Chapter 23: The Reconstruction Era

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Chapter 23 The Reconstruction Era

• To what extent did Reconstruction bring African
  Americans closer to full citizenship?

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23.1 Preview

• Suppose that you are an emancipated slave in the
  South at the end of the Civil War. What changes
  do you hope for your new life? On a separate
  sheet of paper/Moodle, write about three ways you
  imagine your life will change now that you have
  your freedom.

Emancipated Slaves N. Carolina, 1863.
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23.1 Key Terms

• As you complete the Reading Notes, use these
  terms in your answers.
• Reconstruction Black Codes
• Fifteenth Amendment Thirteenth Amendment
• Civil Rights Jim Crow laws
• Freedmens Bureau Fourteenth Amendment

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23.1 IntroductionRead 23.1 to yourself and
answer these questions on the back page of your
packet.

1. In your own words, rewrite Lincolns excerpt from
   his 2nd inaugural address in 1865.
2. What date was Lincoln shot?
3. What was the location of the assassination?
4. Who assassinated Lincoln?
5. Why did he assassinate Lincoln?
6. Who became President?

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23.2 Presidential Reconstruction

1. What were President Johnsons two major aims for
   Reconstruction? Circle the aim that was achieved
   by the 13th Amendment.

1. Southern states had to create new governments
   that were loyal to the Union.
2. Slavery had to be abolished.

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23.2 Presidential Reconstruction

• 2. Who established the Freedmens Bureau, and
  what was its purpose? List three activities of
  the bureau that helped it carry out its purpose.

Congress established the Freedmens Bureau to
assist former slaves. Possible activities
Provided food, provided medical care, helped
freedmen arrange for wages and good working
conditions, distributed land, provided public
education.
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23.2 Presidential Reconstruction
Black Codes Enacted During Presidential
Reconstruction.
Purpose Example
To limit the rights of freedmen. Blacks could not vote or serve on juries.
To help planters find workers to replace their slaves. Freemen were required to work. If they were unemployed they could be arrested and hired out to planters.
To keep freedmen at the bottom of the social order in the South. Blacks and whites were segregated in public areas.
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23.3 Congressional Reconstruction

1. How did the Radical Republicans aim for
   Reconstruction differ from President Johnsons?
   What two laws passed by Congress helped them
   achieve this aim?

Answer Radical Republicans wanted freedmen to
be granted the full rights of citizenship.
Congress extended the life of the Freedmens
Bureau and enacted the Civil Rights Act of 1866,
which gave blacks the same civil rights as whites.
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Military Reconstruction Districts, 1870
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23.3 Congressional Reconstruction
Congress and President Johnson had a/an
________________ relationship.
adversarial
Johnson opposed the 14th Amendment and wanted
Republican lawmakers thrown out of office.
Congress passed the Military Reconstruction Act
over Johnsons veto.
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23.3 Congressional Reconstruction
3. Why did the House of Representatives impeach
President Johnson? What was the outcome of the
impeachment trial?
President Johnson was impeached because he fired
an official who was protected under the Tenure of
Office Act and because the House felt he had
brought the office of president into disgrace.
He was spared removal from office by ONE vote.
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23.3 Congressional Reconstruction
4. Why did many sharecroppers end up in poverty
and debt?
Sharecroppers had to borrow money from plantation
owners to buy the supplies they needed. Few
earned enough money to pay back what they owed.
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23.4 Southern Reconstruction
1. Who was banned by Congress from voting, and
who were the three groups of new voters in the
South? Write each answer on top of the
appropriate symbol.
Northerners who had moved South after the war.
White southerners who opposed the war.
Freedmen
Confederates
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23.4 Southern Reconstruction
2. What important lesson did Republicans learn
in the 1868 presidential election of Ulysses S.
Grant?
Republicans learned that for a political party to
keep control of the White House, it needed
African American votes.
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23.4 Southern Reconstruction
New state constitutions were written throughout
the South guaranteeing such rights as voting and
free public education.
This constitutional amendment guaranteed every
male citizen the right to vote, regardless of
race.
New State Constitutions
15th Amendment
Changes Under Southern Reconstruction.
New State Governments
African Americans in Office
New state governments were composed primarily of
Republicans, including many African Americans,
who ratified the Fourteenth and Fifteenth
Amendments and built roads, hospitals, and
schools.
African Americans served in every Southern state
legislature and in both houses of Congress and
held high offices in three states.
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Reconstruction Video Link
Reconstruction - American Civil War - HISTORY.com
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23.5 The End of Reconstruction
Many southerners hated seeing blacks voting
holding public office.
Southern Democrats tried to use legal means to
keep blacks from voting or taking office.
Whites used violence to drive blacks from
political life.
Congress passed the Enforcement Acts, making it
illegal to prevent someone from voting through
bribery, force, or scare tactics.
President Grant sent troops to the South to
enforce the acts, but people were still afraid to
speak out against the violence being directed at
blacks.
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23.5 The End of Reconstruction
2. What was the dispute in the presidential
election of 1876? How was it resolved?
Republican candidate Hayes received more
electoral votes than Democratic candidate Tilden.
Twenty electoral votes were in dispute, and
Congress awarded these to Hayes, which outraged
Democrats.
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23.5 The End of Reconstruction
2. How was it resolved?
The election was resolved by compromise Hayes
was allowed to take office if he promised to
withdraw remaining federal troops from the South.
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23.5 The End of Reconstruction
2. How was it resolved?
The compromise was a DISASTER for blacks.
Democrats quickly returned the South to white
mans rule.
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Compromise of 1877 Video Link
Compromise of 1877 Video Link
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23.6 Reconstruction Reversed
How did Southern Democrats reverse gains made
during Reconstruction in each of these areas?
EDUCATION
Spending for public schools was cut, many schools
closed, and others charged fees.
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23.6 Reconstruction Reversed
How did Southern Democrats reverse gains made
during Reconstruction in each of these areas?
Voting Rights
Many Southern states required citizens to pay a
poll tax and pass a literacy test in order to
vote. Both requirements excluded many African
Americans from voting.
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23.6 Reconstruction Reversed
How did Southern Democrats reverse gains made
during Reconstruction in each of these areas?
Segregation
Democrats reintroduced segregation laws, which
kept blacks and whites separate in public.
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23.6 Reconstruction Reversed
2. Make a sketch to illustrate the results of
Plessy vs. Ferguson. Include a caption that
explains the Supreme Courts decision in the case
and the consequences of that decision.
Sketches might show some form of segregation.
Possible caption In Plessy v. Ferguson, the
Supreme Court ruled that separate facilities, as
long as they were equal, did not violate the
Constitution. However, these separate facilities
often favored whites over blacks.
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23.7 Responding to Segregation
List two factors that pushed African Americans
out of the South after Reconstruction and two
factors that pulled them toward the North.
Attacks and lynching by white mobs racism
poverty
Push
better opportunities more equal treatment
Pull
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23.7 Responding to Segregation
The North African Americans still faced racism
but could find employment. The West African
Americans faced discrimination as they moved
west, but found work as cowboys and Indian
fighters. The South African Americans relied on
families, churches, and communities to build
businesses, provide education, and improve their
lives.