The Reconstruction Act of 1867 divided the Southern states into military districts headed by Union generals. It required the states to grant voting rights to African American men and ratify the 14th Amendment in order to be readmitted to the Union. Johnson vetoed the act but Congress overrode his veto. This set up a conflict between Johnson and the Radical Republicans that led to his impeachment for violating the Tenure of Office Act, though he was acquitted by one vote in the Senate trial. The election of 1868 was won by Ulysses S. Grant, signaling Republican control over Reconstruction.

1. Reconstruction & Its Effects
Section 1- The Politics of Reconstruction.
Section 2- Reconstruction and Society
Section 3- The Collapse of Reconstruction

2. Learning Goal: Analyze the debate about how to reunite the
country, and determine the extent to which enacted
Reconstruction policies achieved their goals.
NJCCCS: 6.1.12.D.4.b

3. Warm Up- Focus & Motivate
Identify ways in which one can resolve a conflict.

4. Andrew Johnson
Succeeded Lincoln as President As president: Johnson faced
a dilemma:
Former congressman, governor, and Pardon or punish
senator former Confederates
Only senator from a Confederate state How to bring the
[TN] to remain loyal to the Union defeated Confederate
states back into the
Former slave-owner, by 1863- Union
supported abolition
Hated wealthy s. planters, held them
responsible for dragging poor whites
into the war
1865- endorsed harsh punishment for
Confederate leaders

5. The Little Boy is President Andrew Johnson, the artist believes that
the Constitution is beyond his understanding, and that Johnson is
not fit to be the President & not knowing the Constitution will
harm him.

6. Johnson’s Political Problems
Johnson was the Johnson was a
ONLY Southern Democrat who broke
Senator to remain ranks with his party to
loyal to the Union run for VP with
when the war broke Republican Abe
out Lincoln
As a result of his political history, which groups may have mistrusted Johnson?
Republicans mistrusted Johnson because he was a Democrat
Democrats mistrusted Johnson because he ran for office with a Republican
Southerners mistrusted Johnson because he took the Union’s side in the war
Northerners mistrusted Johnson because the feared he would have sympathy for the
south

7. Plan for Reconstruction
Reconstruction- [1865-1877] n. the
period of rebuilding that followed the
Civil War, during which the defeated
Confederate states were readmitted to
the Union.
Complications quickly arose as
Lincoln, Andrew Johnson, Congress
had differing ideas on how
Reconstruction should be handled.
Before Lincoln’s death, he made it clear
that he favored a lenient
Reconstruction policy

8. Believed secession was constitutionally impossible
and therefore the Confederate states had never left
the Union
Lincoln’s 10%
Contended that it was individuals, not states, who Plan
had rebelled & that the Constitution gave the
president the power to pardon individuals.
Wished to make the South’s return to the Union-
quick & easy
Dec. 1863- announced his Proclamation of
Amnesty and Reconstruction- aka the 10% Plan
Gov’t would pardon all Confederates except for
high-ranking officials & those accused of crimes
against prisoners of war- who would swear allegiance
to the Union
10% of those on the 1860 voting lists took this oath
of allegiance, a Confederate state could form a new
state gov’t & gain representation in Congress

9. Review- Summarizing 
What was President Answer: To make the
Lincoln’s planned South’s return as easy as
approach to possible, he came up with
Reconstruction? the Ten-Percent Plan.
States could be
readmitted if ten percent
of voters took an oath.

10. Terms & Conditions
4 states- AR, LA, TN, VA moved
towards readmission
Lincoln’s moderate Reconstruction
plan angered a minority of
Republicans in Congress
Radical Republicans- n. one of the
congressional Republicans who, after
the Civil War, wanted to destroy the
political power of former slaveholders
and to give African Americans full
citizenship and the right to vote.
Led by MA Senator- Charles Sumner
and PA Representative Thaddeus
Stevens
1865- African-American suffrage was
truly radical; no other country that
had abolished slavery had given
former slaves the vote

12. Radical Reaction
July- 1864, Radicals responded to 10%
Plan:
Wade-Davis Bill- n. a bill, passed in
1864 and vetoed by President
Lincoln, that would have given
Congress control of
Reconstruction, and declared that for a
state government to be formed, a
majority would have to take a solemn
oath to support the Constitution
Lincoln used a pocket veto- when a bill
is passed less than ten days before the
end of a congressional session, the
president can prevent its becoming law
by simply ignoring it
Radicals called Lincoln’s pocket veto
an outrage and asserted that Congress
had supreme authority over
Reconstruction

13. Lincoln and African-
Americans
March 3rd, 1865- the Freedmen’s Lincoln outlawed discrimination on
Bureau Bill- The Act, without account of color, in:
deference to a person's carrying U.S. mail,
color, authorized the Bureau to riding on public street cars in
lease confiscated land for a period Washington D.C.
of three years and to sell it in
pay for soldiers
portions of up to 40 acres per
buyer. Lincoln also urged compensated
emancipation for the slaves as he
The Bureau was to expire one year
thought the North should be
after the termination of the War.
willing to share the costs of freedom
Lincoln was assassinated before he
could appoint a commisioner

14. Johnson’s Plan
Assassination in April 1865 left Andrew Johnson to deal with Reconstruction
May 1865- while Congress was in recess, Johnson announced his own plan-
Presidential Reconstruction
Declared that AL, FL, GA, MS, NC, SC, TX could be admitted under several
conditions
Withdraw its secession, swearing allegiance to the Union
Annul Confederate war debts
Ratify the 13th Amendment- which abolished slavery
To dismay of Radicals, Johnson’s plan differed little from Lincoln however Johnson
wished to prevent most high-ranking Confederates and wealthy S. landowners from
taking the oath
Failed to address the needs of former slaves in 3 areas: land, voting rights, &
protection under the law
Plan relieved most white Southerners, Johnson’s support of states’ rights instead of a
strong central gov’t reassured the s. states
Johnson was not in favor of African-American suffrage, pardoned more than 13,000
Confederates believing: “white men alone must manage the South”

