The Collapse of Reconstruction and . Settling the West

1. The Collapse of Reconstruction and .Settling the West 1868-1896 Mrs. QuimbyQuincy High School -Juniors-

2. Grant Administration ->Grant had won the Presidency in 1868 • However, Grant believed the president's role was to carry out laws, and leave everything else to Congress ->This meant the Presidency was weak and ineffective ->Eventually, this led to a split in the Republican party.

3. Republicans Split • During Grant’s first term, the Republican-controlled Congress enforced Reconstruction • Congress expanded programs in the South ->The Republicans taxed imports, paid off debts, and started re-building the Southern economy. • Some of these taxes included “sin taxes”, on tobacco and alcohol ->Democrats attacked these policies though. • They said the policies (especially the sin taxes) hurt the poor - who paid most of the sin taxes. ->Democrats argued that wealthy Americans were gaining too much influence in the government.

4. Republicans Split • Some Republicans agreed with the Democrats. ->They were called Liberal Republicans. • These Republicans were concerned that corrupt officials were dominating the Republican Party. • The Liberal Republicans tried to prevent Grant from being nominated for a second term. • When that failed, they left the Republican party, and nominated their own candidate, Horace Greeley. ->In order to get support in the South, the Liberal Republicans said they would pardon all former Confederates. ->As a result, the Democrats joined with the Liberal Republicans and nominated Greeley too.

5. Grant’s Second Term • Even though Greeley had support from the Liberal Republicans and the Democrats, he still lost the election. • Grant was elected for a second term in 1872. ->However, his second term was not perfect - there was a series of scandals that hurt his reputation ->William Belknap:Grant’s secretary of war accepted bribes from merchants in the West. Belknap resigned. ->“Whiskey Ring” Scandal: • The Whiskey Ring was made of government officials and distillers • Distillers make alcohol (whiskey in this case) • They filed false tax reports and cheated the government out of millions of dollars.

6. The Panic of 1873 • During Grant’s second term, there was also a huge economic crisis. ->The Panic of 1873 ->The banking firm Jay Cooke and Co. made a series of bad railroad investments, and declared bankruptcy ->People feared that the economy was collapsing, and so panicked and pulled their money from the banks. ->This made many banks close, and caused the stock market to plummet. • Thousands of businesses were shut down. • Tens of thousands of people were out of work. Connection to Current Events: How is the Panic of 1873 similar to the current recession? How is it different? Answer in your notebooks.

7. Reconstruction Ends • Because of the Panic of 1873, and the scandals during Grant’s second term, the Republicans lost popularity. • Northerners were sick of the struggle to reconstruct the South - they wanted to fix their own economy. -> In the South, Democrats were regaining power. -> Some Democrats wanted to “redeem” the South - to “save” it from “Black Republican” rule. Political Cartoon: This political cartoon is titled “Colored Rule in a Reconstructed? State”. What type of person drew this cartoon?

8. Reconstruction Ends -> Southern Democrats wanted to “redeem” the South, and “save” it from the “Black Republicans”. -> Democrats won back the support of many white southerners (who had briefly supported the Republicans) -> Democrats also resorted to election fraud. • Some would stuff ballot boxes • Others would steal boxes from Republican districts and “lose” them. • Many purposely intimidated and threatened African Americans, to scare them into not voting at all. • By 1876, the Democrats had taken control of almost all Southern state governments. • Only South Carolina, Louisiana, and Florida remained to support the Republicans.

9. The Compromise of 1877 • Republicans decided not to nominate Grant for a 3rd term (at this point, there was no limit on how long a person could be President) -> Instead, Republicans nominated Rutherford B. Hayes of Ohio. • Hayes wanted to end Radical Reconstruction. -> However, there were issues with the election: • On Election Day, Tilden (the Democratic Candidate) won 184 electoral votes. • This was 1 away from a majority • Hayes won 165 • There were 20 votes that were unclear. These 20 would win the election.

10. The Compromise of 1877 -> A special commission was created of 15 people from the House, Senate, and Supreme Court. • There were 8 Republicans and 7 Democrats. • The commission voted along party lines to give the Presidency to Hayes. • However, it needed to be approved bythe House and Senate. • Ultimately, both voted to give the Presidency to Hayes. -> However, Hayes could not have won the election without support from some Southern Democrats. -> Though we don’t know for sure, it’s likely that Hayes made a deal with these Democrats. -> This is called the Compromise of 1877. • After Hayes was elected, Union troops were pulled out of the South, officially ending Reconstruction.

11. What do you think? In at least 5 sentences, explore the following questions: 1. Should Hayes have been elected? 2. Tilden had more Electoral College votes - did he deserve to be President instead? 3. Do you think Hayes made a deal with the Democrats? 4. If he did make the deal, why do you think he did it?

