Transcript Reconstruction Under Congress

Reconstruction Under Congress
How did the beliefs and ideals of the
North and South during the Civil War
influence the social, political, and
economic decisions of this time?
During reconstruction Southern states
were free to pass laws called black
codes. These laws denied African
American men the right to vote or act
as jurors. Black people also could not
own guns, take certain jobs, or own
land. These laws made life for African
Americans much like it was under
slavery.
The Republicans took control during
reconstruction and did not trust
President Johnson because he was a
Southerner and a past Democrat.
Congress thought Johnson’s plan was
too easy on the south so they
developed a new plan for
reconstruction.
The Freedmen’s Bureau was
established to help the 4 million
former slaves after the war. The
Freedman’s Bureau built hospitals and
schools in the south.
Many white Southerners did not like
the changes brought on by
reconstruction. They felt the new laws
were being forced on them by
outsiders.
Northerners who came south to start a
business were called carpetbaggers,
because they arrived carrying their
belongings in suitcases made of carpet.
Southerners who supported
Reconstruction were called scalawags.
Carpetbaggers and scalawags were
accused of trying to profit off the
hardships in the south.
Radical Republicans
Wanted strict rules and conditions for
former slave states, wanted to protect
former slaves, and have every person
to have equal rights.
Ku Klux Klan
Wanted to return Southern whites to
power. They would burn the schools
and homes of African Americans and
attack blacks trying to vote. Due to the
violence Union soldiers were sent to
supervise elections.