15. Confederate Reaction
Remaining states quickly agreed to
Johnson’s terms
Within a few months, these states
except TX held conventions to draw
up new state constitutions or new
state governments and elect reps. to
Congress
MI did not ratify the 13th
Amendment
December 18650 new S. legislators
arrived in Washington to take their
seats
58 previously sat in the Confederate
Congress, 6 in a Confederate
cabinet, 4 fought against the US as
generals
Johnson pardoned them all
infuriating Radicals, and betraying
African-Americans

16. Review- Contrasting 
How did the views of Answer: Both presidents
Presidents Lincoln and favored a lenient
Johnson on approach to
Reconstruction differ Southerners, while the
from the views of the Radicals wanted to punish
Radicals? the South severely and
wanted to grant African
Americans civil
rights, including the vote.

17. Reconstruction hits a
roadblock
39th Congress convened in Dec. 1865- Radical Republicans led by
Stevens disputed Johnson’s claims that Reconstruction was
completed
Most believed the South was not much different from they way
they were before the war
Congress refused to admit the newly elected S. legislators
Moderate Republicans pushed for new laws to remedy weaknesses
in Johnson’s plan
Feb. 1866- Congress voted to continue and enlarge the
Freedmen’s Bureau- n. a federal agency set up to help former
slaves after the Civil War.
Assisted former slaves and poor whites with clothing and food as
well as setting up 40 hospitals, 4,000 schools, 61 industrial
institutes and 74 teacher-training centers

18. N. teachers- educating & training
newly freed population
Illus. in: Frank Leslie's illustrated newspaper, v. 23, 1866 Sept. 22, p. 5.

19. Civil Rights Act of 1866
2 months later, Congress passed the Civil Rights Act of 1866
Provided citizenship to African-Americans
Forbade states from passing discriminatory laws
Black codes- n. the discriminatory laws passed throughout the post-Civil-War
South which severely restricted African Americans’ lives, prohibiting such
activities as traveling without permits, carrying weapons, serving on
juries, testifying against whites, and marrying whites.
MS, SC had 1st enacted black codes in 1865, others followed suit
Black codes had the effect of restoring many of the restrictions of slavery
through their prohibitions
Resentful whites used violence to keep blacks from improving their
position in society
Passage of Black codes indicated that the South had not given up the idea
of African-Americans in bondage.

20. Review- Analyzing Causes 
How did black codes help Answer: They convinced
bring about the passage of Congress that African
the Civil Rights Act of Americans needed federal
1866? laws to protect them.

21. Head-Quarters, District of
Alabama, Montgomery, Alabama, Oct.
10, 1867.
Major-General O. O. Howard, Commissioner
Bureau Refugees and

22. “The Union As it Was”
Representatives of the Ku
Klux Klan & the White
League shake hands over a
cowering black family
In the background on the
right is a burning school
houses, in the left is a
lynching
An October 24th, 1874
Harper's Magazine
editorial cartoon by
Thomas Nast denouncing
KKK and White League
murders of innocent
blacks

23. A New Battle
Emerges
Johnson shocked everyone by vetoing
the Freedmen’s Bureau Act and the
Civil Rights Act
Congress, Johnson stated: had gone
far beyond anything “contemplated by
the authors of the Constitution”
Vetoes became the opening shots in a
battle between President and
Congress
Johnson alienated moderate
Republicans who were trying to On April 14, 1866, Thomas Nast drew a
improve his Reconstruction Plan cartoon of "The Grand Masquerade Ball"
Angered the Radicals by appearing to featuring large sketches of many of the
support Southerners who denied celebrities of the day. Andrew Johnson is
African-Americans their rights pictured kicking out the Freedmen’s Bureau
with his veto, with scattered black people
coming out of it.

24. Thomas Nast cartoon
depicting the president as
Iago betraying Othello, a
wounded African-
American Union soldier
Andrew Johnson's Reconstruction
and How It Works Harper's
Weekly, September 1, 1866

25. Moderates & Radicals Join
Forces
mid 1866, Republicans joined to
override the vetoes of the Civil Rights
Act and Freedmen’s Bureau
Civil Rights Act of 1866- 1st major
legis. ever enacted over a presidential
veto
Congress drafted the 14th
Amendment- n. an amendment to
the U.S. Constitution, adopted in
1868, that makes all persons born or
naturalized in the United States—
including former slaves—citizens of
the country and guarantees equal
protection of the laws.
Amendment did not specifically give
African Americans the vote, but set
up provisions

26. The Woes of Ratification
Congress adopted the 14th Amendment- sent it to the states for
approval
If the Southern states had voted to ratify it, most N. legislators &
their constituents would have been satisfied to accept them back
into the Union
Johnson believed that the amendment treated former Confederate
leaders too harshly and it was wrong to force states to accept an
amendment that their legislators had no part in drafting
Advised the S. to reject the amendment
All but TN rejected it, preventing ratification until 1868

27. Review- Summarizing 
What were the main benefits Answer: It made them
that the 14th Amendment citizens, promised them due
offered African Americans? process of law, and tried to
discourage states from
denying them suffrage by
having states lose a % of its
congressional power equal to
the % of citizens kept from
polls; and preventing
Confederate leaders from
holding federal or state
offices unless they were
permitted by a 2/3 vote of
Congress

