Reconstruction (1865-1877)
p.196-197
(1) As the Civil War ended, Americans faced a challenge. The nation had
nearly split apart. During Reconstruction, the country had to be
reunited. The period when the South rejoined the Union is called
Reconstruction.
(2) Americans could not agree on how to bring the South back into the
Union. Some wanted to use Reconstruction to punish the South.
Others wanted to make it easy for southern states to rejoin. President
Lincoln did not want to punish the South.
(3) Many people disagreed with Lincoln, especially Radical Republicans.
These representatives and senators wanted to change the South. John
Wilkes Booth, an actor in the play that Lincoln was attending who had
supported the Confederacy, shot the President. Lincoln’s
assassination (the murder of an important leader) shocked the nation.
p.198
(4) After Lincoln’s death, Vice President Andrew Johnson of Tennessee
became President. Johnson put Lincoln’s plan for Reconstruction into
action in 1865. The federal government forced the southern states to
abolish slavery in their state constitutions. At the same time, most
southern states passed harsh laws called Black Codes. The Black Codes
limited the rights of former slaves to travel, vote, and work in certain
jobs.
(5) Radical Republicans in Congress were unhappy about the Black Codes.
President Johnson upset them more by allowing southern states to
elect former Confederate leaders to Congress.
(6) Congress fought back. Members voted not to let the new southern
representatives join Congress. They passed a low to protect the rights
of freedmen, who were the people freed from slavery. Congress also
created the Freedmen’s Bureau. The Freedmen’s Bureau provided
food, clothing, medical care, and legal advice to poor blacks and
whites. It set up hospitals and schools and found jobs for many.
p.199
(7) “Congress Takes Control” In 1867, Congress began its own
Reconstruction plan. It put the South under military rule. Soldiers
from the national army marched into the region. When they arrived,
they forced southern states to obey Congress. The states had to allow
all men, including blacks, to vote.
(8) After taking over Reconstruction, Congress tried to remove President
Johnson. In 1868, the House of Representatives voted to impeach
Johnson. To impeach means to charge a government official with a
crime. They accused him of breaking one of their new laws. Congress
almost forced Johnson out of office, but they did not succeed, and he
finished his presidency.
p. 199
(9) Carpetbaggers and Scalawags. Some southern supported the
Republicans during Reconstruction. Those southerners were very
unpopular in the South. Southerners who helped the government
during Reconstruction were known as scalawags. Scalawag was a
slang word for an old worthless horse.
(10) Many northerners traveled south during Reconstruction. Some
wanted to help rebuild the South, but others just wanted to make
money. These people were known as carpetbaggers, because they
often carried suitcases made of carpet material. Southerners dislike
carpetbaggers and did not want them there.
p.200
(11) Constitution Changes. During Reconstruction, Congress created three
new amendments to the Constitution. The new amendments gave the
national government more power over the states. They also protected
the rights of African Americans.
(12) The first of the new amendments, the Thirteenth Amendment, ended
slavery throughout the United States. In 1865, the states ratified the
amendment, which means they approved it.
(13) Black Codes still limited the rights of African Americans. To protect
those rights, Congress passed the Fourteenth Amendment, which
gave citizenship to African Americans. It said a citizen’s life, liberty, or
property cannot be taken away without a fair trial. This is called “due
process of law.” It also said all citizens must be treated equally under
the law.
(14) Almost every southern state refused to ratify, sign or agree with, the
Fourteenth Amendment. They did not want the national government
to interfere with their state laws. Congress declared that southern
states had to ratify the Fourteenth Amendment to rejoin the Union.
The states then agreed to the demands of Congress.
(15) In 1870, Congress passed the Fifteenth Amendment, guaranteeing
African American men the right to vote. The Fifteenth Amendment
had an effect right away. African Americans began taking part in
government. Religious leaders, former soldiers, and others ran for
office. Some became leaders in community and state government.
(16) Many African Americans served in state legislatures. They worked to
create the first public schools for whites and blacks in the South.
