Section 4:

Reconstruction
 Civil War is over…Now what???

➢ How does the Union integrate

the South back into American
society?
➢ How do 4 million newly freed
African slaves integrate
themselves into society?
 IMPORTANT—TAKE NOTE OF THIS
The 13th Amendment
➢ The 13th Amendment outlawing slavery was ratified 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.
 Lincoln’s Plan
➢ Lincoln made it clear that he favored a lenient
Reconstruction policy.
➢ Lincoln’s Ten Percent Plan
➢ Called for a pardon of all Confederates who swear
allegiance to the Union
➢ Once 10% of the voting population of a state took the
oath, that state would be readmitted
Lincoln’s
Assassination
On April 14, 1865 Lincoln was shot in the back of his
head while watching a play in Ford Theatre located in
Washington D.C.
Lincoln was succeeded by Andrew Johnson.
 Johnson’s Plan

➢ Johnson’s Plan was very similar to Lincoln’s

with just a few minor changes.
￫ Johnson excluded high ranking
Confederates and wealthy planters from
taking the oath of allegiance.
￫ He did pardon more than 13,000 former
Confederates because he believed that
“White men alone must manage the South.”
 Congress Plan

➢ Congress worked hard to shift the focus of Reconstruction

from the President to the Congress
➢ In 1866, Congress overrode President Johnson’s veto and
passed the Civil Rights Act, the Freedmen’s Bureau Act,
passed the 14th Amendment and the Reconstruction Act (1867)

8
 Civil Rights Act

➢ This law gave African Americans citizenship and forbade

states from passing laws discriminating against former slaves
(Black Codes)
 Freedmen’s Bureau

➢ Provided much needed aid to African Americans

➢ Included in the Act was money for education, hospitals, social
services, churches, and help with labor contracts and
discrimination cases
 The 14th Amendment

➢ Provided legal backing to the Civil Rights Act

➢ Prevented states from denying rights to people based on race
￫ This nullified the Dred Scott decision.
 Reconstruction Act of 1867

➢ This Act did not recognize state government (except in

Tennessee).
➢ It divided the former Confederate states into 5 military
districts.
➢ The states were required to grant black men the right to vote
AND had to ratify the 14th Amendment in order to be
readmitted.
 Johnson Impeached

➢ Radical Republicans felt Johnson was blocking

Reconstruction efforts.
➢ They looked for grounds to impeach him.
￫ They found those grounds when he fired a cabinet
member in violation of the Tenure of Office Act.
➢ He was impeached but not convicted and served out his term.
 1868 Election

➢ Ulysses S. Grant ran as a Republican

against Democratic nominee Horatio
Seymour.
➢ Grant won by a margin of 300,000 in the
popular vote.
➢ 500,000 African Americans voted in this
election—90% of those votes were for
Grant.
 15th Amendment

➢ Soon after Grant’s election into office, Congress passed the

15th Amendment.
➢ It stated that no one could be kept from voting because of
“race, color, or previous servitude.”
➢ Was ratified in 1870.
 The Reconstructing of Society

➢ Integrating the South back into the Union.

➢ The South went through significant changes after the war.
➢ Their economy was in ruins and they lost hundreds of
thousands of young men due to the war.
➢ Republicans now dominated politically, but often with
conflicting goals.
 Southern Republicans

➢ 3 main groups of people made up the Southern Republicans.

￫ Scalawags—white farmers (small farms)
￫ Carpetbaggers—Northerners who came South in search
of opportunity after war.
￫ African Americans—Former slaves (90% were
Republican).
 IMPORTANT—TAKE NOTE OF THIS
General Sherman’s Agreement
➢ In 1865 General Sherman promised the former slaves who
followed his army 40 acres and the use of army mules.
➢ However few former slaves received anything.
 Sharecropping

➢ Without their own land, Southern African Americans couldn’t

grow their own crops.
➢ Thus many became sharecroppers—families would be given a
small plot of land to work in exchange for some of the crops.

➢ In your own opinion—is sharecropping beneficial? If so who

is it beneficial to?
21
 Collapse of Reconstruction

➢ While some Southern whites participated in new

governments, voted in elections, and reluctantly accepted
African Americans—others were very resentful and formed
hate groups.
￫ KKK
￫ WCC
￫ Others
 KKK

➢ Formed by angry Confederate soldiers.

➢ Goals of the KKK included destroying the Republican Party,
aiding the planter class, and preventing blacks from
integrating into society.
➢ Estimates range as high as 20,000 murders attributed to the
Klan whose membership peaked at almost 4 million in the
1920s
 Support of Reconstruction Fades

➢ What causes support to fade?

￫ The breakdown of the Republicans made it hard for
Radical Republicans to impose their plan of
Reconstruction.
￫ Panic of 1873 (series of bank failures) triggered a 5 year
depression—North’s attention was diverted from the
South’s problem to this problem.
 Democrats “Redeem” the South

➢ Lack of Republican unity allowed for Democrats to regain

control within the South.
➢ They were called “Redeemers” these politicians were out to
reclaim Southern Culture and tradition
￫ This included ending any advancements towards equality
for African Americans
➢ The Reconstruction was officially over.
 If you so wish, you can
earn extra credit by
reading Ms. Mascolino’s
research paper that
touches on
Reconstruction.
Extra Credit Place your screenshot here

Upon reading this paper

Opportunity you will have to write a 1
page response reflecting
on what Ms. Mascolino
wrote about, how it relates
to Civil
War/Reconstruction and
why it is still important