28. 1866 Congressional Election
? Of who should control Reconstruction became a central issue in the 1866
congressional elections
Johnson, accompanied by Gen. Ulysses S. Grant, went on a speaking tour, urging voters
to elect representatives who agreed with his Reconstruction policy, urging voters to elect
representatives who agreed with his policy
Johnson offended many voters with his rough language and behavior
Audiences jeered him but cheered Grant
Race riots in Memphis and New Orleans caused the death of at least 80 African
Americans
Violence convinced Northern voters that the federal government must step in to protect
former slaves
1866 elections, moderate and Radical Republicans won a landslide victory over
Democrats
Republicans gained a 2/3 majority vote to override presidential vetoes
March 1867, 40th Congress was ready to move with their Reconstruction policy

29. Review- Analyzing Effects 
What effect did the Answer: The election gave
election of 1866 have on them a majority large
Republicans’ ability to enough to pass laws and
carry out their plan for override vetoes.
Reconstruction?

30. Reconstruction Act of 1867
Did not recognize state In order for a state to reenter
governments formed under the Union, its constitution
Lincoln/Johnson plans- except TN had to ensure African-
which ratified the 14th American men the vote and
Amendment ratify the 14th Amendment
Act divided the other ten Johnson vetoed the
Confederate states into 5 military Reconstruction Act of 1867-
districts, each headed by a Union believing it was in conflict
General with the Constitution
The voters in the Congress promptly overrode
districts, including African- the veto.
American men- would elect
delegates to conventions in which
new state constitutions would be
drafted

33. Johnson Impeached
Radical voters felt Pres. Johnson was not
carrying out his constitutional obligation to
enforce the Reconstruction Act.
Johnson removed military officers who
attempted to enforce the Act
Looked for grounds to impeach- v. to
formally charge an official with misconduct
in office. The House of Representatives has
the sole power to impeach federal officials.
They are then tried in the Senate.
March 1867- Congress passed the Tenure of
Office Act- stated that the president could
not remove cabinet officers “during the
term of the president by whom they may
have been appointed” without the consent
of the Senate
Used to protect Sec. of War- Edward
Stanton, the Radicals’ ally

34. Johnson w/ others was certain the Tenure of Office Act was
unconstitutional
Forced a court test of the act, Johnson fired Sec. of War Stanton
Provided the Radicals with the opportunity they needed- the House
brought 11 charges of impeachment against Johnson, 9 which were
based on his violation of the Tenure of Office Act
Johnson’s lawyers disputed these charges by pointing out that
Lincoln, not Johnson, had appointed Sec. Stanton- so the act did
not apply
Johnson’s trial before the Senate took place from March to May
1868
On the day the final vote was taken at the trial, tension mounted
Vote- 35 to 19, one short of the 2/3rds majority needed

35. How does this cartoon show reaction tojob, however many Johnson
Johnson was happy, glad to keep his the results of the
citizens, newspaper writers & editors & politicians wanted Johnson to
impeachment trial?
be removed.

36. Conclusion
What caused Andrew Johnson’s impeachment: Presidential
wrong-doing or politics?
Johnson opposed many civil rights actions supported by Radical
Republicans
He believed that the Federal Government was forcing its will on
States
Radical Republicans called for RADICAL change, and passed the
Tenure of Office Act, knowing Johnson would violate it
Johnson was a victim of politics because he broke an unjust law

37. Election of 1868
Democrats knew they could not win
with Johnson- they nominated
wartime gov. of NY- Horatio
Seymour
Republican opponent- Ulysses S.
Grant
Grant won by a wide margin in the
electoral college, popular vote was
less decisive
Only a majority of 306,592 votes
500,000 Southern African
Americans had voted most for
Grant, bringing home the
importance of the African American
vote to the Republican Party.

38. The 15 th Amendment
Fearful of pro-Confederate S. Whites
trying to limit black suffrage, Radicals
introduced the 15th Amendment- n.
an amendment to the U.S.
Constitution, adopted in 1870, that
prohibits the denial of voting rights to
people because of their race or color
or because they have previously been
slaves.
Affected N. states as well, many barred
African-American suffrage
Ratified by the states in
1870, important victory for Radicals
Some S. government refused to
enforce the 14th & 15th
Amendments, some white S. used
violence to prevent African Americans
from exercising their rights

39. Summarizer
Do you think the Radical
Republicans were justified in
impeaching President Johnson?
Why or why not?
Think About:
The controversy over Reconstruction
policies
The meaning of the Tenure of
Office Act
Johnson’s vetoes

40. Reconstructing
Society
Learning Goal: NJCCCS: Relate conflicting
political, economic, social, and sectional
perspectives on Reconstruction to the resistance
of some Southern individuals and states.
6.1.12.D.4.d

41. Warm Up- Focus & Motivate
How does one decide where to start when they have to
clean up a very big mess?
What are some ways to approach a massive cleanup
and restoration effort?