Sixteen African Americans joined the United States Congress. Blanche
K. Bruce and Hiram Revels of Mississippi became two of the first black
senators.
(17) The amendments passed during Reconstruction helped all Americans.
They protected people’s rights and made laws fairer. For example, the
Fourteenth Amendment requires both the federal and the state
governments to treat all citizens equally and fairly.
(18) The amendments, however, did not solve all of the nation’s
problems. Some people, did not want African Americans to vote or
have equal rights. Sometimes laws protecting rights were ignored.
p. 206-207
(19) African Americans sang with joy to celebrate their new freedom.
Reconstruction was a time of hope for them. Slavery had ended at
last. They had the chance to make new lives for themselves.
(20) Freedom was exciting, but it was not easy. Newly freed African
American had to struggle to make a living. They also had to prepare
for their new roles as full citizens. They worked to educate themselves
and took part in politics. However, times were hard in the South and
some people did not want African Americans to be truly free.
(21) Reconstruction ended the plantation system in the South, leaving
many people there very poor. Freed people wanted to farm for
themselves. However, few had enough money to buy land.
(22) Landowners set up a system called sharecropping that let poor whites
and former slaves become farmers. In sharecropping, poor farmers
used a landowner’s fields. In return, the farmer gave the landowner a
share of the crop. Landowners often loaned sharecroppers tools and
seeds as well.
(23) Sharecropping gave African Americans some independence. It also
kept poor farmers in debt. After selling their crops, many
sharecroppers did not have enough money to pay the landowners
what they owed them for using their land to farm. They had to keep
borrowing and could not get out of debt, so they were tied to the land
and the landowner because of the debt they owed. Sharecropping
made it hard for poor farmers to save money and provide a good life
for their families.
(24) Reconstruction angered some people in the South. They opposed the
new laws that protected African American’s rights. They also disliked
having federal soldiers in the South to enforce the laws.
(25) Response to Reconstruction. Some people wanted to stop African
Americans from taking part in government. They formed secret
organizations such as the Ku Klux Klan. The Ku Klux Klan threatened,
beat, and even killed African Americans to keep them from voting.
The Ku Klux Klan also attacked people who helped African Americans.
In 1871, African Americans in Kentucky asked Congress for protection.
They described the Klan’s “riding nightly over the country…robbing,
whipping…and killing our people.”
(26) People grew disappointed with Reconstruction over time. They did
not feel that it had successfully reunited the nation. In 1877, the new
President Rutherford B. Hayes, ended Reconstruction and ordered
government soldiers to leave the South. Without protection, many
African Americans were unable to vote and they lost their political
power.
(27) Southern states began passing Jim Crow laws. Jim Crow was a
nickname for laws that kept African Americans separate from other
Americans, mainly white Americans. These laws made segregation
legal. Segregation is the forced separation of the races. Jim Crow laws
segregated schools, hospitals, and even cemeteries. States usually
spent less money on schools and hospitals for African Americans.
Making life separate, but not equal for African Americans.
Better Future
(28) African Americans did not want to let Jim Crow laws ruin their
hopes for the future. Many believed that education would give
them a chance for a better life. Eager students filled the new
schools and colleges for African Americans that opened in the
South. Churches in the North sent money and teachers to support
these new schools. African American churches in the South also
took a leading role. These churches became important centers in
African American communities.
(29) In 1881, a former slave named Booker T. Washington opened the
Tuskegee Institute in Alabama. All of Tuskegee’s students and
teachers were African Americans. Washington believed that
African Americans would receive equal treatment in time if they
were educated and learned useful skills. Students at the Tuskegee
Institute studied writing, math, and science. They also learned
trades such as printing, carpentry, and farming.
(30) The most famous teacher at Tuskegee was George Washington
Carver. Carver studied how to improve the lives of poor southern
farmers. He taught them to grow crops such as peanuts, pecans,
and sweet potatoes instead of cotton.
(31) Carver invented over 300 products made from peanuts. His
invention included peanut butter, peanut cheese, and peanut
milk. Carver’s discoveries helped farmers across the South.