Civil Rights - FP1 - Why did Congress take over Reconstruction?

Question 1

Johnson and Reconstruction: His Stance

Answer 1

Believed Blacks were inferior to Whites
Deteriorating relationship with Radical Republicans - ie Sumner, Wade, Wilson, Stevens, Julian and Ashley - who wanted to extend black rights

Question 2

Johnson and Reconstruction: His Actions

Answer 2

May 1865 2 reconstruction proclaimations - 1st giving general pardon to former confeds willing to take an oath - (high ranking confeds were excluded but Johnson began to issue MANY pardons to these rich ex confeds)
2nd - All those able to vote before war could vote - denied freedmen the vote whilst giving it to confeds
Requested any state gov that hadn’t accepted Lincoln’s 10% plan re elect govt’s - left it up to states to decide vote - missisippi didnt ratify 13th amendment until 1990, and georgia put high ranking confeds in govt - JOHNSON DID NOTHING
Johnson overturned any attempts to redistribute land

Question 3

Actions of Southern States: Not defeated??

Answer 3

Refused to ratify, few changes to state govts, black codes, violence against black people, legislation from 1865 to ensure AA did not gain eco, pol, soc equality as they could not purchase or rent land, become educated, vote or recieve protection of the law

Question 4

Response of Congress to Presendential Reconstruction in the South

Answer 4

Black codes = uproar in North
Anger at dominance of Dems in South Jun-Sept 1866 elections - 1 VP of confed and 58 confed congressmen in power
New state legislature in Georgia elected confed senators - Repub congress refused to allow these Dems to take their seats and set up Joint Committee on Reconstruction to decide when confed states could rejoin

Question 5

Johnson 1866: 2 vetoes

Answer 5

Freedmen’s Bureau extension Feb 1866 - unwarranted continuation of war power - vetoed
Civil Rights Bill giving teeth to 13th and decleration of war on black codes vetoed Apr 1866 - congress overode both vetoes and the act was passed 1866 - this led to may repubs convinced they cant work with Johnson

Question 6

Johnson 1866: Further Actions

Answer 6

Pardoned ex confeds at alarming rate
Ordered transfer of black regiments out of the South
Why: wanted loyalty of South, protection of state rights and content to reestablish old southern elite

Question 7

Rift between Johnson and Congress: The 14th

Answer 7

Passed June 1866, ratified July 1868
Attempt to reinforce Civil Rights Act - citizenship guaranteed in the constitution
Struck down Black codes, helped repubs win seats Nov 1866 elections, HOWEVER south did not accept defeat again
BUT all confed states except TN rejected - annoying the the North
So congress had to enforce - led to military reconstruction 1867

Question 8

Reconstruction Race Riots

Answer 8

Memphis, TN - May 1866 - white crowds attacked AA who fought in war - 46 black killed, schools and churches torched
New Orleans, Louisiana - July 1866 - black protests against exclusion from local elections - ex confed police kill 34 AA before troops arrived

Question 9

KKK

Answer 9

Dec 1865 set up by ex confeds
Elaborate rituals, extreme secrecy and the supernatural
Aimed to destroy Repub political organisation by intimidation/force, and restore slave based economy - thousands unlawfully killed by white mobs

Question 10

June 1866-1867 Congressional Elections

Answer 10

Rise in support for repubs
Oppo to Johnson high - impeachment Feb 1868 - only survived by 1 vote
All but 3 states repub - anger at Johnson clear - his attempts to restore confeds failed and led to the rise of Repubs and a new type of reconstruction