42. Tales from the Reconstruction
Robert G. Fitzgerald, African
American b. DE- 1840
Served in the U.S. Army.
Navy & 1866- Freedmen’s
Bureau
Sent to VA to teach former
slaves: reading
writing, spelling, arithmetic,
geography
Labored diligently against
illiteracy and poverty forced
upon African Americans

43. Conditions in the Postwar South
Under the congressional
Reconstruction program, S. voters
elected new, Republican-dominated
governments
1868- AL, AR, FL, LA, NC, SC
reentered the Union
Remaining 4 entered in 1870
Republicans did not end the
process of Reconstruction b/c they
wanted to make economic changes
in the south

44. Physical & Economic Conditions
S. had to physically rebuild battle-scarred region
Sherman estimated that his troops alone had destroyed
about $100 mil. worth of Confederate property in GA &
SC
Charred buildings, twisted rr tracks, demolished
bridges, neglected road, abandoned farms all had to be
replaced
Property values plummeted
Those who invested in Confederate bonds had little hope of
recovering their money
Small farms ruined
AL- wealth capita among whites dropped from $18,000 in
1860 to $3,000 in 1870
1/5 of adult white Confederate men died in the war
Many who survived were maimed for life
10s of 1000s of S. African American men also died either
fighting for the Union or in Confederate labor camps

45. Public Work Programs
Republican governments built
roads, bridges, rr, established
orphanages and institutions for the
care of mentally ill and disabled
people
Projects were expensive, few
financial resources were available
and N. capitalists were reluctant to
invest in the region
To raise money, S. state gov’t
increased taxes of all kinds,
draining existing resources and
slowing the region’s recovery

46. Review- Identifying Problems 
What were the main
postwar problems that
Reconstruction
governments in the South
had to solve?
Answer: Repairing
physical damage; meeting
social needs such as
education; raising money.

47. Politics in the Postwar South
Scalawags- n. a white Southerner who Carpetbaggers- n. a Northerner who moved to
joined the Republican Party after the the South after the Civil War.
Civil War.
Name originated from the belief that N.
Some hoped to gain political office with arrived w/ few belongings that everything
the help of the African-American vote could fit in a carpetbag
and then use those offices to enrich
themselves Most white S. believed that the carpetbaggers
wanted to exploit the S.’s postwar turmoil for
S. Democrats unfairly pointed to these profit
few as representative of all white S.
Republicans Carpetbaggers had mixed motives
Some felt the Republican gov’t offered Some were Freedmen’s Bureau
the best chance for the S. to rebuild and agents, teachers, and ministers who felt a
industrialize moral duty to help former slaves
Mostly small farmers who wanted to Others wanted to buy land or hoped to start
improve their eco. & pol. position & new industries legitimately
prevent the planters from regaining
powers Others lived up to the reputation

48. Review- Comparing 
What were some Answer: Some
similarities in the goals of carpetbaggers and
scalawags and scalawags shared the goal
carpetbaggers? Of of making a profit. Some
carpetbaggers and African African Americans and
Americans? some carpetbaggers shared
the goal of improving
African-American lives.

49. ★Unwelcome Guest- 1872★
Thomas Nast [1840-1902] Cartoon
from a S. Democratic newspaper
depicts Carl Shurz, a liberal
Republican who advocated legal
equality for African Americans.
Shurz is shown as a carpetbagger
trudging down a dusty S. road as a
crowd of people watch his arrival.
1. Is Shurz shown in a positive or
negative light? How can you tell?
2. Why do you think the
cartoonist portrays the S. people
standing in a group, far away from
Shurz?

50. African Americans as Voters
Gained rights as of 15th
Amendment
9:10 supported the Republican
Party
Relatively few could read &
write, but eager to exercise voting
rights
Almost 90% of the qualified
African-Americans voted
1868- N. in AL observed that “in
defiance of
fatigue, hardship, hunger, and
threats of employers”- African- Woodcut from a newspaper showing a freedmen voting
Americans still flocked to the polls. in D.C.- June 1867

51. Political Differences
Conflicting goals led to disunity in the Republican Party
Few scalawags shared the Republican commitment to civil rights & suffrage for African
Americans, over time many returned to the Democratic party
Some Republican governors began to appoint white Democrats to office to persuade more
white voters to vote Republican
Policy backfired- convinced very few white Democrats to change parties and the blacks felt
betrayed
New states of African Americans required fundamental changes in the attitudes of most S.
whites
Some whites supported the Republicans during Reconstruction & thought the end of slavery
would ultimately benefit the S.
Some s. farmers & merchants though that investment by M. would help the S. recover from the
war
Many white S. refused to accept blacks’ new status and resisted equal rights
White S. had to accept defeat and the day-to-day involvement of N. in their lives
Several thousand planters emigrated to Europe, Mexico or Brazil after the war

52. Review- Analyzing Motives 
What do you think the Answer: They may have
former Confederates who hoped to start a new life
emigrated hoped to in a country where they
accomplish? wouldn’t be reminded of
their defeat.

53. Former Slaves Face Many
Challenges
Slaves had been forbidden
to travel without
permission, to marry
legally, to attend
school, and to live and
work as they chose.
After the war, 4 million
former slaves gained the
chance to take control of
their lives

54. New-Won Freedoms
At first many former slaves were
cautious about testing the limits of
their freedom
Without
land, jobs, tools, money, and with
few skills besides those of
farming, what could they do?
Thousands were eager to leave
plantations they associated with
oppression and moved to S. towns
and cities to find jobs
1865-1870: African American
population of the 10 largest S. cities
doubled

55. Reunification of Families
Slavery split many families apart
Many freed African Americans took adv. of
their new mobility to search for loves ones
1865- one man walked +600 mi. from GA
to NC to find his wife/children
Freedmen’s Bureau worked to reunite
families
African-American newspapers pointed to
“Information Wanted” notices about
missing relatives
Many cases never found
Now could legally marry and raise children
w/out fear of them being sold
Reconstructing families was important to
est. an identity as freed people

