Reconstruction Flashcards
What were the years for reconstruction and what was it?
1865-77
A time of rebuilding Union in the South after the civil war.
What changes were made during the Civil War to economy ?
Devastation from Civil War with infrastructure destroyed and economy collapse.
Rebellious states under military.
Traditional industry in North such as cotton textiles slumped, with wartime industry such as ammunition arms arms booming. Protective tariffs on imported goods.
Immigrants filled the gap during war, and Congress created jobs with the Pacific Railroad Act of 1862, with 60 million acres granted for an East-West transcontinental line.
Women and children were employed during war and paid less.
When did Andrew Johnson enter power?
What was his background, and how did he begin Reconstruction with the 13th Amendment and pardoning?
15 April 1865 - Southerner Andrew Johnson sworn in.
Announced plans to return Confederate states to Union without Congress.
Opposed anti-slavery legislation in the Senate but supported Lincoln throughout war when Tennessee seceded from Union in 1862, having been the military governor.
Republicans wanted Southerners barred from political life and the vote for free slaves. Southerners who gave an oath to the Union would be given pardon and they could stand for election to slave assemblies. Had to agree to the 1865 Thirteenth Amendment making slavery illegal. All property would be restored except slaves.
Leaders civil and military excluded from the oath, alongside plantation owners owning land worth more than $20,000.
What were failures of Union which showed Johnson allowing people in the South to get away with owning slaves and being Confederates?
His plan benefitted the South.
in 1863 he even said ‘I am for this Government with slavery under the Constitution as it is.’
Appointed unsympathetic advisors and pardoned 13,000 rebels.
Allowed southern politicians and army officers to resume offices, alongside allowing rich planters in office.
Those who petitioned for pardon could still be in state assembly.
Failed to get 13th amendment ratified by state assemblies.
New assemblies refused conditions for re-entry and ignored giving vote to slaves.
Black Codes introduced which shocked radical Republicans.
What did Congress do to show seriousness about improving African American rights?
When Southerners were re-elected to enter Congress in December 1865, Congress showed that they did not want Southern states which didn’t ratify the amendment to enter Congress.
1866 : Civil Rights Act to establish equality for African Americans before law. Johnson tried to veto this but failed, he felt that this would harm white people. Congress pushed it through anyway.
What were the Black Codes?
Black Codes limited: voting rights, to serve on jury, give evidence against white people, carry arms, and marry white people.
Allowed: owning property, drawing contracts, suing in court, attending school, and legal marriage.
Protected slaves but gave economic security to plantation economy, a new slavery.
The South wanted to prevent African Americans from gaining land/political power.
Heavier penalties were given to black people who broke the law and were banned from job competition. Many had to enter labour contracts with former slave owners and unemployed became beggars, some fined with vagrancy.
Those who failed to pay could be hired to plantation owners.
What did the Black Codes and Johnson’s Reconstruction show?
Showed the weakness of Federal Government, and also Johnson’s lack of enthusiasm to extend the franchise, believing that African Americans should at least be able to read the Constitution and write their names. He stated that they should own real estate valued at no less than two hundred and fifty dollars, and prevented slaves from becoming equal.
Black Codes showed further defiance from the South to the North. Within the Republican Party there was confusion over the future position of former slaves.
What did Radical Republicans want, compared to moderate politicians and conservatives?
Radical Republicans led by Thaddeus Stevens wanted immediate extension of civil rights to African Americans while more moderate politicians wanted gradual reform. For more conservative Republicans, a comfortable position would be to devise a definition of the permanent position of freed slaves between slavery and full citizenship.
What was the Freedman’s Bureau and how did Congress advance civil rights by extending its life?
The Freedmans Bureau was set up in March 1865 to support free slaves who could potential go through destitution as a result of Emancipation. It was supposed to be a temporary institution but in 1866 a proposal was set before Congress to extend its powers - The Supplementary Freedmen’s Bureau Act. It would extend the bureau’s life for three years and set up military courts to deal with disputes between former slaves and their new employers to protect African Americans from the Black Codes that forced labour contracts. Johnson failed to veto it.
What was the Fourteenth Amendment, 1866?
The Fourteenth Amendment, 1866
Republicans declared war on the Black Codes, stating that all those born or naturalised in the US were citizens and so no state had the right to limit citizenship unless authorised by law. All citizens were entitled to protection without discimination. If any state denied a male citizen the right to vote, representation in Congress would be proportionately reduced creating a balance of power between state and federal government.
What were results of the 14th Amendment?
Only Tennessee ratified the amendment, and so when elections to Congress were held in 1866, the Republican Party was united on the issue. They had landslide victory and a big position in the Senate and House of Representatives.
What was the March 1867 Military Reconstruction Act passed by Congress, and how did Johnson try to fight it?
The first Act divided states into five military districts with former states wishing to regain their status having to draw up a new constitution giving the vote to African Americans. Congress had to approve this prior to re-admission, and pardons given to Confederates were undone with deprivation of the right to vote. Johnson replaced ruling military governors with men sympathetic to the southern cause, so Acts refined the proposals. This was the March 1867 Military Reconstruction Act passed by Congress.
What was the 15th amendment and its loopholes?
The Fifteenth Amendment to the Constitution passed in 1870 to prohibit the denial of suffrage based on race, colour, or former condition of servitude, allowing black people to vote in the North in states which refused to allow it, securing Republican power. There was some opposition from Democrats. The amendment failed to include the banning of imposing voting qualifications such as Literacy Tests, and there was nothing in the amendment to ensure former slaves or their offspring could hold office. It was ratified in 1870.
Who was Ulysses S Grant?
In 1869 Ulysses S Grant became the 8th president. He was a civil war hero and wanted to protect free slaves but couldn’t prevent the Ku Klux Klan rise. In 1872 he was elected again but associated with corruption and scandals. He was neutral to civil rights, and some historians even felt he put a halt to the movement during this period.
What clause was made in the South to prevent African Americans from voting?
Grandfather Clause: if your grandfather could vote, you could vote. Most African Americans were therefore unable to vote.