12. What do you think?

13. The “New South” When he was elected, Hayes said he wanted to move beyond Reconstruction and get rid of sectionalism. -> Many Southern leaders called for a “New South” The Civil War had eliminated the old South economy - planter elite, slave workers -> The New South would be based in an industrial economy. -> Southern Industry Railroads spread through the south -> Iron and steel industries grew -> Cotton, tobacco, and other agricultures also became profitable. HOWEVER: This was still the “Old South” for most African Americans. Most of the industry was based in agriculture It was very difficult for African Americans to get jobs that were not in agriculture.

14. Sharecropping Game! Time to play a game! Get in to groups of AT LEAST FOUR. This is your family! Hooray! The game will take half the class, then we will do some notes. But NO HOMEWORK yayyyy!

15. Sharecropping Game – Mini Project Grade You are a sharecropper. You find work at a local plantation. The plantation owner gives you: Land: 80 acres Mule: 1 Wage: $100 signing bonus Salary: 1/2 annual yield (of crops), which you can sell Work contract: You must work for 1 year. In return, you will give the plantation owner A great harvest! The better the harvest, the more money everyone makes. You will get half of whatever you grow! Sound like a deal? Remember… the chances of you finding work anywhere else are very slim.

16. Do Now: Sharecropping But, before you can grown any crops, you need supplies… You can buy the following: Pitchfork and plow - Buy: $50 Rent:$35 Seeds - Buy: $20 Food - Buy: $40/year Grow: $20/year Housing - 2 rooms: $30/year 1 room: $15/year Clothing - New:$15/person Homemade:$10/person Other expenses - $5 In groups of 4, decide what to buy and how to spend your money. Fill out your choices on your sheet. It is okay to spend more money than you have - everyone does it - the plantation owner will loan you the money. Remember, you will get your salary at the end of the year! You can use this to pay back any debt!

17. Results: Sharecropping Year 1 The harvest is in! It’s worth $30! Do you still owe money?Did you break even?Did you make a profit? You owe 1/2 of the harvest for rent. But that still leaves you with $15! But… you still have to pay off your debts from the beginning of the year. If you owe money… you have to work for another year, minimum. You must work until you pay off your debt. Time for another year’s work!

18. Year Two of Sharecropping Remember, before you can grown any crops this year, you might need more supplies… You can buy the following: Pitchfork and plow - Buy: $50 Rent:$35 Repair: $15 You can only “Repair” If you bought it last year. Seeds - Buy: $20 Food - Buy: $40/year Grow: $20/year Housing - 2 rooms: $50/year 1 room: $30/year Clothing - New:$15/person Homemade:$10/person Other expenses - $5 Remember, you have to spend money now to make money later. If you need it, the plantation owner will loan you more money, and this year’s harvest is supposed to be good!

19. Results: Year 3 Sharecropping The harvest is in! But there was a drought. You only made $20… Remember, you owe 1/2 of the harvest for rent. But that still leaves you with $10! Do you still owe money?Did you break even?Did you make a profit? Time to re-pay the landowner, too! Figure out how much money you can re-pay. If you owe money… you have to work for another year, minimum. You must work until you pay off your debt. What do you think?1. Why do you think so many people became sharecroppers?2. Is this a fair system?

20. Year Three of Sharecropping Remember, before you can grown any crops this year, you might need more supplies… You can buy the following. Times are tough for me, so the prices have gone up. I’m sure you understand. Pitchfork and plow - Buy: $60 Rent:$45 Repair: $25 You can only “Repair” If you bought it last year. Seeds - Buy: $30 Food - Buy: $40/year Grow: $20/year Housing - 2 rooms: $50/year 1 room: $30/year Clothing - New:$20/person Homemade:$15/person Other expenses - $10 Remember, you have to spend money now to make money later. If you need it, the plantation owner will loan you more money, and this year’s harvest is supposed to be good!

21. Results: Year 3 Sharecropping The harvest is in! But there was a lot of rain, so much that half the crop didn’t sell. Your total profit is $32… Remember, you owe 1/2 of the harvest for rent. But that still leaves you with $16! Do you still owe money?Did you break even?Did you make a profit? Time to re-pay the landowner, too! Figure out how much money you can re-pay. If you owe money… you have to work for another year, minimum. You must work until you pay off your debt. What do you think?1. Why do you think so many people became sharecroppers?2. Is this a fair system?