56. Education
Nearly 80% of freed African Americans over 20 were
illiterate in 1870 [due to being punished if they tried to
learn]
Freed people of all ages sought education
African Americans est. educational inst. Inc.
Freedmen’s Bureau and African-American churches
Hampton Institute in VA
1870- $1mil. spent of Edu.
Teachers were N whites, however some blacks became
teachers- 1869- black teachers outnumbered whites
Some white S. responded with violence- i.e.
Washington Eager, murdered b/c he could read &
write
1877- 600,000 were enrolled in elementary schools

57. Churches & Volunteer Groups
Resenting the preachers who urged slaves
to obey their masters, slaves created
“praise meetings”
African Americans after the war founded
Baptist or Methodist churches
African-American ministers emerged as
influential community leaders playing an
important role in political life
Thousands formed volunteers
organizations like fire companies, trade
associations, political organizations and
drama groups
Fostered independence & provided
financial & emotional support for
members
Offered African Americans opportunities
to gain leadership skills

58. Politics & African Americans
1865-1877 saw growing African-
Americans in pols.
Held office in local, state and fed.
Gov’t
Ministers or teachers who had been
edu. in the N.
Even though pop. in the same were
nearly =, black officeholders were a
minority
Only SC had a black majority in state
legislature
Out of 125 S. elected to Congress
during congressional
Reconstruction, only 16 were black
i.e.- Hiram Revels- the 1st African
American Senator

59. Review- Summarizing 
How did freed African Answer: They searched
Americans try to improve for missing family
their lives? members, sought an
education, formed
churches and volunteer
groups, and built up their
political power.

60. Laws Against Segregation
By the end of 1866 most Republican
S. states repealed black codes
African-American legis. Proposed
desegregation of public transportation
1871- TX passed a law prohibiting rr
from making distinctions b/w
passengers
State orphanages, had separate
facilities for white and black children
African Americans focused more on
building up the black community
than total integration
Schools, churches, political, social
organizations that were separate
allowed the focus on African
American leadership & escape from
white interference

61. Changes in the Southern
Economy

62. 40 Acres + A Mule
Jan. 1865- Sherman had promised Many freedmen asserted they deserved
the freed slaves who followed his part of the planters’ land
army 40 acres per family & the use
of army mules AL black convention argued that the
property was earned through black labor
Afterward- 40,000 freed persons
settled on 400,000 abandoned or Thaddeus Stevens called for government
forfeited acres in coastal GA & SC confiscation and redistribution
Farmed until Aug. 1865- Pres. Republicans considered it wrong to seize
Johnson ordered the original property
landowners be allowed to reclaim
their land & evict former slaves 1866- Homestead Act- set aside 44
million acres in the S. for freed blacks
and loyal whites, land was swampy &
unsuitable for farming
+ few homesteaders had resources-
seed, tools, plows and horses to farm
successfully

63. Southern Homestead Act of
1866
Passed on July 21, 1866, the
Southern Homestead Act opened
up 46 million acres of public land
for sale in 160-acre
plots in the Southern states of
Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Louisia
na, and Mississippi.
The primary beneficiaries for the
first six months were freedmen who
were in desperate need of land to
till.
Before too much land was
distributed, however, the law was
repealed in June 1876

64. Review- Identifying Problems 
What caused land-reform Answer: Many
proposals to fail? Republicans in Congress
thought it was wrong to
take citizens’ private
property, land set aside
was unsuitable for
farming, and former slaves
lacked farming supplies.

65. Restoration of Plantations
Some former slaves worked in Economic necessity forced many former
mills or railroad-construction slaves to sign labor contracts w/ planters
crews
In exchange for wages, housing, and
Others tried subsistence food, freedmen worked in the fields
farming- just enough for their
own families Freedmen’s Bureau promoted this wage-
labor system, arrangement did not satisfy
To stop this, white planters freedmen or planters
were determined to keep
former slaves from getting Freedmen though the wages were too low
land that they could use to
support themselves White employers had too much control
over them
Planters often lacked sufficient cash to pay
workers
Conditions led to an experiment:
sharecropping and tenant farming

66. Sharecropping and Tenant
Farming
sharecropping n. a system in tenant farming n. a system
which landowners give farm in which farm workers
workers land, seed, and tools supply their own tools and
in return for a part of the rent farmland for cash.
crops they raise.
Possibility for moving up
Annual renewing of economic ladder to become
arrangement owners
Most farmers bought their
supplies on credit, and
inflated prices
Rarely harvested enough
crops to pay for both past
debts and future supplies

68. Cotton No Longer King
During the war demand for S. cotton had begun to drop, as other countries had their own
production means
Prices plummeted
1869- 16.5 cents per pound, by 1870s- 8 cents per pound
Instead of diversifying their crops, s. planters tried to make up for lower prices by growing more-
leading to oversupply that drove prices down more
Textile mills sprang up, and tobacco-product planting took hold
Diversification helped raise the average wage in the S. though it was still lower than N. workers
State banks were saddled with Confederate debts- loans made to the Confederate government
Banks awaited repayment, mostly never came
Many banks failed, credit only given by local merchants
Rippled into 20th century life
Many whites frustrated took anger out on African Americans- late 1860s and early 1870s, white
groups embarked on terrorizing African Americans into giving up their political rights and
economic improvement

69. Review- Analyzing Causes 
What factors contributed Answer: Confederate
to the stagnation of the debts, declining demand
Southern economy? and falling prices for
cotton, and the ongoing
impact of Civil War
devastation.

