Reconstruction: period after the Civil War 1865 -1877 “rebuilding of the Union" Flashcards
a) The constitutional factor
The main question was: who would “run” this reconstruction process?
→ the executive hand or legislative one?
Status of the 11 ex-confederate states:
11 ex-confederate states
North: secession was illegal
South: secession vas constitutional right
b) Economic factor
The north was continuing to industrialize even during the war and laws that were passed by Republicans were only in favor of businessman.
Indeed, the South was agricultural and if the Democratic Party took power, what would it be of this growing economy?
– cost of the war for the north
– - 1 billion dollars of debts and 360 000 casualties
– south was devastated, their situation was desperate, everything was destroyed. They had no money, no economy. How could they pay?
– 360 000 deaths in the Union / $1 M of debts
– South was devastated, fields burnt
– plantation destroyed cities
– transportation (railroads) confederate money worthless
Ex-confederates: old southern planter aristocracy (old south)
– protection against blacks (ex-slaves)
– amnesty and pardon
– restore their confiscated lands
– restore a plantation economy
– blacks to provide cheap labor
– become the political leaders of the south
Yeoman farmers: (New-South) – whites: former, poor whites – peace and order – recognized in society as a new force – replace the plantation aristocracy – diversity southern economy : bring industries to the south and new crops – smaller farms instead of plantations – limited rights and powers given to the freedmen
Black freedmen: – unemployed people : wanted jobs – unite their families – education : read and write – 40 acres and a mule – 1862 : Confiscation Act : confiscate the plantations and distribute them in 40 acre plots to blacks : Senator Charles Sumner – Home – Develop their family and cultural ties – Protection against white terror – Later : Suffrage → right to vote
Humanitarians from the North: – Mostly whites – Force racial equality – Federal government should dominate politics in the south – Punish the ex-Confederates
The political factors:
- Triumph of the Republican Party
- Reconstruction laws weakened the Democrats
- Division within the Republican Party
- Moderates
- Radicals
Radicals: in Congress: – Senator Charles Sumner – Representative Benjamin Wade – Representative Thaddeus Stevens – Democrats party : dominant in the south, ex-confederates – Andrew Johnson : vice president - He becomes President
The Psychological Factor: – resentment – anger – bitterness – despair
c) The political factor
There was a fight between the Republican Party and the Democratic one and people feared that the Democratic Party would (after the war) recreate the former southern states and erase all the things that the Republican Party had done before.
1828: Andrew Jackson
Democrat Party: before, slaves were counted as 3/5 nut after the war, they were finally counted as normal persons. So because of it, the population rapidly grew and so the Democrat Party has more representants than before.
d) Social factor
Freedmen: had already the right to education, housing, land, food.
But the question was what to do with the former slaves and especially for the right to vote: should they be allowed to vote?
→ Lincoln said that not all the former slaves had the necessary education and capacity to vote. But slaves who could vote were only the ones who fought at war.
Presidential Reconstruction: Lincoln’s Plan
General amnesty except for the high seats (military ones)
And aristocrats had to apply personally for amnesty. Indeed, they had to come to see Johnson himself (when they had more than 20.000$)
Loyalty Oath (10% of citizens): Lincoln had the 10% plan that consisted in 10% of the population had the right to vote in southern (slave) state, except military leaders who fought against the war, as well as high level political leaders. Indeed, only if southern people accepted the constitution and the abolition of slavery, they could vote. 50% of the adult white men would have to take the loyalty oath.
Lenient: South had not broken away from the federal government
– Ten-Percent Plan = Presidential Plan
– December 1863 – April 1865
– 10 % of the population of the state : took an oath of allegiance + accepted the 13th Amendment
– 1864: Tennessee, Louisiana, Arkansas
Congressional Response:
– Thaddeus Stephens, Benjamin Wade, Charles Sumner
– Against the 10% plan : Wade-Davis Bill : congress should administer Reconstruction Policy.
Lincoln’s Response:
– Pocket veto
– Wade-Davis Manifesto/ Bill : August 5, 1864 → pocket vetoed by Lincoln who knew somehow that he would have to compromise
– Beginning of Conflict that Andrew Johnson inherited
Then, Lincoln died and his Vice President, Andrew Johnson (a very different man from Lincoln, a strong supporter of the Union, and who believed in Lincoln’s basic ideas. He was born very poor in Tennessee and was picked by Lincoln because he was from a slave state), took the power over.
