Reconstruction in Mississippi to Accompany Mississippi Studies text A Place Called Mississippi by Clairmont Press

1. Reconstruction
and Reunion
1865-1876
CHAPTER 6 SECTION 3
MISSISSIPPI STUDIES
MRS. BARNETTE

2. Two Presidents of the United States in
Reconstruction
LINCOLN WAS ASSASSINATED IN FORD’S
THEATER APRIL 14, 1865.
ANDREW JOHNSON, VP, BECAME PRESIDENT
AFTER LINCOLN’S DEATH.

3. Lincoln’s 10% Plan
Former Confederate states could
be readmitted to the Union if
only 10% of its voting citizens
pledged allegiance to the U.S.

4. Johnson’s Plan
States would reconstruct
themselves.
Proclaimed that ex-confederates
could get amnesty for
◦ 1) oath of allegiance
◦ 2) acceptance of Emancipation
Proclamation
He also made
William
Sharkey the
Provisional
Governor.

5. Johnson wanted Sharkey to
Get the Mississippi Legislature
to
◦Nullify secession
◦ Abolish slavery
◦Have elections
What they actually did:
Nullified Secession
Did not go so far as to allow
freedmen equal rights of citizenship
Appointed and sent Sharkey to U.S.
Senate
Created Black Codes
Refused to ratify 13th Amendment

6. Freedman’s Bureau 1865-1872
Established for newly freed
slaves and poverty stricken
white refugees
Helped with necessities such as
food, shelter, and hospitals
Helped with job contracts and
legal claims like marriage, land,
and pensions
“Skilled freedmen worked at the army’s carpenter
shops in Beaufort, SC, and at other assignments,
earning from $8 to $12 per month. (NARA 165-C-387)”
Click on the picture for primary sources
related to the Freedmen’s Bureau.

7. Continued hard feelings and resentment
Many northerners felt that the South
never had a right to secede, nor lay
claim to any installations formerly
owned by the government. They
thought that Confederates were guilty
of treason, and they should suffer for
it. Some wanted there to be trials and
hangings for those who were leaders.
Jefferson Davis did go to prison for two
years, but he never had a trial.
Many southerners still believed that they had
had every right to secede. They had felt that
slavery was an integral part of their economy.
Now there would be an overwhelming
number of unemployed people in the South.
Most of these would be African Americans,
but there would also be many whites who
had lost everything. In addition, blacks
outnumbered whites in the population,
which stirred the fear that the top of the
social and political structure might start to
topple if safeguards were not put in place.

8. Black Codes
Mississippi Black Codes of 1865 set
the rules for continuing a social
hierarchy with whites at the top.
Click the picture at the left to see the
transcript of the actual document.. Try to
list all the restrictions that were put on
freedmen.

9. Reconstruction Acts
“Radical Republicans” had won
control of the House and Senate,
and they wanted changes to come
swiftly to the South.
The Acts were a Federal reaction to
states like Mississippi refusing to go
along with 13th Amendment and
other rights for freedmen.
Jurisdiction was taken away from
states and put into federal hands.

10. Impeachment!
President Andrew Johnson had fired Secretary of War Edward Stanton, gave many pardons to
ex-Confederates, and he tried to block Congress from giving special aid to freedmen, but he was
*impeached instead.
He was not removed from office.
* Many think that impeachment means
to remove an official from office. It does
not. In the case of a President, it means
that The House of Representatives has
brought charges against the President.
The Senate, which is the other legislative
body in Congress, then holds the court to
decide if the President is guilty, and if so,
what needs to be done.
Which other U.S.
President was
also impeached?
What are reasons
for impeachment?

11. Federal (Congressional) Reconstruction
in Mississippi 1867-1875
Mississippi was in the 4th
military district.
Military governor could remove
public officials that he thought
were not loyal to the U.S.
Many white Mississippians were
even more resentful of Federal
intervention.

12. 3 Degrees of Loyalty to Union in MS
Scalawags were people
that secessionists saw as
turncoats. They supported
the Republican agenda of
full citizenship for blacks.
Most famous: James
Alcorn (Alcorn A &M and
Alcorn County named for
him), Reuben Millsaps
(Millsaps College), Jehu
Orr, and Robert Flournoy.
Carpetbaggers were
Northerners that
secessionists saw as
troublemakers and con
artists trying to grab
money and power from
their misfortune. Some
were conscientious
public officials, like
Ridgely Powers, Wiley
Wells, Henry Pease, and
Adelbert Ames.
Blacks offered up a large number of public
officials who had become educated,
despite laws to the contrary, and they had
difficulty working with secessionists who
did not think they should have to be
cooperative with them. Oddly enough,
Mississippi had more black elected
officials than other states during
Reconstruction. John R. Lynch (Lynch
Street in Jackson), Hiram Revels (1st black
Senator), Blanche Bruce, and Ambrose
Henderson are a few of these.

13. Readmission February 23, 1870
Changes made:
•A new state Constitution of 1868
•1869 election with 36 Black men elected to MS Legislature
•Amendments 13, 14, and 15 to U.S. Constitution ratified
•President Grant signed resolution admitting MS
•Statewide system of public schools

14. Amendments regarding African American
Civil Rights after the War
13th- Abolished Slavery
14th- Allowed former slaves to be citizens
15th- Allowed African American males to vote
(Neither black nor white women could vote at this time. That came
with the 19th Amendment in 1920, fifty years later.)

15. Public Schools- at this point segregated
Who would teach the black children?
◦ Many southern white teachers did
not want to.
◦ Many blacks were not prepared to.
◦ Northern whites were usually the
teachers.
◦ Southerners distrusted the
northern teachers, thinking they
were teaching more about politics
than the 3 R’s.

16. The KKK in Reconstruction
Begun as a social organization,
then became a secretive white
supremacist group that violently
intimidated people who promoted
equality among races. Targets also
included individuals, schools, and
churches. Their activity was lulled
from 1872-1875, when federal
laws made their actions illegal.
Click the picture to find out more about the
history of the Ku Klux Klan.

17. Governor Adelbert Ames
Republican
Former decorated Union General
Wanted to ease racial tension
During tenure, blacks presided over MS
House and Senate
Party lines seemingly became racial lines-
Republicans considered the black party, and
Democrats the white party
When Democrats took power in 1875, he
resigned rather than be removed from office
after impeachment.
For
more
about
Ames,
click on
the
picture.

18. “Revolution of 1875”
Riots broke out over elections.
Ames sent out the militia to keep
peace. Most militia members were
black, which caused even more
tension.
Rather than have more ugly
violence, agreement was made to
withdraw militia if Democrats
would halt such activities.
Result: The Mississippi Plan
Mississippi Plan
To guarantee Democratic Party
victory in 1875 elections
◦ Intimidation
◦ Ballot box stuffing
◦ Destroying Republican ballots
◦ Take advantage of illiterate
blacks
◦ Change the counts

19. MS Plan Led to…
•Impeachment of Republican
officials
•A redistricting plan to maintain a
white majority in the U. S.
Congress (shoestring district was
the narrow district with a black
majority)
•John R. Lynch served as a
Congressman for this district.
Click on the picture to find out more
about J.R. Lynch.

20. “Redemption” of Mississippi
“Redeemers” and “White Liners” of
the Democratic Party accused
Republicans of all sorts of corruption.
The Democrats had taken control and
made Mississippi a one party state for
almost 100 years.

21. After Civil War, African Americans had a taste of uneasy
equality for only about 10 years before the Democratic
Party regained a foothold.