Reconstruction Flashcards
After the War
Reconstruction began after the Civil War when the South went through the process of being accepted back into the Union. Political parties disagreed on how to deal with the South after the Civil War.
Southern Democrats - return to the “old way of life”
Abraham Lincoln (moderate Republican) - readmit a state when
10% of its population had taken an oath of allegiance to the Union and accepted the end of slavery
Radical Republicans - punish the South (included denying former Confederate leaders political positions in government)
President Andrew Johnson
President Johnson took over Reconstruction after Lincoln’s assassination. He was sympathetic to Southerners and their way of life, and was accused by many in Congress of being too lenient on the South. As a result, he vetoed many reform efforts to help freedmen, prompting Republicans in Congress to put limits on his power.
Radical Republicans
Republicans in Congress became increasingly frustrated with the direction of Reconstruction under President Johnson.
As a result, they passed the Reconstruction Acts of 1867
- Divided the south into 5 military districts
- Required new state constitutions that included male suffrage
- Ratify the 14th Amendment
Additionally, Republicans issued the Tenure of Office Act that required the president to get Senate approval for the removal of cabinet members.
President Johnson’s Impeachment
Johnson repeatedly tried to block the enforcement of all Reconstruction acts. He began to speak out against Radical Republicans and their supporters. Johnson dismissed the Secretary of War, which violated the Tenure of Office Act. Due to his actions, Congress formally impeached Johnson in 1868, but he was never removed from office.
Thirteenth Amendment
In 1865, the abolitionist movement achieved its goal when the 13th Amendment officially ended slavery in America. Millions of African Americans were now permanently free and could move anywhere they wanted. Even though they were now
free, many freedmen found themselves unable to move because they had no money.
Fourteenth Amendment
In 1868, the 14th Amendment gave citizenship to freedmen and required that states give everyone due process and equal protection, ultimately overturning the decision in the Dred Scott case. It provided an opportunity for African Americans to participate in civic duties at the local, state, and national level. Hiram Rhodes Revels benefited from this law when he became the first black man to serve in the U.S. Congress.
Fifteenth Amendment
In 1870, the 15th Amendment granted African American men the right to vote (suffrage). Black men began voting in local, state, and national elections, and ran for political offices. However, many Southern states passed laws that made it more difficult for African Americans to vote.
Black Codes
Black codes was a name given to laws passed by southern governments. The laws put restrictions on freedmen , prohibited a white person from marrying a black person, forbid them to sit on juries, and forbid work in certain occupations. These restrictions were attempts to limit the impact of the Thirteenth Amendment.
Freedmen’s Bureau
The Freedmen’s Bureau helped black Southerners adjust to freedom. First major federal relief agency that fed, clothed, and educated freedmen as they assimilated into society. Helped negotiate and enforce labor contracts and provided legal assistance.
The “New South”
After the Civil War, many Northerners (carpetbaggers) and Southerners loyal to the Republican Party (scalawags) set out to help freedmen. Sharecropping, a system where the landlord allows a tenant to use land in exchange for a share of the crop, became popular. Landowners no longer had slaves and millions of former slaves were looking for work. Sharecropping left freedmen and poor whites in a cycle of debt.
Reconstruction Ends
In 1877, Rutherford B. Hayes was elected president of the U.S. after a highly contested election that divided the country. To secure his victory, he agreed to withdraw federal troops from the South and officially end Reconstruction. As a result, the South quickly returned to mistreating freedmen and created Jim Crow laws that segregated freedmen from the rest of society.
Transcontinental Railroad
As the country was reconnecting politically during Reconstruction, the transcontinental railroad was viewed as a way to physically connect the country. In 1862, Congress passed the Pacific Railway Act to build a transcontinental railroad. Chinese and Irish immigrants helped build the railroad by taking on dangerous jobs like blasting tunnels through mountains, building bridges over rivers, and leveling hilly areas. The growth of railroads opened up new markets for goods to be sold, and helped transport people to the West to create new settlements.
