Reconstruction Timeline

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4qA5ez0Ly3g

Radical Rebublicans in reconstruction

What did radical Republicans want from reconstruction?

 

    The radical republicans of the hoped to achieve many things during reconstruction, one of these things was to destroy the political power of the owners of former slaveholders. They especially wanted to make African Americans citizens and give them the right to vote. The Radical Republicans believed African Americans had the same political rights and opportunities as whites. They also believed that the Confederate leaders should be punished for their roles in the Civil War. The radicals wanted to destroy these slaveholder Leeds power al together. They believed that these people would try and bring back slavery if they had people in government power. People like like Thaddeus Stevens opposed Andrew Johnson's lenient policies. 

     The radicals motivation was differentiated into three categories; revenge, concern for the freedom and welfare of former slaves, and political concerns. The radical’s desire for revenge stemmed from the fact that they wanted to punish the south for causing the war and felt that they were getting off easy. The radicals concern for the welfare of former slaves was because some believed that the federal government had a role to play in the transition of freedmen from slavery to freedom. They wanted the slaves to not only have equal rights as men, but also that they be accepted into society and the American workforce. The radical Republican’s political concerns were that the radicals wanted to keep the Republican Party in power in both the North and the south. 

    The radicals and their leader, Thaddeus Stevens, had many great ideas of equality but they were just too radical and forced and took the wrong approach. The Radicals believed in harsh punishments for the south and were just too angered by Lincoln’s leniency towards the south. They wanted to south to pay for their crimes and felt that they were accepted to easily back into the union.

Presidential Reconstruction

The Reconstruction period is one of the most pivotal periods of our nation's history. If done correctly, the South could join the North peacefully, and African Americans could have equal rights without segregation. Sadly for our nation, the guiding light of the Civil War, "Our Captain," President Lincoln was murdered before he could accomplish his goal for Reconstruction. Our country's reconstruction was left with the incompetent Andrew Johnson. Thankfully, Ulysses S. Grant took over the presidency after Johnson's woeful term to help rebuild relations with the South and promote Civil Rights. 

Johnson was so ineffective because he stood in the way of reconstruction. Not even a year into his term and Johnson vetoed two acts that gave African Americans more rights. These acts were the Freedmen’s Bureau Act and the Civil Right’s Act. Johnson vetoed these acts because  he said Congress had overstepped their boundaries. These vetoes would be the beginning of Johnson’s woeful presidency and eventually lead up to his impeachment. Another law Johnson made sure did not get passed was the Fourteenth Amendment. This amendment gave the right to vote for African Americans and would not let Confederate leaders from holding federal or state offices unless permitted by two-thirds of Congress. Johnson encourage Southern States to reject this amendment because he believed it was too harsh on Confederate leaders. The ironic thing is that Johnson believed the Confederate leaders should be punished for rebelling. Another ironic thing is that all Southern States except for one rejected the amendment, and that one was his home state of Tennessee. 

Radicals were becoming tired of Johnson’s constant vetoing of laws so they began looking for ways to impeach him. Afraid of Johnson firing Radical Secretary of War, Edwin Stanton, Congress passed the Tenure of Office Act which stated the president could not dismiss one of his cabinet members without the consent of the Senate. To test this act out, Johnson fired Stanton. This enraged the Radicals, so they brought 11 counts of impeachment against Johnson. In the end, Johnson was not impeached. He was found “not guilty” with a vote of 35-19. He was one vote away from being impeached.

Ulysses Grant was elected president in 1868 and reelected in 1872. Grant came into office during an incredibly difficult time in American history. The civil war was over, and the country was grappling with how to rebuild and reunite in the wars aftermath. As president, Grant was determined to follow Lincoln's policy of reconciliation with the south rather than one of retribution. He also wanted to make sure that the federal government preserved the sacrifices of the war by sustaining a strong union while at the same time protecting the newly freed slaves and preventing former reconstructive Confederates from gaining power in the South. In the beginning of his presidency, Grant continued the policies of congressional reconstruction, and he used the military and federal legislation to protect black citizens. He also wanted to help the Republican Party floors in the south, go on attainable without black floaters at least a portion of the white voters.

President, Ulysses S. Grant destroyed the Ku Klux Klan to protect the lives of the freed former slaves. He did so by regulating and temporarily putting the KKK to an end. He passed various laws and regulations which ended up bringing soldiers into the south to regulate them. President Grant called this the Ku Klux Klan Act in 1871, which stopped a lot of the violence that the Klan was causing. Against strong political opposition, Grant also protected freed slaves. President Grant stood for the absolute protection of the freed black race in the face of Southern Democratic political, social and cultural tyranny. But with the controversial presidential election of 1876 came the “Compromise of 1877," which gave the presidency to the Republican candidate in exchange for the removal of Grant’s federal soldiers from the South along with the return of complete control of the region to the racist Southern Democrats. This end of the Reconstruction period enabled the Klan eventually to rise again and to terrorize and murder African Americans until years later.

The president in office during the time of reconstruction were Andrew Johnson and Ulysses Grant. To evaluate the two presidents we must look at their successes and failures. Johnson's presidency was full of failures from the start. With his vetoing of the Freedman’s Bureau and the Civil Rights Act, he showed he was not planning on an fast and easy reconstruction. The next mistake for Johnson was the 14th amendment, he encouraged southern states to vote against the amendment that would give the African Americans the right to vote. His sympathy and almost support for the South was his downfall in his presidency, he believed that the confederate leaders were being treated too harshly. His president is viewed as a failure, it only hurt the vulnerable country at the time.

