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Chapter 12 Section 2 Reconstructing Society Chapter 12 Section 2 Reconstructing Society

Chapter 12 Section 2 Reconstructing Society - PowerPoint Presentation

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Chapter 12 Section 2 Reconstructing Society - PPT Presentation

Conditions in the postwar south Under congressional reconstruction state constitutional conventions met and elected new mainly republican governments 1868 Alabama Arkansas Florida Louisiana NC amp SC reentered the union ID: 678180

americans african amp south african americans south amp land public state black party war republican time states cotton white programs republicans system

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Slide1

Chapter 12 Section 2

Reconstructing Society Slide2

Conditions in the postwar south

Under congressional reconstruction, state constitutional conventions met and elected new (mainly republican) governments.

1868- Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Louisiana, NC, & SC reentered the union.

Tennessee had entered earlier & all confederate states would rejoin the union by 1870

Despite this, republicans were still looking to make economic changes.Slide3

Physical and economic conditions

Most southern states had to be physically rebuilt, Why?

General Sherman estimated he and his troops caused $100 million worth of damages during his march to the sea.

Burnt buildings, twisted railroad tracks, & destroyed bridges.

What type of warfare is this?

Southern property values plummeted.

Those who invested in the confederacy through bonds had little hope of getting their money back.

Southerners as a whole were much poorer than they were at the start of the war.

1/5 of the South's white males died in the war. Many who did return were maimed for life.Slide4
Slide5

Public Works Programs

Southern Governments built roads, bridges, & railroads.

Set up orphanages, & institutions for the mentally ill and disabled.

Established a public school system.

All these programs were ambitious and positive, but had one major drawback.

What problems may the south encounter when setting up public programs, & how would you fix this problem?

Public Works programs are expensive, to help soften the financial burden, taxes were raised.Slide6

Politics in the post war south

Different groups within the republican party had conflicting goals.

Democrats called white southerners who joined the republican party

Scalawags.

Hope to gain votes from African Americans

Some viewed this as an easy way to get elected, some viewed this as a legitimate way to rebuild and industrialize the south and to prevent the wealthy plantation owners from gaining power again.

Democrats called northerners who moved south after the war

Carpetbaggers

.

The name comes from the idea that Northerners took so few possessions south with them that they would fit in a Carpet bag (small luggage).

Some believed that carpetbaggers were looking to profit off of the postwar south.

Some had genuine intentions and were looking to buy property to industrialize the south.Slide7

African Americans as voters

African Americans earned the right to vote through the 15

th

amendment.

During reconstruction African American men registered to vote for the first time.

9/10 supported the republicans.

Why would African Americans almost exclusively support the republican party?Slide8

Political differences

Conflicting goals within the republican party created disunion within it.

Few scalawags were committed to the idea of civil rights for African Americans.

Many would return to the democratic party.

Republicans would put white men in charge to gain white votes but it backfired when it didn’t get more votes and made African Americans feel betrayed.

Life as a southerner was difficult as they were resistant to the ideas of equal rights for blacks and northerners running their every day life.Slide9

Former slaves face many challenges

Despite being free, many African Americans were afraid to travel.

Without land, jobs, money, and few skills what would African Americans do?

Many moved to get away from the plantations that served as a symbol of oppression.

During this time some African Americans went to find family members that had been separated through the slave trade.

It didn’t happen often but should a family be reunited they were able to Marry and raise a family without fear of having members sold.

How would this make you feel?

African Americans were attending schools, this did not sit well with everyone.Slide10

Politics and African Americans

1865-1877, African Americans saw growing involvement in politics and for the first time held offices at local, state, & federal levels.

Black politicians were a minority despite there being a larger number of black voters.

Only South Carolina had a black majority in state legislature.

Why is it interesting/significant that South Carolina was the only state to have a majority of black politicians in state legislature?

Hiram Revels – first African American senator (Mississippi). Held the seat that once belonged to Jefferson Davis.

End of 1866 – most states had repealed black codes and laws were being proposed to desegregate public transportation.

1871- Texas passes a law desegregating the railroads, several states would follow.Slide11

Sharecropping and Tennant Farming

Sharecropping – Landowners divide their land to the workers and give each a few acres along with the supplies needed to make a harvest.

At harvest time, each worker gave up a share (usually half) to the landowner, this share paid back the owner and ended the arrangement.

Why might sharecropping be problematic for the workers?

Tennant farming – workers who would rent the land from the land owner but supply their own tools and keep all the harvest. This allowed the worker to have the potential to own their own land one day.

Rarely did the system work out well as the tools were often bough on credit from merchants who charged inflated prices.

Farmers rarely harvested enough to pay back both the land debt and the supplies.

Which system do you think would be more effective, which would you choose? Why?Slide12

Cotton is No longer King

During the war the demand for cotton had begun to decrease as other countries found ways to increase their own production.

1869 – cotton 16.5 cents/pound

late 1870’s – cotton 8 cents/pound

Instead of trying different crops, farmers grew more and the oversupply further decreased the price.

Eventually other industries would spring up but the South’s economy was still a wreck.