• What did whites, both Northern and Southern, want?

Government’s actions:

• Freedmen’s Bureau: supervise and manage all abandoned lands; issue provisions, fuel, clothing, etc, oversee courts, establish schools

Civil Rights Act of 1866

• Granted citizenship and equal protection under the law to African Americans• (overturned Dred Scott)• Johnson VETOED• Congress overrode a presidential veto for

the 1st time in history!

Reconstruction Act of 1867

• Abolished governments formed in former Confederate states (that were being run by former Confederates!) under the Lincoln/Johnson plan

• Divided those states into 5 military districts• Set up requirements for readmission to Union: grant

African American men the vote AND ratify the 14th Amendment

Johnson vetoes; Congress overrode

Bellwork: EOC Question

• And one tidbit I forgot:• Back to 1864: The Wade Davis bill-- Congress didn’t like

Lincoln’s 10% plan; they wrote a bill to make a majority of former Confederates take the oath

• Lincoln vetoed it; sets the stage for the presidential/congressional showdown.

But Johnson will be the one to fight it.

In the meantime….

• Johnson fires Edwin Stanton (Secretary of War), ignoring the Tenure of Office Act

• Congress was just WAITING for something to bust him on….this is it. So they impeach him.• 11 week trial Falls short by 1 necessary vote.

So how successful is Reconstruction?

• Get in groups of 3 for the following activity• LISTEN for directions!!• You will have about 3 minutes with each source.

Bellwork Q

• Explain 3 pieces of evidence that we examined yesterday that demonstrate the failure of Reconstruction.

BE SPECIFIC

•Go over the primary sources

“Reconstruction” with our favorite (or most hated) history geek

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nowsS7pMApI

RECONSTRUCTION AMENDMENTS

• 13th: Abolishes slavery• 14th: Provides Equal Protection and Due

Process (legal rights!)• Extremely important for many pivotal cases for

the next 150 years!

• 15th: The right to vote• To whom?? How is it limited? Who might

have a problem with this??

By 1870:

• All states are back in the Union• But Reconstruction continues for ECONOMIC reasons

Things to know:

• Political issues: • Carpetbaggers• Scalawags and • African Americans • These 3 often had conflicting goals

• Economic issues: Sharecropping• Black Codes: (social, political AND economic issues)• Rise of extremist groups

1872

• Amnesty Act: returns right to vote and hold office to 160,000 former Confederates

• Freedmen’s Bureau expires• Presidential Election: scandals in Grant administration

break down any Republican unity

1873

• The Panic: an economic depression that lasts 5 years• Northern attention shifts from Reconstruction to their

own personal interests

Bellwork:

Which of the following is an enduring achievement of Reconstruction?

A. A guarantee of universal suffrage for former slaves

B. The extension of civil rights through constitutional amendments.

C. The establishment of universal and integrated public education.

D. A tradition of economic cooperation between geographic regions.

Compromise of ‘77

• Hayes vs. Tilden: Tilden gets popular vote, but 1 electoral vote shy

• A commission (with Republican majority) strikes a deal with southern Democrats to get Hayes approved:• REMOVE ALL FEDERAL TROOPS from LA and SC (2 of

the 3 states Republicans governed)

The Redeemers

• Those Democrats who began to regain control of the region as the Republican party fell apart. They called their return to power “redemption.”

So Reconstruction effectively ends in that year

• Is it a failure or a success?• Look at the chart on pg. 200 and develop an argument for

1 of the 2 sides

• Reconstruction was a success in the amendments that were added to the Constitution, abolishing slavery and giving African Americans legal and civil rights. It was, however, also a failure in that, even though African Americans were free, they were not always treated fairly. The sharecropping cycle caused them to be dependent on the white landowners. The white governments instituted Black Codes to limit their social and economic freedoms. And the threat of violence was constant from those who did not want blacks integrated into society.