Ulysses Grant was next in office and had big plans for his presidency. Grant used his military tactics to make sure the South did not rise against it. Although Grant was a great military leader, he was not president material. His presidency has successes in the protection of blacks, but he was not used to not having to answer to anyone, and thus lead to problems with congress. Not being able to have complete power did not sit well with Grant, and lead to a stand still with congress. His presidency was successful in different areas, in the protection and of African Americans he was very successful because of it was almost a war, but in the political area he failed. Grant had little experience in politics and gave many high positions to friends and family, this corruption is the biggest failure in his presidency. Grant compared to Johnson was a very successful president and was the base of the Union of our country after the war.

In the end, the original idea of the Reconstruction was not fulfilled with Presidents Johnson and Grant. Johnson dug himself and the following presidents a giant hole by vetoing Civil Rights Reconstruction Laws. Due to his failure, our country had to go through a period of segregation.

Reconstruction For Former Slaves

During Reconstruction some former slaves were afraid to leave the plantations they had spent their lives working on. They were afraid because working on those plantations was all they knew how to do. Some were excited to leave their plantations because they wanted to get away from their former slave lives. But all the former slaves shared one feeling and it was nervousness. They were nervous about the world and how they would have to change to live in it. Once the former slaves got more comfortable with their freedoms they started to travel to cities and towns to find jobs and start their new lives. Many former slaves searched for separated family members and loved ones to try and reunite their families. Former slaves also exercised their right to marry their loves legally. All former slaves, young and old, sought education because nearly 80% of former slaves 20 and over could not read or write. Former slaves also began church and volunteer groups to finally start developing their leadership skills after being a follower for all these years.

Former slaves supposedly had more rights after being freed but had no means of making money and nowhere to live. Because of the lack of housing and ability to support themselves, freed slaves often died from disease and starvation. Former slaves usually ended up turning back to plantation work because it was the only job that was widely offered to them. Former slaves, however, did begin educating themselves to aid in creating a better life.

Former slaves gathering after the Civil War as free men.

Slavery was outlawed but Black Codes were enacted in many southern states. Black codes required liberated slaves to provide proof of a job or they could be forced back into plantation work. Lives of former slaves, therefore, hardly improved during the “presidential reconstruction”. They were ridiculed and often beaten in public and were excluded from many of the whites’ opportunities. 

Following the Civil War, most former slaves continued to work on plantations for white land owners. This work, however, was now rewarded with a small wage. Former slaves also now controlled their own personal lives and many women chose to leave filed labor and take care of their families. Families were no longer torn apart by auctions and children were able to attend school and didn’t have to work field labor.

Radical reconstruction in the South caused much debate throughout the nation. Radical reconstruction gave former slave males the right to vote and, if happens, the right to take offices. This new freedom angered many white southerners, causing even greater enmity across the south. Many former slaves were physically abused, often causing serious injury or death, or had their property destroyed by southern whites who disagreed with radical reconstruction. As a result of the abuse, five military districts were placed throughout the south help protect former slaves and their families. This protection, however, was not large enough to protect the many former slaves living in the south.

Article in an 1866 newspaper following the
passage of the Civil Rights Bill

Although former slaves gained freedom following the Civil War, they lacked money, proper education, and opportunity for work. Many former slaves took to the road in search of jobs in Southern towns and cities, while other left in search of loved ones who had been sold and separated from them. With the help of public and private organizations, African-Americans established institutions which aimed to educate the illiterate majority of former slaves and provide job opportunities.


Reconstruction had offered prospects for equality to former slaves, but the eventual collapse of Reconstruction resulted in segregation and discrimination, both socially and politically, for African Americans. Despite these setbacks, reconstruction also resulted in a number of victories for former slaves. Passages of laws such as the Civil Rights Act of 1866 and the Fifteenth Amendment prohibited states from passing Black Codes and granted African-American men the right to vote. Although granted freedom, former slaves still faced discrimination and poverty following Reconstruction.

Southern Response to Reconstruction

Southern Response to Reconstruction

     The reconstruction period that occurred after the end of the Civil War in the US was a turbulent period, to say the least. The whites in the South had an especially hectic and odd experience, as their entire way of life was turned upside down and changed. The basis of the work force in the South was slaves, and after the Civil War had ended, slavery was outlawed. Whites reacted with dismay and denial. Most southern whites attempted to keep their dominance and enacted many laws dividing whites and blacks. Some states even enacted “black codes” ridiculous laws that  practically brought slavery back, just slightly less bad. Some civil rights were granted, such as right the to property but the restrictions kept were still severely harsh.

    The Radical Reconstruction was a period of development for the United States that began the assimilation of blacks into white society. The weakness of Andrew Johnson as president after Lincoln’s death enabled the Radical Republicans to take power and use Congress to remove ex-Confederates from power in politics. One of the methods of resistance for white Southerners to the new freedom of slaves was the formation of the KKK. The KKK stood for the Ku Klux Klan, a group formed because of whites refusing to accept the banning of slavery. The KKK was a violent force that used its violent methods to push for slavery to be re-enacted.

 Carpetbaggers was a term created after the civil war during reconstruction. It referred to northerners who moved to the South primarily for monetary gain. Southerners did not look to these people kindly seeing them as opportunists using the South's suffering for their own gain. The term Scalawags referred to Southerners who supported the reconstruction and the Republican party. Due to the South's heavy resistance to reconstruction, eventually the Union forces withdrew their soldiers in an agreement finally reached with the south. Southern legislature came up with new laws to basically keep slavery alive but under a different name and the KKK ran rampant.

                                                    Works Cited

http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/exhibits/reconstruction/section2/section2_intro.html

http:www.crf-usa.org/brown-v-board-50th-anniversary/southern-black-codes.html

http://www.history.com/this-day-history/kkk-founded

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