Transcript The Civil War - LISA Academy

THE CIVIL WAR AND RECONSTRUCTION
1860-1877
“ The Greeks did not understand each other any longer,
though they spoke the same language” Thucydides
END OF THE WAITING GAME
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Lincoln Conciliatory toward the south in his inaugural
address. He had no intention to interfere with slavery
where it existed, but he would preserve the Union.
There would be no war unless the south started it, the
north did not want to be viewed as the aggressor
Southern states seized federal forts and arsenals.
1861- South Carolina seized Fort Sumter, by April
1861 they needed food and supplies and Lincoln
notified the government of South Carolina that he was
sending supplies.
Confederates were suspicious of his motives and they
wanted the total surrender of the fort. They began to
fire on the fort and Lincoln declared this an act of war
April 15 Lincoln asked for 75,000 Union troops to fight
against the confederacy
The Confederacy began to raise troops and Arkansas,
Tennessee, and North Carolina left the Union
Both sides predicted a short war…..
BORDER STATES
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Missouri, Kentucky, Maryland, Delaware and
later West Virginia
Huge strategic prize in population and
manufacturing capacity
KY and WVA strategic because of Ohio River
Maryland- Lincoln sent in troops and
declared martial law
To keep border states on side of Union
Lincoln would not declare publicly he was
fighting to free slaves
Indian Territory- Five Civilized tribes fought
on side of Confederacy because many
owned slaves
War became “brothers war” in many families
ADVANTAGE FOR NORTH AND SOUTH
Foreign Policy
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Europe’s ruling classes sympathetic to
Southern cause (agreed with southern
social order)
So why did King Cotton diplomacy fail
them?
Enormous cotton exports of late 1850’s,
caused oversupply of fiber
Hoped for “cotton famine” never
happened,
Union supplied Britain through captured
cotton, British turned to India and Egypt
for cotton production
Northern states supplied England with
corn and wheat
Problems with Confederate Government
Confederate government
wrote Constitution similar to
US Constitution, except it
protected slavery
 Fatal weakness in
Confederate government
was tension between
Southern idea of state’s
rights vs. the need for a
strong central government
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Union Government During Wartime
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North had an established and
internationally recognized
government
Lincoln did suspend some freedoms
protected by the Constitution
Congress not in session when war
started, Lincoln proclaimed blockade
and increased size of army
Suspended habeas corpus (jailing
somebody without telling them of
crime) so anti-Union sentiment could
be controlled
“Supervised” voting in the border
states, suspended the pres
Volunteers and Draftees
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When war first started volunteers
filled ranks, by 1863 pace had
dropped off and Union Army began
to draft soldiers
Many were immigrants, poor
Wealthy could pay substitute to go in
their place
1863 draft riots in NYC
South had fewer men to draw from
and needed manpower more quickly,
rich could also buy their way out of
service
Deserters problem in both armies
War Economy
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North customs fees and tariff fees major sources of revenue
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Without southern opposition Morrill Tariff Act passed (1861), tariffs
raised
Money backed by nations credit, not gold (money called greenbacks)
Bonds sold to finance war
National Banking System established to back bonds and provide sound
credit (existed until 1913)
South had customs duties choked off because of blockade
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Had to increase taxes, resisted by states righter's
Government printed money was worthless, inflation was a huge problem
Confederate government had little international credit or revenue
stream
South had 30% of national wealth in 1860, 12% ten years later
South experienced food and material shortages during the war
Many southerners turned to stealing from northern army and blockade
running to supply basic necessities
War Economy
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Wartime prosperity for north
Protective tariffs, need for war
time goods stoked
manufacturing
Many speculators profited from
war
Lack of labor caused
innovation, made factories
more efficient
Westward settlement kept
growing, Homestead Act 1862
New opportunities for women
due to labor shortage in
factories
Fighting the War
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The Civil War was the first
modern war. New technologies
and devices mobilized men and
materials- railroad transport,
artillery, repeating rifles,
ironclad ships, telegraph,
trenches, wire entanglements
were all battlefield devices
used for the first time
Photography brought the war
to others not involved in
fighting living far away
Brought violence and life of war
home
War Turns for the North
Anaconda Plan gradually began to work and the
Union began to make progress in the western part
of the Confederacy by late 1862. They began to
cut supply lines, destroy crops and rail lines.
