Week 20 Reconstruction Part 1

Reconstruction

Rebuilding after the Civil War

Part 1

Multiple Choice

After which event was the Reconstruction period?

• World War II

• The Gulf War

• The Civil War

Multiple Choice

Which statement best summarizes the effects of Reconstruction?

• Reconstruction was a failure

• Reconstruction resulted in jobs for slaves

• Reconstruction was a success

Multiple Choice

Which of the following did NOT occur during Reconstruction?

• Black codes - rules that promoted segregation (separation of races) were enforced

• Equal rights were given to ALL people in the North AND the South

• Politicians (leaders in government) disagreed on what to do next

​On April 9th, the Confederate Army surrendered and the Civil War came to an end. A southerner named John Wilkes Booth was angry about the outcome of the war so he shot and killed President Lincoln. The new president, Andrew Johnson, was facing a dilemma. Following Abraham Lincoln as president was intimidating. The Civil War was over. The government had to reunite as one nation. What would the southern states have to do to return to Congress?

The destruction of the land and people in the southern states was extensive. How could the government help ease the impact of the destruction?

There were newly emancipated African Americans who deserved a place in society. How could the government support and assist in giving African Americans a life of equality beyond enslavement?

There were also former soldiers and leaders of the Confederacy who had been defeated. Should they be punished or pardoned?

As president, Johnson’s actions would lead the nation in the reconstruction of the South and building the future.

The constitutions of each southern state that had seceded had to be rewritten to take out slavery. The revised constitutions had to recognize the newly emancipated citizens who were eligible to vote. African Americans were now to be included in each state’s government. However, no state constitutional convention was required to include African Americans in the process of writing a new state constitution.

Prior to the Civil War, the southern states had an economy based on agriculture. An agriculture economy is based on the planting, harvesting, and selling of harvested crops. After the war, there were miles of plantation land that had been ruined. The plantation owners had no money to buy seeds for planting. The greatest reality the South struggled with was the absence of forced labor. Enslaved people had planted and cared for the crops without pay. That form of exploitation was no more.

​Another critical factor in the rebuilding of the nation after the war was managing the tensions among social beliefs. War and laws cannot change a person’s beliefs. It is up to each individual to change their beliefs. The beliefs held by the southern people was what caused them to secede. They believed that African Americans were meant to be enslaved. They believed African Americans were not equal to any of the enslavers or other people of the community. Sadly, that belief was still held by many people in 1865, no matter their location.

African Americans in the south embraced their new circumstances. Many African Americans came forward to be leaders. The majority of the emancipated people had been denied an education. They could not read or write. This made building a new life as a citizen extremely difficult. They also had few to no tools or possessions. Everything belonged to the plantation owners. Their status had changed, but the living conditions for many African Americans were very much the same.

The former Confederate leaders were required to sign an oath of allegiance to the United States. Only President Jefferson Davis was held in prison. No charges of treason were brought against any Confederate soldiers or sailors. This decision was to help the country heal and not punish those who had participated in the war.

President Johnson pardoned the high-ranking Confederate officers who personally wrote letters asking for a pardon. Johnson came up with a plan to let the South rebuild itself. The southern governments would determine voting rights and laws for the state. The presidential plan was not supportive in enforcing equality for African Americans.

Congress had many views on accepting the rebellious states back into the government. In late 1866, the majority of members in Congress were from the Republican party. One group became known as the “Radical Republicans” for their aggressive reforms for the South. The passing of the Reconstruction Act of 1867 enforced participation by African Americans in the southern government. This act also divided the regions of the South into five military districts. The military would be a physical presence in southern communities for the next 12 years

Multiple Choice

What did Andrew Johnson lead the nation to do when he was president?

• Punishing the rebels

• Reconstruction (rebuilding) of the South

• Educating African Americans

Multiple Choice

What was each state returning to the Union required to do?

• Write a new Constitution

• Pay back taxes

• Give plantation land away

Multiple Choice

The Reconstruction Act of 1867 required states to allow African Americans to participate in government. What else did it do?

• Made the state governments pay taxes

• Gave newly emancipated (freed) people land

• Divide the South into military regions