American History Reconstruction

Question 1

When was the Emancipation Proclamation? What was it?

Answer 1

January 1, 1863
Freed slaves in Confederate states & authorized the enlistment of black troops.

• Abolished in 1872
  When was President Lincoln assassinated? April 15, 1865
  Johnson’s Presidential Reconstruction 1865
• Adopted lenient policies that aimed to allow the Confederate states to rejoin the Union.
• He recognized all state governments set up under Lincoln, regardless of whether they enfranchised black people.
• He issued a general amnesty to most Southerners who swore an oath of allegiance & supported emancipation.
• He granted thousands of special presidential pardons to ex-confederate leaders.
• Johnson ordered that all land be returned to pardoned Southerners, meaning the army had to evict thousands of freedmen in the South.
• He appointed provisional state governors who co-operated with white Southerners to help hold elections (limited to whites) & draw up constitutions accepting slavery was illegal.
  13 Amendment Ratified - 1865
• Abolished slavery in the US
  Black Codes enacted - 1865
• Southern states enact laws restricting the rights of African- Americans.
  Civil Rights Act - 1866
• Confer’s citizenship to African-Americans & guarantees equal rights.
  Memphis Race Riot - May 1-3, 1866
• White civilians & police kill 46 African-Americans & destroy 90 houses, schools, & 4 churches in Memphis, Tennessee.
  New Orleans Race Riot - July 30, 1866
• Police killed more than 40 black & white Republicans & wounded more than 150.
  Ku Klux Klan - July 30, 1866
• A secret organization to intimidate African-Americans & restore white rules is founded in Pulaski.
  Radical/Congressional Reconstruction: The Reconstruction Acts - 1867
• Military reconstruction bill
• Stated that no legal government existed in any Southern state except Tennessee.
• No member of any ex-confederate state was to be admitted into Congress until Congress decided it was allowed representation.
• Congress divided the former Confederacy into five military districts & required elections in which African-American men could vote.
• To get back into the union, Southern states had to accept black suffrage, ratify the 14th amendment & disqualify Confederate officeholders from participating in the democratic process.
  President Johnson’s Impeachment - 1868
• By one vote, the US failed to remove the president from office.
• Congress had already attempted to limit Johnson’s power with the Command of the Army Act & the Tenure of Office Act.
  14th Amendment ratified - 1868
• Guaranteed due process & equal protection under the law to African-Americans.
  15th Amendment ratified - 1870
• Extends the vote to all male citizens regardless of race or previous condition of servitude.
  Civil Rights Act of 1875 enacted by Congress - 1875
• Guaranteed equal rights to African-Americans in public accommodations & jury service.
• Ruled unconstitutional in 1883
  Disputed Presidential Election - 1876
• Republicans challenged the validity of voting in South Carolina, Florida & Louisiana.
  Hayes inaugurated as President - 1877
• Compromise of 1877 makes Hayes president
  Reconstruction ends 1877
• President Hayes withdraws federal troops from the South, protecting the Civil Rights of African Americans.
  What was Lincoln’s view on reconstruction? - Not to impose too harsh a settlement on the North.
• He wanted to colonize the ex-slaves
• He wanted to decide reconstruction policy
• He seemed to be moving towards accepting that African-Americans should have equality before the law & giving some the vote.
  10% Plan (Lincoln) - April 1864
• Rebel states would be admitted to the union if 10% of their electorate agreed to swear an oath of allegiance to the USA. They would have to support all existing acts of Congress regarding slavery & they would have to allow African-Americans to vote.
• Louisiana met these requirements & was readmitted to the union.
  What was the resistance to the 10% plan? - Radical Republican we’re dissatisfied with it.
  Wade-Davis Bill - June 1865
• Introduced by two radical senators, Henry Winter Davis & Benjamin Davis
• Required 50% of the electorate to take a tougher oath of allegiance of past & future loyalty to the union, stating that they had never given voluntary help to the Confederacy. It also excluded all involved in from any role in future government & demanded the state constitution be changed to abolish slavery.
• Lincoln vetoed the bill, which worsened relations between the President & Congress.
  13th Amendment - Ratified in 1865
• Introduced by Lincoln in 1864
• By the end of 1865, enough states have approved the amendment for it to become law.
• This formally freed slaves in the US.

Question 2

When was the Freedman’s Bureau set up? By who? What did it do?

Answer 2

Set up on March 3, 1865,
Lincoln & Congress
Gave welfare aid & legal advice to emancipated African- Americans. Gave Advice on education & employment & helped establish schools for African- Americans.

Question 3

When was the Freedman’s Burea abolished?