70. Summarizer
In a chart, list 5 problems facing the South after the
Civil War and at least 1 attempted solution for each:
Problem Attempted Solution

71. The Collapse of
Reconstruction
Learning Goal: Analyze the impact of the Civil War and
the 14th Amendment on the development of the
country and on the relationship between the national
and state governments.
NJCCCS: 6.1.12.D.4.e

72. Warm Up-
How would you react when you have a good idea, but
don’t have the money to implement it?
If you were in the political arena, how would you deal
with opponents who had the money or power you
lacked?

73. Institutional Racism
1868- White GA legis.- maj. in both
houses, expelled 27 black members
of the state senate and HoR
New state constitution gave African
Americans the right to vote, but not
to hold office
Outraged, Henry M. Turner, an
African-American legis. Became a
leading proponent of African-
American emigration to Africa
Expelled legis. petitioned the U.S.
Congress, eventually were
reinstated
By the time they acted, more than a
year later, the terms of Turner and
colleagues were almost at an end

74. Opposition to Reconstruction
W. Southerners who took Most W. S. swallowed
direct action against resentment
African-American
participation in gov’t were Some bitter ones relied on
the minority violence

75. Ku Klux Klan
Ku Klux Klan (KKK) n. a secret
organization that used terrorist
tactics in an attempt to restore white
supremacy in Southern states after
the Civil War.
Founded as a social club for
Confederate veterans
Began in TN in 1866
1868- existed in every S. state
Goals:
Prevent African Americans from
exercising their political rights
b/w 1868-1871- killed thousands
of men, women, and children &
burned schools, churches and
property

76. Klan Victims & Goals
Majority of Klan victims were
African-American, Whites who
helped [edu., renting land, buying
their crops]
Klan obj: turn the Republicans out
of power
NC state senator, John Stephens-
answered warning that his life was
in danger by saying that 3,000
African American voters had
supported him at the risk “of
persecution and starvation” and
that he would not abandon them.
Stephens was assassinated in 1870.

77. Mississippi Burning
Klan members tried to conceal their identifies
S. Democrats openly used violence to intimidate Republicans before the 1875 state
election in MS
Democrats rioted & attacked Republican leaders & prominent African Americans
Terrorist campaign frightened the African-American majority away from the polls
W. Democratic candidates swept the election
Democrats used similar tactics to win 1876 elections in FL, SC, LA

78. Review- Analyzing Motives 
What were the goals of Answer: To destroy the
the KKK? Republican Party, oust the
Reconstruction
governments, help
planters control African-
American laborers, and
prevent African
Americans from exercising
their political rights.

79. Economic Pressure
Klan & other secret groups tried to
prevent African Americans from
making economic [& political]
progress
African Americans who owned their
own land or worked in occupations
other than agriculture were subject
to attacks & destruction or property
Economic necessity forced most
former slaves to work for whites as
wage laborers or share-croppers
Some W. S. refused to hired or do
business with blacks revealed to have
voted Republican
This fear led to many former slaves
refusing to vote

80. Legislative Response
To curtail Klan violence & Democratic intimidation, Congress
passed a series of Enforcement Act in 1870 & 1871
One provided for federal supervision of elections in S. states
Another act gave the president the power to use federal troops in
areas where the Klan was active
Grant was not aggressive in his use of the power given to him
1882- Supreme Court ruled the 1871 Enforcement Act
unconstitutional
Federal enforcement of anti-Klan legislation was limited, it did
contribute to a decrease in Klan activities in the late 1870s
By 1880, terrorist groups managed to restore white supremacy
throughout the South
Klan no longer needed such organized activity to limit the political
and civil rights of most African Americans

81. Review- Identifying Problems 
Why was the government Answer: Grant chose not
weak in its ability to to exercise the power
confront the Klan? given to him by the
Enforcement Acts, and
the Supreme Court later
struck down one of the
acts.

82. Shifts in Political Power
Congress passed legis. that severely
weakened the Republican Party in
the South
Amnesty Act- May 1872- Congress
returned the right to vote and the
right to hold federal and state
offices- revoked by the 14th
Amendment- to about 150,000
former Confederates
Congress allowed the Freedmen’s
Bureau to expire, believing it had
fulfilled its purpose
S. Democrats had an opportunity
to shift the balance of political
power
Amnesty- a pardon granted by a
government, especially for political
offenses

83. Scandals & Money
Crises Hurt
Republicans
S. Republicans struggled to
maintain their hold on
Reconstruction governments
Widespread political corruption
in the federal government
weakened their party
During the 1870s, scandals
plagued Grant’s administration
Scandals diverted public attention
away from conditions in the
South.

84. Cartoon showing Ulysses S.
Grant, as an acrobat, on
trapeze "third term," holding
on to "whiskey ring" and
"Navy ring," with strap
"corruption" in his
mouth, holding up other
acrobats, Shepard, George M.
Robeson, William W.
Belknap, Murphy, Williams, a
nd Orville E. Babcock.
Illus. in: Puck, v. 6, 1880 Feb.
4, pp. 782-783.

85. Fraud & Bribery
Grant was considered an honest
man, however he had no
political experience
Found it difficult to believe that
others might use him for his
own political advantage
Appointed friends and
acquaintances, rather than
those with abilities
Grant’s appointees turned out
to be dishonest

86. SCANDAL
Beginning- 1872- long-simmering
scandals associated with Grant’s
admin. boiled over
Newspaper exposed how the
Crédit Mobilier, a construction
company for Union Pacific
Railroad, had skimmed off large
profits from the railroad’s
government contract
Several top Republicans
including VP Schuyler Colfax
were implicated

87. “Depiction of Uncle Sam scolding
party participants for eating his
cake, which is labeled "Crédit
Mobilier" in this 1873 political cartoon
titled "Injured Innocents." Crédit
Mobilier was a company created to
underwrite the construction of the
transcontinental Union Pacific
Railroad. The company sold shares at
low rates or gave away shares to
influential congress members in return
for political favors."
A scheme that was eventually exposed in 1872. It was a scheme used by the
Union Pacific Railroad. They were overcharging construction costs to taxpayers
and manipulating the share prices of Crédit Mobilier of America.
IMPORTANCE: Another example of the gilded age and corruption. The
government had little economic regulations over big businesses so scandals
or monopolies such as this were common.

