This document provides an overview of Reconstruction after the Civil War from 1865-1877. It describes Lincoln's plan for the readmission of Confederate states which was opposed by the Wade-Davis Bill proposing stricter terms. After Lincoln's assassination, his successor Andrew Johnson implemented a lenient Reconstruction plan that angered Republicans by allowing the passage of Black Codes denying African American rights. This led to the Civil Rights Act of 1866 and proposals for the 14th Amendment, resulting in Johnson vetoing bills and a battle with Congress over civil rights.

1. THE RECONSTRUCTION
Chapter 17

2. The Reconstruction
The process of re-admitting
and the Confederate states into
the Union
1865-1877

3. The Damaged South
• Cities, towns, and farms are
destroyed
• High food prices lead to
starvation
• Southern banks close and their
users go bankrupt

4. Lincoln's Plan
Wanted the process to be quick and
painless
• TheTen Percent Plan
1. Swear allegiance to the Union
2. Agree that slavery is illegal
• Once 10% agree, a new
government can be formed
• Louisiana is the 1st to be
readmitted

5. Wade-Davis Bill
• Some want Congress (not pres.) to control
the Reconstruction
• Argue that the 10% Plan is too lenient
• Wade-Davis Bill
1. Ban Slavery
2. Majority of adult males had to swear a
loyalty oath
3. Only those who never joined the
Confederacy could vote
• Harder to rejoin the Union
• Lincoln refused to sign into law

6. Freedom for African Americans
Slavery Ends
Thirteenth Amendment is
proposed
• Made slavery illegal in the
United States
• January 31, 1865 – proposed
• December 18, 1865 – ratified
• Some (William Lloyd Garrison) say their
work is done, others (Frederick Douglass)
say it’s not until “the black man has the
ballot [vote]”

7. Changes for Freed Slaves
• Couples legalized marriages
• Searched for relatives that had
been sold
• Newspaper ads placed for lost
children
• Churches formed aid societies
• Many traveled, especially away
from white counties

8. Forty Acres to Farm
• During the war, William Tecumseh
Sherman divided plantations
• White planters refuse to give up
land
• The U.S. gov. returns land to
original owners
• Freedman unsure where to live
• New freedoms are difficult to
enforce (more on that later!)

9. THE RECONSTRUCTION
Chapter 17
Cumulative Project

10. Freedman’s Bureau
• Gov. agency that provided relief
for freed people and certain poor
people in the South
• 900 agents for the ENTIRE
SOUTH
• Distribute food
• Provide education
• Legal help for freed people

11. Freedman’s Bureau: Education
• Also establishes universities for
African Americans
• Working adults go to evening
classes
• Education will help protect
rights and provide better jobs
• Many white southerners don’t
believe freed people should be
educated

12. Lincoln’s Assassination
• April 14, 1865
• President Lincoln attends a play at
Ford’s Theater in Washington D.C.
• Shot by John Wilkes Booth
• Southern who was against
Lincoln’s policies
• Died the next morning
Vice President Andrew Johnson
sworn in as president

13. Andrew Johnson’s Reconstruction Plan
• Similar to Lincoln’s
• Wealthy southerners and former
Confederate officers must receive
presidential pardon to be free of
“charges”
• BUT, he pardons more than 7,000
people by 1866

14. New State Governments
• Johnson (D) was placed on
Lincoln’s (R ) ticket to appeal to
the border states
• Former slaveholder
• Democrat
• Johnson’s plan to form “new
states” in the south was
questioned by Congress

15. New State Governments (cont.)
• President Johnson’s Plan
1. President appoints temporary
governor
2. States must revise
constitutions
3. Voters elect state and federal
representative
1. Government must declare
secession was illegal
2. Must ratify 13thAmendment

16. New State Governments (Part 3)
• 1865: All but Texas are in the
Union, according to the president
• Northern Republicans are upset,
Southern representatives were
leaders of the Confederacy
• Congress refuses to readmit
southern states into the Union

17. Opening Journal (in your notes)
A member of Congress, you belong to the same political party as the
president. But you strongly disagree with his ideas about
Reconstruction and civil rights for African Americans. Now some of the
president’s opponents are trying to remove him from office. You do
not think he is a good president. On the other hand, you think
removing him would be bad for the unity of the country.
Do you vote to remove the president?
Answer in complete sentences and give a detailed explanation for your
answer.

18. THE FIGHT OVER
RECONSTRUCTION
Section 2

19. Opposition to President Johnson:
Black Codes
Setting: 1866
• Congress disagrees on rules for
accepting states into the Union
• New southern states are passing
laws that deny African Americans
civil rights
• Black Codes
• Example: Could be arrested if
unemployed; illegal to own a
gun, only allowed to rent in cities

20. Opposition to President Johnson:
Radical Republicans
“Normal” Republicans:
• Angered by black codes, but more
focused on southern states loyalty
• Wanted equal rights, but didn’t want
federal involvement
Radical Republicans
• want the federal gov. to force change
• Thaddeus Stevens & Charles Sumner
• Gain support in Congress when Johnson
ignored black codes

21. Johnson vs. Congress:
Civil Rights Act of 1866
Pres. Johnson vetoes Freedman’s Bureau
Bill
Civil Rights Act of 1866
• Congresses response
• Gives African Americans the same legal
rights as white Americans
• Johnson vetoes, but congress overrides
his veto
• Propose the Fourteenth Amendment
to keep ideas constitutional

22. The Fourteenth Amendment
1. All born within the U.S. are citizens (except Native
Americans)
2. Citizens have equal protection of the law
3. States can’t take away rights without a trial
4. Banned former C. officers from government office
5. State laws can be reviewed by a federal court
6. Congress can pass any needed law to enforce the
amendment

23. 1866 Election
• Johnson & Democrats appose 14th
Amendment
• Civil Rights is a key issue in 1866
congressional election
Johnson’s Campaign
• Gets into fights with audience members
• Two major race riots break out in the south
Republicans gain the majority in Congress

24. Reconstruction Acts
• Divided the south into 5 districts
• U.S. military commander controlled each
district
To be readmitted…
1. Write a new constitution
2. Give African American men the right
to vote

25. President Johnson is Almost
Impeached
• Johnson argues that the Reconstruction
Act is overuse of federal power
• Congress passes a law that limits
president’s power
• Johnson breaks the law
• But to trial and found guilty by Congress,
but one vote short in the Senate
• Impeachment – the process used by a
law-making body to bring charges
against a public official