At Lincoln’s death, there was a controversy: Republicans in Lincoln’s Party, who thought that he was wrong and that he was too kind with southern people, said that the South had to pay for what they have done but nothing really changed.
So, there were tensions between Republicans and Lincoln’s ideas.
Presidential Reconstruction: Lincoln’s Plan
General amnesty except for the high seats (military ones)
And aristocrats had to apply personally for amnesty. Indeed, they had to come to see Johnson himself (when they had more than 20.000$)
Loyalty Oath (10% of citizens): Lincoln had the 10% plan that consisted in 10% of the population had the right to vote in southern (slave) state, except military leaders who fought against the war, as well as high level political leaders. Indeed, only if southern people accepted the constitution and the abolition of slavery, they could vote. 50% of the adult white men would have to take the loyalty oath.
Lenient: South had not broken away from the federal government
– Ten-Percent Plan = Presidential Plan
– December 1863 – April 1865
– 10 % of the population of the state : took an oath of allegiance + accepted the 13th Amendment
– 1864: Tennessee, Louisiana, Arkansas
Congressional Response:
– Thaddeus Stephens, Benjamin Wade, Charles Sumner
– Against the 10% plan : Wade-Davis Bill : congress should administer Reconstruction Policy.
Lincoln’s Response:
– Pocket veto
– Wade-Davis Manifesto/ Bill : August 5, 1864 → pocket vetoed by Lincoln who knew somehow that he would have to compromise
– Beginning of Conflict that Andrew Johnson inherited
Then, Lincoln died and his Vice President, Andrew Johnson (a very different man from Lincoln, a strong supporter of the Union, and who believed in Lincoln’s basic ideas. He was born very poor in Tennessee and was picked by Lincoln because he was from a slave state), took the power over.
At Lincoln’s death, there was a controversy: Republicans in Lincoln’s Party, who thought that he was wrong and that he was too kind with southern people, said that the South had to pay for what they have done but nothing really changed.
So, there were tensions between Republicans and Lincoln’s ideas.
Republicans in Congress
Radicals, Charles Sumner (who is from New York and who was the leader of the Senate), Stevens
Republican Party
Lincoln (conservative people)
Democrat Party
created by Jackson in 1828
Johnson Reconstruction Plan
Proclaimed amnesty for all former Confederates (except rich Confederate leaders)
- April 1865: Virginia Tennessee, Arkansas, Los Angeles back to the Union
- December 4 1865: all southern states, except Texas entered the Union
The 14th Amendment was passed in June 1965
General Charles Shurz was sent to the South to report how former slaves lived, as well as their living conditions and new laws were passed for the former slaves:
-Black Codes, in an attempt to keep the former slaves in a second class status (there were very strict codes = almost pre-segregation.
But the Congress was closed from April to December but when it was back, things got worse for the former slaves:
-Creation of the KKK
-Congress refused to recognize Johnson Government and Johnson vetoed the congress’ refusal → first confrontation between Congress and Johnson (very pride man).
The Freedmen’s worked just one year and the Congress wanted to renew but Johnson said “no” and vetoed the Congress’ decision again.
→Congregational Reaction: “Civil Rights Bill → the first Civil Rights Act with political rights for former slaves by the Congress but Johnson also vetoed it
The 14th Amendment was passed in June 1966
General Charles Shurz was sent to the South to report how former slaves lived, as well as their living conditions and new laws were passed for the former slaves:
-Black Codes, in an attempt to keep the former slaves in a second class status (there were very strict codes = almost pre-segregation.
But the Congress was closed from April to December but when it was back, things got worse for the former slaves:
-Creation of the KKK
-Congress refused to recognize Johnson Government and Johnson vetoed the congress’ refusal → first confrontation between Congress and Johnson (very pride man).
The Freedmen’s worked just one year and the Congress wanted to renew but Johnson said “no” and vetoed the Congress’ decision again.
→Congregational Reaction: “Civil Rights Bill → the first Civil Rights Act with political rights for former slaves by the Congress but Johnson also vetoed it
the 14th Amendment said that citizens enjoy the
“due process of law” and “equal protection under the law”
the Military Reconstruction Act which was the division of the South into 5 Districts
→ Northern soldiers occupied the South in 5 different Districts to reorganize things.