88. Republican Unity SHATTERED
A group of Republicans, angered by Democrats also nominated
the corruption formed the Liberal Greeley believing a united
Republican Party in 1872 effort was needed to oust
Grant
hoped to oust Grant in the
presidential election Greeley lost in 1872 to
Grant by a wide margin
Chose Horace Greeley, editor of the
New York Tribune and a vocal pre- Physically exhausted by
Civil War abolitionist as their campaigning, Greeley died a
candidate few weeks after the election-
before the electoral college
Greeley supported abolition & made his defeat official.
14th, 15th Amendments
Breakdown of Republican
Broke with Radicals by calling for unity made it harder for
universal amnesty for Confederates Radicals to continue to
& an end to military rule in the impose their Reconstruction
South plan on the South
Claimed Reconstruction served its
purpose and former slaves should
fend for themselves

89. Whiskey Ring Scandal
1875- Whiskey Ring scandal
exposed
Internal-revenue collectors &
other officials accepted bribes
from whiskey distillers
Distillers who wanted to avoid
paying taxes on their product
Conspiracy defrauded the
federal government millions of
dollars
1 of the 238 implicated officials
was Grant’s private secretary:
Gen. Orville E. Babcock
Grant: “I hope I get to the bottom soon”

90. Trading Post Ring: 1876-
More Scandal investigation revealed Sec. of War-
William W. Belknap accepted bribes
from merchants who wanted to keep
their profitable trading concessions in
Indian territory
HoR- impeached Belknap, who
resigned
Cattelism: George Robeson, Sec. of
the Navy took bribes from
shipbuilders,
Delano Affair: Columbus
Delano,Sec. of the Interior, had
shady deals with land speculators
Increasing disgust and blatant
corruption in the Grant
administration let to him not seeking
reelection in 1876.

92. Review-
Summarizing

Gives examples of
corruption in the Grant
administration.
Answer: Crédit
Mobilier, The Whiskey
Ring, the Delano
Affair, Cattelism, accepta
nce of bribes, dishonest
dealings, etc.

93. The Panic of 1873
Economy had been expanding Not enough investors bought shares
since the end of the Civil in Cooke’s RR lines to cover the
War, investors became convinced ballooning construction
that business profits would costs, resulting in Cooke not being
continue to increase indefinitely able to pay his debts
N. & S. investors borrowed Sept. of 1873- Cooke’s banking
increasing amounts of $$ to build firm, the nation’s largest dealer in
new facilities in the South as government securities, went
quickly as possible to take bankrupt- seeing off a new financial
advantage of new business depression
opportunities.
panic of 1873 n. a series of
Unfortunately, many took on more financial failures that triggered a
debt than they could afford five-year depression in the United
States.
Philly banker named Jay Cooke
invested heavily in RRs w/in a yr.- 89 RR went broke, 1875-
18,000 companies had folded, 3
million workers were unemployed

94. BANK PANIC
CARTOON, 1873.
'Out of the Ruins.'
Thomas Nast's depiction of
President Ulysses S. Grant
as the nation's financial
savior following 'Black
Friday,’
Date: September 19th, 1873.

95. Despite the ghastly
appearance of the figure
representing financial
panic,
this New York Daily Graphic
cover cartoon of
September
29, 1873, subscribed to
the belief that such
financial “busts” cleansed
the economy, weeding out
inefficient businesses and
allowing the strong to
survive.

96. Review- Predicting Effects 
What effect do you think Answer: People may have
the panic of 1873 might blamed the Republicans
have had on the for the panic and lost
Republican Party? their faith in their ability
to govern.

97. Currency Dispute
Economic depression following the In Contrast- S. & W. farmers &
panic of 1873 fueled dispute over manufactures, wanted the gov’t to
currency issue more greenbacks
During Civil War, federal gov’t Believed that “easy $”- a lrg. $ supply
began to issue greenbacks, paper would help pay off debts
money that was not backed by equal
value in gold 1875- Congress passed the Specie
Resumption Act, promised to put the
War ended, financial experts country back on the gold standard
advocated withdrawing the
greenbacks and returning to Act sparked debate over monetary
currency backed by gold policies
Action would have reduced # of $ in Economy improved beginning in
circulation 1878, controversy died down
Debate over $ in the 1970s drew the
attention of voters & politicians
away from Reconstruction

98. Judicial & Popular Support
Fades
1874- S. Democratic senator:
“Radicalism is dissolving- going
to pieces”
W/ political
scandals, economic
problems, & the restoration of
political rights to former
Confederate Democrats
seriously weakened the Radical
Republicans
Supreme Court began to undo
the social & political changes
that the Radicals had made

