Understanding
Reconstruction
1865-1877
I.
Post Civil War Conditions
A. The South Destroyed:
Destruction of the South was mentally
and financially challenging
B. Plans for Reconstruction:
The Government had to decide how to
rebuild the nation that had fallen apart.
The Aftermath: This image has to do with the period of
Reconstruction. It represents the difficulty of the vanquished
to reconcile with the aftermath of Union victory.
C.
What was the meaning of freedom?
1. To African Americans: new organizations,
education, political involvement, land
ownership
2. To Southerners: wanted to establish Black
Codes which were laws that limited
freedoms of African Americans
3. To Radical Republicans: wanted to make
the south pay; worked at giving African
Americans their full freedom
D.
Changes in Leadership
1. Lincoln Assassinated:
(April 14, 1865) his
dream of reuniting the
country was cut short
2.
Andrew Johnson:
received much
opposition from
Republicans in
Congress; eventually
impeached, but not
removed from office
(short one vote in the
Senate)
The Last
Image of
Lincoln
Alive
The Assassination
of President
Lincoln came
as a shock to
the nation.
Lincoln today
is remembered
as one of the
greatest
Presidents.
Drawings like this would appear in newspapers and magazines as
the Impeachment Trials proceeded.
II. The Politics of Reconstruction
A.Wade-Davis Bill  states had to ban slavery and
adult males had to take an oath of loyalty before
southern states could be re-admitted to the Union.
B. Thirteenth Amendment (1865)  abolished slavery
in the U.S.
C. Civil Rights Act of 1866  gave African Americans
the same LEGAL rights as whites
D. Fourteenth Amendment (1866)  gave
citizenship and equal protection to all people
born or naturalized in the U.S.
E. Reconstruction Acts (1867)  divided south
into 5 military districts to help with violence;
states had to support 14th amendment
F. Fifteenth Amendment (1869)  gave African
American men the right to vote
Map of Reconstruction
Military Zones
III. Impact on African Americans
A. Freedman’s Bureau (est. 1865)  provided relief
for all poor people (black and white) in the south
(ex. Established many schools)
B. Ku Klux Klan (est. 1866)  white southerners who
committed violent acts against African Americans in
protest of Reconstruction amendments
C. Segregation and Jim Crow Laws  by 1881, laws
were passed in southern states supporting the
separation of blacks and whites in public
On April 14, 1866,
Thomas Nast drew a
cartoon of "The Grand
Masquerade Ball" featuring
large sketches of many of the
celebrities of the day.
Andrew Johnson is pictured
kicking out the Freedmen’s
Bureau with his veto, with
scattered black people
coming out of it.
Many schools were established for African Americans under
the Freedmen’s Bureau
“Jim Crow” Laws in Action
Black Codes eventually took the name of Jim Crow Laws
which held blacks and whites to different standards in local
and state governments and encouraged separation.
Final Thoughts
 Many blacks and whites were outraged by the
images and stories of blatant disregard for
constitutional law.
 The stage was being set for the emergence of
civil rights leaders and groups demanding
equality in all levels of society.
 It’s one thing to create a law on paper (13th,
14th, 15th amendments); it’s another thing to
enforce the law. African Americans and other
civil rights activists spent the next 100 years
fighting for this very thing.