Black Reconstruction after the CIvil War Flashcards
Reconstruction and 1876
After the war ended,the US had to reintegrate both formerly slave population and formerly rebellious population back in the country.
Abraham Lincoln’s Death
Lincoln’s post war idea was to facilitate reunion and reconciliation however before he could do it he was assassinated.
Then Andrew Johnson took over -He was racist and didn’t that that blacks should have any role in the reconstruction.
Between 1865-1867
This was the period of presidential reconstruction,where Johnson appointed a provisional governor and the state convention to establish new all white government.
What changed for the Black Slaves 1865-1867.
Fiske and Howard universities were established, as well as primary and secondary school thanks to the Friedman’s Bureau which only lasted till 1870.
The Freedman’s Bureau
Had the power to divide up confiscated and abandoned land for former slaves.Which is important because slaves saw Land ownership as freedom.
Lincoln’s Orders
Lincoln orders that all lands should be returned back to it’s original owners.So the south remained largely agricultural but it ended in sharecropping.
Sharecropping
Sharecropping replaced slavery in many places,throughout the south,landowners would provide housing,tools and seeds to the croppers.They also received a share(1/2) of their crops.
By the 1860s ….
Poor white farmers were sharecropping as well-imager by the Great Depression most share croppers were white.
Sharecropping did result in quasi serfdom-tied workers to land they didn’t own
Civil Rights Bill 1866
A person born in the US as citizens and established nationwide equality before the law regardless the race.
Andrew Johnson’s response to the Civil Rights Bill
He vetoed the law by claiming that trying to protect the rights of African Americans amounted to discrimination against white people but congress overrode the Act which then became a law.
Congress further decided to amend the constitution-14th Amendment
Citizenships
Equal protection
Bill of right in all states
The 15 Amendment
Gave the right for everyone to vote especially races but not based on gender or literacy.
Black governor
Pinckney B.S Pinchback-first black governor 1872-1873 Louisiana,then he moved on to the senate and be a member of the House of Representatives
Douglas Wilder Virginia 1989-Second black governor
The Reconstruction ended because of the following
- Things like school and road repair cost money, which meant taxes which made republicans government very unpopular.
- white southerners could not accept African Americans exercising basic civil rights,holding office or voting.
The ku klux klan
Was founded 1866 and it became a terrorist organization,targeting republicans both black and white,beating and murdering men and women in order to intimidate them and stop them from voting.
The worst act of violence was the massacre at colfax,Louisiana where 100’s of former slaves were murdered.