99. Supreme Court Decisions
During 1870s- Court issued series of decisions that undermined both the 14th &
15th Amendments
Slaughterhouse cases of 1873- Court decided that the 14th Amendment protected
only the rights people had by virtue of their citizenship in the U.S.
Right of interstate travel
Right to federal protection when traveling on the high seas & abroad
Courts contended most of Americans’ basic civil rights were obtained through
their citizenship in a state that the amendment did not protect those rights
U.S. v. Cruikshank 1876, Court ruled the 14th Amendment did not give the federal
government the right to punish individual whites who oppressed blacks
U.S. v. Reese, Court ruled in favor of officials who had barred African Americans
from voting, stating the 15th Amendment did not “confer the right of suffrage on
anyone” but merely listed grounds on which states could not deny suffrage
Late 1870s, Supreme Court’s restrictive rulings had narrowed the scope of these
amendments so much the fed. Gov’t no longer had much power to protect the
rights of African Americans
Although the Supreme Court would later overturn them, these decisions impeded
African Americans’ efforts to gain equality for years to come

100. Review- Analyzing Effects 
How did the Answer: The decisions
Slaughterhouse and Reese hurt African Americans’
decisions affect African pursuit of civil rights by
Americans’ pursuit of civil limiting the federal
rights? government’s ability to
protect those rights

101. Northern Support Fades
As Supreme Court rejected Both judicial and public support
Reconstruction policies in the decreased, Republicans began to back
1870s, N. voters grew indifferent to away from Reconstruction
events in the S.
Impassioned Radicals- Charles Sumner
Weary of “the Negro question” & sick & Thaddeus Stevens, were dead
of “carpetbag gov’t”- N. Voters shifted
attention to Panic of 1873 & Business interests diverted the attention
corruption in the Grant of both moderates and Radicals
administration
Scalawags and Carpetbaggers deserted
Desire for reconciliation b/w the the Republican Party
regions spread throughout the N.
Republicans gradually came to believe
Political violence continued in the S. that gov’t could not impose the moral
& African Americans were denied and social changes needed for former
civil & political rights, the tide of slaves to make progress in the South
public opinion in the N. began to
turn against Reconstruction policies. Republicans slowly retreated from
Reconstruction

102. Review- Analyzing Effects 
Why did Northern Answer: Political scandal,
attitudes toward the panic of 1873, a desire
Reconstruction change? for reconciliation, and
Republicans’ faltering
commitment to
Reconstruction drew the
North’s attention away
from the problems of
Reconstruction.

104. Democrats “Redeem” the South
b/w 1869 & 1875 Democrats Tiden helped clean up the graft that
recaptured the state governments of flourished under the corrupt Tweed
AL, AR, GA, MS, NC, TN, TX, VA Ring
redemption n. the Southern Tiden won the popular vote but fell
Democrats’ term for their return to one short of the electoral votes and
power in the South in the 1870s. 20 electoral votes were disputed
Congressional Reconstruction Congress appointed a commission
officially came to an end with to deal with the problem
national election of 1876
Omission, which had a Republican
1876- Grant decided not to run for majority gave the election to the
a 3rd term, Republicans chose Ohio Republican, Hayes, even though he
gov. Rutherford B. Hayes, received a minority of the popular
Democrats chose Gov. Samuel J. vote
Tiden of NY

105. Election of 1876
1st time in U.S. history, a
candidate who had lost the
popular election became the
president
Party leaders made a deal
Republicans controlled the
electoral
commission, Democrats
controlled the HoR which
had to approve the election
results
S. Democrats were willing to
accept Hayes if they got
something in return

106. Compromise
of 1870
Compromise of 1877 n. a series of
congressional measures under
which the Democrats agreed to
accept the Republican candidate
Rutherford B. Hayes as
president, even though he had lost
the popular vote. The measures
included the withdrawal of federal
troops from Southern
states, federal money for improving
Southern infrastructure, and the
appointment of a conservative
Southern cabinet member.
Acceptance of Compromise meant
the end of the Reconstruction

107. Home Rule in the South
After Republicans & Democrats Democrats achieved: home rule n. a
disputed the results in LA and SC’s state’s powers of governing its
elections, both states ended up with citizens without federal government
2 rival state gov’ts involvement.
Hayes removed federal troops in So-called Redeemers set out to
those states, Democrats took over rescue the South from what they
viewed as a decade of
FL had questionable election mismanagement by
returns, but state supreme court Northerners, Republicans &
ruled in favor of the Democrats African Americans
Republicans no longer controlled Passed laws that restricted the rights
the government of any Southern of African Americans, wiped out
state. social programs, slashed taxes, and
dismantled public schools

108. Review- Analyzing Causes 
How did the Compromise Answer: The
of 1877 bring about the compromise
end of Reconstruction? included the
withdrawal of
federal troops from
the South. Without
enforcement, Recon
struction measures
ended, and
Democrats took
over Southern
governments.

109. Legacy of Reconstruction
Reconstruction ended w/out much real progress in the battle against
discrimination
Radical Republicans made several serious mistakes
1st- assumed that extending certain civil rights to freed persons would
enable them to protect themselves through participation in
gov’t, especially in lawmaking
Congress did not adequately protect those rights, & the Supreme
Court undermined them
2nd- Radicals balked at distributing land to former slaves, preventing
them from becoming economically independent of the landowning
planter class
Finally- Radicals did not fully realize the extend to which deep-seated
racism in society would weaken the changes that Congress tried to
make

110. Not a Complete Failure
13th Amendment permanently abolished slavery in all of the states
Radical Republicans succeeded in passing the 14th & 15th
Amendments, and although the Supreme Court narrowed the
interpretation during they 1870s- they remained a part of the
Constitution
20th Century- amendments provided the necessary constitutional
foundation for important civil rights legislation
During Reconstruction, African Americans had founded many
black colleges & volunteers organizations, and the % of literate
African Americans had gradually increased
Memory of this time of expanding opportunities lives in the
African-American community and inspire the fight to regain civil
rights.