 The first major blow to the south occurred at
Antietam in Maryland in 1862
 By the beginning of 1863 the north was beginning
to use its advantages of men and materials to
defeat the Confederacy
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War Turns for the North
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Lee took tried to take the war to the north in
Gettysburg, Pennsylvania in July of 1863. He
was defeated and retreated south.
Ulysses Grant was named commander of
Union forces in 1864 and he began to purse
Lee until he was defeated
Union General William T. Sherman led
60,000 troops on a march through Georgia
and South Carolina in the fall of 1864.
400 mile “march to the sea” used a strategy
called total war - targeted troops, support and
supplies needed to feed, clothe and support
the army.
Troops burned crops, destroyed railroad
tracks, homes and plantations. They burned
the city of Atlanta in the fall of 1864
By the spring of 1865 the south was
exhausted and Lee surrendered to Grant at
Appomattox courthouse April 9, 1865
Emancipation Proclamation
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When the war began Lincoln did not think he had the authority to
abolish slavery- his chief goal was to preserve the Union
In the fall of 1862 after the Battle of Antietam he decided the
time was right to issue the Emancipation Proclamation that freed
the slaves
January 1, 1863 all slaves in the south were declared free.
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It did not apply to free states or areas of the south already
under federal control (to keep border states happy)
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Union army began to actively recruit former slaves to join their
cause
This changed the nature of the Civil War from something to
preserve the Union and redefined it as to being about slavery,
gave war a moral tone
Removed any chance of negotiated settlement to war
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Politics of War
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1864 presidential election fell in the midst of
war
Many Northerners did not support Lincoln
Resented expansion of presidential power and
the war itself
Democrats against the war (Copperheads)
obstructed the war efforts in Congress
Election of 1864 between Lincoln (R) and
George McClellan (D)
Lincoln choose Andrew Johnson of TN as his
running mate to attract war Democrats and
border state vote
Lincolns election was secured by a series of
Union victories in the months before the
election
1865 Five days after Lee’s surrender Lincoln
was assassinated at the pinnacle of his fame
by a fanatically pro-southern actor John Wilkes
Booth
Aftermath
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600,000 died; 1 million wounded or
maimed
Generation of men lost to war
Idea of states’ rights moot
Passage of 13th Amendment officially
ended slavery, 14th Amendment
guaranteed civil rights
US became a singular nation, not a
collection of states
Power of federal government expanded,
banking, judicial system more powerful,
government expected to protect rights
above state powers
Industrial growth kick started because of
war effort
National legal, industrial and
governmental institutions came out of
war
Results of War
1865-1877
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Spring 1865 war was over. War that began as a way to
preserve the Union, became a war fought for the
abolition of slavery. The next twelve years were known
as Reconstruction
By the end of 1865 Lincoln had been assassinated,
Thirteenth Amendment had been passed guaranteeing
the end of slavery
The north had developed economically, the south was
devastated, and over the next three decades civil rights
and citizenship became redefined
The questions that faced the country were; how would
the south be rebuilt? How would liberated blacks fare as
free men and women? How would the South be
reintegrated into the Union, and who would be in charge
of it?
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the south:
 most of the fighting occurred in the there,
railroads were destroyed, land values were
worthless, labor pool was wiped out, cotton
and tobacco production dropped, many
southerners left homeless
 Southern planters no longer had a voice in
politics and many remained defiant towards
the “Yankees”
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What was the meaning of freedom for the
former slaves
Many planters resisted emancipation either
through violence or refusing to recognize it
until the local government did so
Most were forced to recognize emancipation
by the Yankee army of occupation
Freed blacks began to take matters into their
own hands, some sought to legalize their
marriages, work in towns and cities away
from their former masters
Many settled in black communities that
offered mutual protection and assistance
Many went north and west
1878-1880 mass exodus to Kansas
(Exodusters)
Church became focus of black community
 Formed own churches and they grew rapidly
 Also mutual aid societies were established,
helped blacks protect their newly won freedoms
 Opportunity to have an education for the first
time
 Purchased land to build schools and hire teachers
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Most freed slaves had few skills, no
property or money
Did not know how to live like free people
To cope with problem Congress creates
Freedmen’s Bureau (1865)
Primitive welfare agency- provided food,
clothing, medical care and education to
freed slaves and white refugees
Greatest success was education
Tried to provide former slaves with 40 ac.