22. Year Four of Sharecropping Remember, before you can grown any crops this year, you might need more supplies… You can buy the following. Times are tough for me, so the prices have gone up. I’m sure you understand. Pitchfork and plow - Buy: $70 Rent:$50 Repair: $25 You can only “Repair” If you bought it last year. Seeds - Buy: $35 Food - Buy: $50/year Grow: $30/year Housing - 2 rooms: $100/year 1 room: $50/year Clothing - New:$25/person Homemade:$20/person Other expenses - $15 Remember, you have to spend money now to make money later. If you need it, the plantation owner will loan you more money, and this year’s harvest is supposed to be good!

23. Results: Year 4 Sharecropping The harvest is in! It was a great year! The harvest is worth $100! But…your mule died.  Do you still owe money?Did you break even?Did you make a profit? Remember, you owe 1/2 of the harvest for rent. But that still leaves you with $50! Time to re-pay the landowner, too! Figure out how much money you can re-pay. If you owe money… you have to work for another year, minimum. You must work until you pay off your debt. What do you think?1. Why do you think so many people became sharecroppers?2. Is this a fair system?

24. Year Five of Sharecropping Remember, before you can grown any crops this year, you might need more supplies… You can buy the following. Times are tough for me, so the prices have gone up. I’m sure you understand. A new mule - $100 Pitchfork and plow - Buy: $100 Rent:$50 It was a big harvest last year! Your pitchfork and plow are beyond repair. Seeds - Buy: $50 Food - Buy: $50/year Grow: $30/year Housing - 2 rooms: $100/year 1 room: $50/year Clothing - New:$25/person Homemade:$20/person Other expenses - $20 Remember, you have to spend money now to make money later. If you need it, the plantation owner will loan you more money, and this year’s harvest is supposed to be good!

25. Results: Year 5 Sharecropping The harvest is in! It was another great year! The harvest is worth $50! But one of you got very sick, and I had to pay for the doctor for you. It went beyond your “other expenses” allowance. You owe me $100 for that alone. Do you still owe money?Did you break even?Did you make a profit? Remember, you owe 1/2 of the harvest for rent. So that means your profit is $-75. What do you think?1. Why do you think so many people became sharecroppers?2. Is this a fair system? If you owe money… you have to work for another year, minimum. You must work until you pay off your debt.

26. Sharecropping The collapse of Reconstruction hurt many African Americans. It ended hopes of them owning their own land. Systems like the Freedmen’s Bureau had collapsed Instead, many African Americans had to return to plantations. Many became sharecroppers. -> Sharecroppers were (usually African-American) farmers who rented land from white plantation owners. -> The sharecroppers would give a share of their crops to the landlord in order to use the land. Sometimes this was more than 1/2 of the crops produced.

27. Sharecropping Many African Americans had to return to the farms and became sharecroppers. -> Sharecroppers did not pay their rent in cash – instead, they gave half of their crops to their plantation owners. This usually covered the cost of seed, fertilizer, any animals they needed, and other supplies, as well as the yearly rent. However, many sharecroppers needed more seed or supplies than their landlords could provide. -> The sharecroppers went to local suppliers called furnishing merchants. -> Furnishing merchants would loan supplies to the sharecroppers – but with interest rates as high as 40%. -> To make sure sharecroppers paid their debts, the merchants borrowed crop liens. This meant that the sharecroppers would have to pay their debt from their crops.

28. Sharecropping Sharecropping was not a fair system. However, many sharecroppers became trapped on their land. Between the crop lien system and the high interest rates for borrowed supplies, many sharecroppers could not afford to leave the farms they worked. -> This was called debt peonage. -> Debt peonage trapped sharecroppers on the land because they could never make enough money to pay off their debts and leave. -> Failure to pay off these debts could lead to imprisonment (jail) or forced labor (working for free under harsh conditions). -> This meant that, though they were technically free, many African Americans were stuck in an unfair system.

29. Mining When settlers moved west they found more than land. -> Many people started finding deposits of gold, silver, and other minerals. -> News of a mineral strike in an area would cause thousands of people to move to the town. Many people hoped to strike it rich. -> Early prospectors (people looking for gold/silver etc.) practiced placer mining and used simple tools like picks, shovels, and pans. After these surface deposits got smaller, corporations would move in. -> The corporations would begin quartz mining which dug deep beneath the surface.

30. Ghost Towns -> Prospectors would rush to an area that had gold/silver and a town could spring up practically overnight. People living in the area needed food, supplies, places to live, etc. -> However, once the minerals were harder to mine, an entire town could also empty. People would have no reason to stay, and would abandon the town. Even today there are still “ghost towns” in the American West, abandoned by prospectors and their families who moved on to a different area.

