Rival Plans for Reconstruction - PowerPoint Presentation

Slide1

Rival Plans for Reconstruction

American historySlide2

Goals

Students will be able to:

Review the causes and the consequences of the Civil War.

Assess the influence of significant people and groups on Reconstruction

Describe the issues that divided Republicans during early Reconstruction

Distinguish the freedoms guaranteed in the 13

th

, 14

th

, and 15

th

Amendments.

Terms to know:

Reconstruction, Radical Republican, Wade-Davis Bill, Freedmen’s Bureau, Andrew Johnson, black code, Civil Rights Act of 1866, Fourteenth Amendment, impeach, Fifteenth AmendmentSlide3

How would the Southern Economy Be Rebuilt?

During the Civil War, the South’s percentage of national wealth had fallen from 30% to 12% and the Union had destroyed much of the South’s major infrastructure

A quarter of men age 20 to 40 had died, robbing much of the south of it’s workforce

The South also needed to find a way to handle their newly freed African American populations

Some proposed redistributing Southern land to newly freed slaves in order to provide them a way to support themselves

Many rejected this course of action, even many African Americans, who felt that Southerners should be paid for their land and that it should be sold at a fair price to the newly freedmenSlide4

How Will Southern State Rejoin the Union?

During the era of

Reconstruction

, the government needed to determine how it would handle allowing the Southern state back into the Union.

Lincoln proposed a moderate approach to allowing Southern states readmission into the Union

Lincoln had, in 1863, issued a Proclamation of Amnesty and Reconstruction, which stated that if 10% of a states voters swore allegiance to the Union, that the state could set up a new government and be readmitted into the Union without penalty

If the state abolished slavery and provided education for African Americans, the state would regain representation in Congress

Lincoln also wanted to grant pardons to former ConfederatesSlide5

Opposition and Government Aid

Radical Republicans

, who sought to punish the South for their actions during the Civil War, soundly rejected Lincoln’s 10% plan

The Radical Republicans also pushed for full citizenship and voting rights for newly freed African Americans

The

Wade-Davis Bill

was passed in 1864, in response to Lincoln’s 10% plan

The bill required that a majority of a state’s prewar voters swear loyalty to the Union and demanded African American equality

This measure was however stopped by the use of a pocket veto

Lincoln was able to get Radical Republican support for the

Freedmen’s Bureau

This organization was created in order to reunite families separated by slavery, to negotiate fair labor contracts between former slaves and white landowners, by representing African Americans in court and by establishing a precedent that black citizens had full legal rightsSlide6

Standards Check

How did Lincoln and the Radical Republicans differ in their approach to reconstruction?Slide7

Johnson’s Reconstruction Plan

Johnson, like Lincoln, wanted to restore the political status of the southern states quickly, and without punishing them

Johnson required that southern states ratify the 13

th

amendment and draft a state constitution that outlawed slavery

Johnson also sought to restore land rights to all that were pardoned, but those who sought pardon, had to write to him personally

Despite Johnson’s requirement that slavery be outlawed, he did not seek to push racial equality, as he favored a government for white men onlySlide8

Black Rights

Due to Johnson’s lack of requirements for racial equality and suffrage and his strong support of states rights, southern states

sought

to suppress black political rights

The South put into place

black codes

which sought to limit African American rights and keep them as landless workers

The codes required blacks to work in a limited number of jobs, stipulated that any black person wo did not have a job could be arrested and sent to prison, and failed to punish those who used violence and intimidation against blacks

In response to these actions, Congress refused to allow Southern Congressmen to take their seats

Congress also tried to pass laws that would allow the Freedmen’s Bureau to punish those who did not civil rights to African Americans and attempted to pass the

Civil Rights Act of

1866

that sought to overturn the black codes

Johnson accused the Radical Republicans of trying to “Africanize the south” and vetoed both measuresSlide9

Congressional Reconstruction

The plan of Reconstruction proposed by the Radical Republicans centered on a few key provisions

The

14

th

Amendment

to the Constitution was proposed in order to guarantee equality under the law to all citizens

The Amendment also revoked representation to states that refused to allow African Americans to vote and made it illegal to allow leading Confederate generals the ability to serve in public office

The Radical Republicans also passed the Military Reconstruction Act of 1867

This divided the southern states into military districts

Once the state had ratified the 14

th

Amendment and had passed a state constitution that had made slavery illegal, the military rule would be lifted and the state would be allowed to reenter the UnionSlide10

Impeachment and the 15th

Amendment

Due to the massive disagreements that existed between the Radical Republicans and

Andrew Johnson

, each looked for an advantage in the legislative process

Under the Tenure of Office Act, the president required Congressional approval to remove cabinet members prior to the end of the presidential term

When Johnson tried to fire Edwin Stanton from his post as Secretary of War, the Radical Republicans seized upon this opportunity to try and remove Johnson from office based upon the idea that Johnson had committed an impeachable offense

To

impeach

is to put on trial with the intent of removing one from government office

Johnson avoided being removed from office by one vote, and he then promised to uphold the legislation of the Radical Republicans

The law that Johnson had be impeached for violating was later found to be unconstitutional

In 1869, Congress passed the

15

th

Amendment

, forbidding any state from denying suffrage on the grounds of race, color, or previous servitude.

This was largely done because of the impact African American voters had on the election of 1868

Grant won the race by a large majority of votes, but only because he received a large majority of the votes cast by black votersSlide11

Standards Check

What freedoms were guaranteed under the 14

th

and 15

th

Amendment?

How did

Johnson

and the Radical Republicans differ in their approach to reconstruction

?

How did Lincoln, Johnson, and the Radical Republicans shape the reconstruction of the south?