of land, little passed to them and many
blacks were tricked into signing labor
contracts with their former masters
President Johnson tried repeatedly to kill it
and it expired in 1872
 Johnson
was a self made man
from humble beginnings
 Used by Lincoln in 1864 to
garner votes from war
Democrats
 Supporter of the Constitution
and states’ rights
 Not up for job of
Reconstruction , supported by
nobody
 Lincoln
believed that south never really left
the Union and he wanted to reunite it as
quickly as possible
 Formal restoration would be simple
 1863 came up with 10% Plan-10% of voters
would pledge allegiance to the Union, pledge
to abide by emancipation and formally elect
a new state government they would be
restored to the Union
 Many in Congress wanted to punish the South
 1864
Wade-Davis Bill required 50% to sign
oath of allegiance, stronger safeguards for
emancipation
 Refused to seat a delegation from Louisiana
in that followed Lincoln’s 10% plan
 Felt that South had forfeited all rights and
were conquered provinces
 Minority radical group wanted to uproot
social structure and protect freed blacks
with federal legislation
 Group became known as Radical Republicans
 Johnson
agreed with Lincoln’s plan and came
up with his own plan
 Took away right to vote for leading
Confederates, and those with property
 They could petition him for pardons (which
he granted)
 States had to call special conventions and
ratify 13th Amendment that freed slaves
 Last half of 1865 many southern states did
reorganize but run by the old regimes
 All Republicans became furious
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of the first things the new Southern
governments did was pass black codes
 Varied in severity from state to state
 All tried to regulate affairs of freed
blacks and assure a stable and
subservient labor force
 Work contracts resembled slavery itself
 Blacks were left out of the political
process
 Although a few new rights were
recognized (freedomish, marriage) they
mocked the idea of emancipation
 Freedmen
lacked capital, had little to
offer except labor
 Many blacks and poor landless whites
became slaves to soil and creditors and
slipped into the status of sharecroppers
 This lasted well into the 20th century
 After the Civil War many in the north
wondered if these people were still being
enslaved, had the North really won the
war?
December 1865 Congressional delegations from
the south came to reclaim their seats,
northerners shut them out
 Voters across south turned to experienced
leaders, many leaders were tainted with
association of Confederacy
 While war went on Republican leaders had a free
hand and passed legislation favorable to the
North
 Politicians became attached to northern business
interests, western farmers and free labor.
 Congress passed tariff legislation, financing of a
transcontinental railroad, Homestead Act
(offered land to settlers that occupied the land
for 5 years), Morrill Land Grant Act (provided
land for colleges)
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Republicans worried that he
South would increase power
in Congress
 Blacks were now counted as a
whole person, not 3/5ths of a
person
 South gained 12 electoral
votes, 12 more Congressional
members
 Republicans feared that they
would perpetuate black
codes, get rid of Republican
economic program
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1866 Republicans wanting to keep Johnson in
check pass Civil Rights Bill to strike back at the
Black Codes
 Johnson tried to veto, overturned by Congress
 Civil Rights bill became 14th Amendment
1. Citizenship to all men regardless of race
2. Reduced representation if conditions not met
3. Disqualified former Confederates from federal
and state office
4. Guaranteed federal debt
5. Did not grant the right to vote
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Issue between Congress and President was
Reconstruction to be carried on with or without
14th Amendment
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1866 Congressional elections showed country
favored Republican plan
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Republicans won a veto proof control
of Reconstruction policy in Congress
 Radicals opposed rapid restoration
of Southern states (led by Thaddeus
Stevens and Charles Sumner)
 Wanted to transform society and
economy of south with federal
government
 Moderates did not want states to
take away rights of A-A’s but did not
want federal government involved in
people’s everyday lives
 Both groups wanted blacks to have
the right to vote
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1867 Reconstruction Act divides south into 5 military districts
controlled by Union general and policed by Union army
Had to ratify 14th Amendment and guarantee suffrage for black
men
Purpose was to create electorate that would vote states back
into Union and free federal government from direct
responsibility of protection of black rights
1870 15th Amendment passed that guaranteed suffrage in the
Constitution
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Military Reconstruction of the South
took away power of president as
commander in chief and set up regimes
that were possibly unconstitutional
By 1870 all states had met conditions of
readmission into the Union
When federal troops left states they
