Reconstruction

1. Reconstruction Congress Takes Control p. 373 - 379

2. Juneteenth • Because of distance and the war, many African Americans did not immediately learn about the Emancipation Proclamation. • On June 19, 1865, General Gordon Granger and 1,800 Union troops landed at Galveston and issued the proclamation. • For enslaved Texans, June 19, 1865, was the day they celebrated their freedom. • This day of celebration became known as Juneteenth.

3. Reconstruction • The end of the Civil War was followed by a period in which the Southern states were gradually brought back into the Union. • This period of rebuilding is called Reconstruction.

4. Lincoln and Johnson Plan • Lincoln offered amnesty – a pardon – to all white Southerners, except Confederate leaders, who were willing to swear loyalty to the Union. • “With malice (hatred) toward none, with charity for all…let us strive onto…bind up the nation’s wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle and… to do all which may achieve…lasting peace among ourselves” • On April 14, 1865 Lincoln was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth and Vice President Andrew Johnson became president. • Johnson’s plan was similar to Lincoln’s but was not accepted by Radical Republican’s who believed the plan was too easy on the South.

5. Texas Elects Ex-Confederates to Office • Southerners elected many former Confederate officials and soldiers to top state government posts. • Now walking the halls of Congress were the leaders who had encouraged the people to secede from the Union – an act of treason to many Northerners. • The Texas legislature refused to ratify, or approve, the 13th (end slavery) and 14th amendment (give citizenship to freed slaves) to the Constitution.

6. Black Codes (Jim Crow Laws) • Southern governments restricted the rights of African Americans through black codes, laws limiting the rights of African Americans. • African Americans were not allowed to vote, testify in court against whites, nor serve on juries. • If African Americans did not have a home or job, the laws forced them to work for plantation owners. • One of the tragic aspects of slavery was the separation of family members; unfortunately, many searches were unsuccessful. Orphaned children became “apprentices” on farms. • Sharecropping – system of farming where farmers work land for an owner and share the profit of the crops.

7. Radical Republicans Take Charge • Radical Republicans disagreed with President Johnson's plan for Reconstruction and drew up their own plan. • The Radical Republicans pushed for several goals in their plan: • Set stricter standards for admitting the Southern states back into the Union • Protect the freedom of African Americans in the South. • The Radical Republicans gained control of both the House and Senate and now had the power to override any presidential veto. They launched their own ideas for Reconstruction.

8. Radical Republicans Take Charge • President Johnson refused to give up and fought against the Radical program. • In 1868, the House of Representatives voted to impeach Johnson by bringing charges of misconduct in office, but failed by one vote to convict him. • Johnson served the rest of his term, but he lost most of his influence.

9. New Requirements for Statehood • The military would rule districts in the South until the states met certain requirements. • Among these requirements were: • To adoption a new state constitutions that gave African American men the right to hold office. • The states had to ratify (accept) the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. • To ratify the 15th amendment, which guaranteed African American men the right to vote. • States also had to repeal the black codes. • Many voters had to take what became known as the Ironclad Oath, saying they had not voluntarily served in the Confederate army or given aid to the Confederacy, which kept thousands of Southerners from voting.