Reconstruction Begins:

After the Civil War, the south faced the challenge of building a new society not based on Slavery.

--Reconstruction is the process of readmitting the Confederate States into the Union (1865-77).

Freedmen’s Bureau: former slaves.

Set up to assist --Set up federal schools, hospitals, food, and clothing for African Americans.

Andrew Johnson: Lincoln was killed. Became President when Racist-Pre-War-Southerner. Presidents Duty.

Andrew Johnson

As Southern States re-build they set up new governments that were much like the old ones.

--Some states refused to ratify the 13 th Amendment (freeing slaves).

Black Codes Passed by Southern states which limited the freedom of former slaves.

(Written Proof of employment or work on plantation.

Those rights granted to all citizens. All persons born in the U.S. (except Native Americans) were citizens.

--Entitled to Equal Rights.

--Johnson Vetoed it, Congress overrode his veto.

Stated that all people born in the U.S. were citizens and had the same rights.

It did not establish black suffrage. Any state that refused blacks the right to vote would lose their representation. Johnson refused to support it. So did every southern state (except Tennessee).

1. They must approve new state constitutions that gave the vote to all adult men, including African Americans.

2. They must ratify the fourteenth Amendment.

--Johnson kept fighting congress on Reconstruction.

--Fired Secretary of war Edwin Stanton --House voted to impeach him (formally remove from office) --Vote moved to Senate, he was acquitted by 1-vote.

Responding to Freedom:

--African Americans 1 st plantations. reaction to freedom was to leave the --Some went to where they were born, economic prosperity, some just traveled because they could.

--Traveled in search of family members. (freedmen’s bureau helped).

Starting Schools: Needed to learn to read and write.

Children often went home and taught their parents.

Set up to educate newly freed African Americans.

White Racists in the South killed teachers and burned schools.

--More than anything freed people wanted land.

--General Sherman suggested that abandoned land in South Carolina be split into 40-acre parcels and given to freed slaves. (Plan never passed).

--Without their own Property many African-Americans returned to work on plantations. Returned as wage earners.

--Planters desperately needed workers to grow cotton. African Americans could choose the best contract. This was far better than slavery.

--Still many drawbacks

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low wages, laws punishing contract breakers.

--A worker rented a plot of land to farm

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and housing.

the owner provided the tools, seeds, --When harvest came, the sharecropper gave the owner part of his crop.

--Food shortage, because of cotton (must get food in plantation stores, go into debt).

Problems with relying on cotton

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Bad soil

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years of depression

1. Sharecropper is provided land and seed. In exchange, he promises landowner half the crop.

2. Sharecropper buys food and clothing on credit from landowner’s store.

6. To pay debt, sharecropper must promise landowner a greater share of next year’s crop.

5.

earned.

By the time sharecroppers had shared their crops and paid their debts, they rarely had any money left. Often they were uneducated and could not argue with landowners or merchants who cheated them. A sharecropper frequently became tied to one plantation, having no choice but to work until his debts were paid.

When settling up, landowner says the sharecropper owes more than he has 3. Sharecropper plants and harvests crop.

4. Sharecropper gives landowner crop to sell. Sharecropper will get half the earnings, minus the cost of his purchases for the year.

African Americans faced violent racism in the South.

Lynched--- Killed on the spot --The goals of the KKK were to restore Democratic control of the South and keep former slaves powerless. (Terrorize African-Americans).

Little Protection-Republicans kept from the poles.

General Ulysses S. Grant was elected President in 1868 --He won the electoral vote easily, but the popular vote was close. He basically won because of the vote of some 500,000 African Americans.

Fear of Southern States keeping African Americans from Voting in future elections.

Amendment Stated that citizens could not be stopped from voting on account of race or anything (Women and Native Americans excluded.

Grant Asked Congress to pass a tough law against the KKK. --Law passed & Thousands of Klansmen were arrested making it peaceful election in 1872 (Grant elected to second term).

Scandals in the White House.

--Grant did not pick advisors well (old army buddies, Wives relatives—they end up taking bribes).

--Banks across the land closed, the stock market temporarily closed causing an economic Depression.

--Railroads

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Midwest farmers

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Republicans blamed

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lost election.

--1876 Presidential Elections --Democrats nominated Samuel Tilden—Republicans Nominated Rutherford B. Hayes.

--Election was very Close with both sides claiming victory. They came up with a compromise.

Hayes became President

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In return Republicans compromised on 5 issues: 1. The Gov. would remove Federal troops from the south. 2. The Gove. Would provide land grants & Loans for construction of railroads linking South to West.

3. Southern officials would receive federal funds for construction and improvement projects.

4. Hayes would appoint a Democrat to his cabinet.

5. Democrats promised to respect African Americans’ Civil & Political Rights.

Success of Reconstruction?

-- The nation did rebuild & Reunite. However, it did not achieve equality for African Americans.

*African Americans Still remained in poverty (few took place in politics).

Wide-spread Prejudice and Violence