swiftly went back to old governments
and became solidly Democratic
(Redeemers)
Passage of 13th, 14th, 15th Amendments
disappointed advocates for women’s
rights, many had been abolitionists and
viewed the causes as similar
Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady
Stanton actively campaigned against
passage of the 14th Amendment
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Southern black men began to
organize politically
Campaigned and ran for office
as Republicans
Union League included
educated men, churches and
schools represented black
grievances in employment and
recruited militias to protect
black communities
Black and white politicians
helped write new state
constitutions
Black congressmen were
elected to federal and state
offices although they were
never a majority in any
government
State
White Citizens
Freedmen
SC
291,000
411,000
MS
353,000
436,000
LA
357,000
350,000
GA
591,000
465,000
AL
596,000
437,000
VA
719,000
533,000
NC
631,000
331,000
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Southern conservatives reaction
Labeled those that helped
Reconstruction as “carpetbaggers”
and “scalawags”
Carpetbaggers from north came
south to take advantage of them
Scalawags were southerners that
were former Unionists and Whigs
Radical regime rule did make some
reforms in education, tax systems,
property rights for women and
public works, actually rebuilt the
South
Graft and corruption was rampant
during Reconstruction (all across the
country), many freedmen were used
a pawns by white politicians
XIII. The Ku Klux Klan
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Whites resorted to violent means to
protest Union rule
Resented success of black politicians
and corruption of government
Formed secret societies, most notorious
was KKK formed in 1866
Harassed free blacks and
“carpetbaggers”
Congress tries to outlaw this with Force
Acts of 1870,1871; was successful in
stamping out activities
Work of intimidation was already done
though
White resistance continued to
undermine attempts to empower free
blacks
Literacy tests, poll taxes, intimidation
continued to openly flourish across the
south for decades
XIV. The Failed Impeachment of Andrew
Johnson
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Radicals in Congress try to impeach Johnson
for his continued obstruction of
Reconstruction
Basis was Tenure of Office Act which they
claimed Johnson ignored (removed somebody
from office without Senate’s consent)
Also had a spy in Executive branch (Edwin
Stanton)
1868 House votes to impeach Johnson and
case goes to Senate
In Senate they fail to get 2/3 majority
Kept alive constitutional mechanism of checks
and balances
Impeachment would have destabilized
government and weakened one of the three
branches of government
XV. The Purchase of Alaska
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of the few successes during Johnson
administration was purchase of Alaska from
Russia, although it would not be realized for
years
 Alaska had become a financial and logistical
liability and they did not want it to fall into
the hands of the British
 Sold it to the US for 7.2 million, for its
potential profitability and as a favor to an
American ally
The Heritage of Reconstruction
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Many Southerners were more offended at Reconstruction than the outcome of the war itself
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Resented “Yankee” intervention in their social, racial and political affairs
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Reconstruction happened without a clear plan from the beginning and was a constant struggle
between the executive and legislative branches and of the entrenched white society
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Early 1870’s many northerners lost interest in remaking the south, focus was on other
political, social, economic issues (western expansion, Indian Wars, Panic of 1873)
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Generation of leaders that wanted abolition and change began to pass away. Many racial
prejudices in the north began to reemerge. Political scandals brought down Radical
Republicans
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1871 troops were withdrawn from the south and Republican state governments were replaced
with conservative Democrats .
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1872 Congress abolished the Freedman’s Bureau
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Southern Democrats began to discredit African American politicians, former Confederates were
elected to office and many African Americans were denied opportunity to participate fully as
citizens.
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Americans were united as a nation , federal power became dominant over state power
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De jure segregation, legal separation of the races became law in all southern states
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The election of 1876 marked the official end of Reconstruction as part of the Hayes- Tilden
election compromise (Compromise of 1877), all federal troops were pulled out of the south
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When troops left Democratic rule returned and many blacks faced harsher discrimination