31. Ranching and Cattle Drives While many Americans moved west to search for gold, some began building cattle ranches in the West, on the Great Plains. -> In the early 1800s, many did not think that cattle ranches were practical. -> However, a new breed of cow from Texas made it more reasonable. This was the Texas Longhorn. -> The cattle industry grew because of the open range – a vast area of grassland owned by the U.S. government. The open range covered most of the Great Plains. This gave ranchers free land to use for their cattle.

32. Ranching and Cattle Drives Mexican ranchers had introduced cattle ranching in New Mexico, California, and Texas before these areas were added to the U.S. These Mexican ranchers developed the tools and techniques for rounding up and driving cattle. -> Ultimately, American cowboys learned how to herd cattle from the Mexican ranchers. The words “lariat”, “lasso” and “stampede” all come from Spanish – taught to cowboys by the Mexican ranchers.

33. Ranching and Cattle Drives Before the Civil War, beef prices were low. There was no need to round up the longhorns in the Southwest. It was not practical. -> However, during the Civil War, most of the cows in the Union and Confederacy had been killed to feed the armies. Beef became very expensive. It would be good, financially, to be able to move cows from the West into the East. -> Also, by the 1860s, railroads had reached the Great Plains. Lines ended in Kansas and Missouri. -> Ranchers realized that if the longhorns were rounded up and driven north (several hundred miles) to the railroad, they could be sold for a huge profit.

34. Ranching and Cattle Drives In 1866, ranchers rounded up cattle in Texas and drove 260,000 of them to Missouri. Although only a small fraction of the cows survived the trip, the drive was a huge success – it made a lot of money! -> This long drive – from Texas to the railroads – proved that cattle could be driven north and sold for 10 times the price that they would be sold for in Texas. More routes East began opening. These long drives could be very profitable for the cowboys and ranchers!

35. Ranching and Cattle Drives A long drive began with the “spring roundup”. Ranchers would hire cowboys to round up the herds from the open range. Cows belonging to many different owners made up each herd – they could be identified by brands. -> Stray calves that had been born were called mavericks, and in the spring these were divided and branded. The combined herds moving along the trail couldbe anywhere from 2,000 to 5,000 cattle. -> They were driven East by cowboys.

36. Cowboys Cowboys worked for the ranchers. It was a cowboy’s job to round up the cattle and drive them east to the train. -> Who became cowboys? -> Former Confederate soldiers who were trying to escape the Reconstruction era South -> Former slaves who were looking for jobs that were not based in farming Cowboy life… Cowboy life was hard – it demanded discipline, endurance and courage. However, you could make a lot of money as a cowboy. -> Also, many cowboys exaggerated their own stories – leading to cowboys becoming heroes of dime novels and early movies.

37. End of the Cowboys Eventually, ranchers started competing for access to the Great Plains. This led to range wars - battles that broke out to compete for access to the plains land. This led to ranchers fencing off land, usually using barbed wire. Although this made it easier to keep track of the cattle, and helped divide land amongst the ranchers, this put an end to the long drive. Also, investors from overseas and the East Coast poured money into the cattle industry, which caused an oversupply of animals, and flooded the market. Weather in the plains also became an issue - it no longer made sense to keep cattle free on the range.

38. Homework: Take the role of a cowboy on the Open Range. Write a letter to a loved one describing your day, why you became a cowboy, and some of the tasks you are required to do. You must use at least 3 (ccp) or 5 (honors) of the following vocab terms somewhere in the letter: - Lasso - Stampede - Long drive - Open range - Longhorn - Range wars - Ranchero - Maverick Standard: At least 2 paragraphs Honors: At least 3 paragraphs

39. Farming the Plains Many people thought that the Great Plains were a desert - there is very little rainfall there (less than 20” a year). -> The Plains were home to buffalo and Native American groups who hunted them. White American settlers began moving West when railroads spread to the areas. This settlement of the Great Plains was supported by the government.

40. Farming the Plains -> The government passed the Homestead Act. -> For a $10 registration fee,you could file for a homestead. -> A homestead was a tract of public land that was available for settlement. A homesteader could claim up to 160 acres of land. After living there for 5 years, a homesteader would own the land. With property rights secured, people were more likely to move to the Plains.

41. Farming the Plains Living on the Plains was not easy. There were very few trees and little water. The first homes were made of dirt and grass. Summer temperatures could rise past 100 degrees, but in winter there were severe blizzards. Prarie fires were common and spread quickly. Sometimes, swarms of grasshoppers swept over farms and destroyed the crops. Despite this, people stuck it out and lived on the plains.

42. Quiz Time You have this period to complete your review quiz! You MAY use your notes! You may not use phones or headphones. New unit (Age of Industry) begins tomorrow!