Rebuilding the Southern Economy After the Civil War: Challenges and Solutions

1. Reconstruction U.S. after the Civil War

2. How Will the Southern Economy Be Rebuilt? Prior Knowledge • The Civil War devastated the South’s economy. • The Union army had destroyed nearly everything. • One fourth of southern white men between the ages of 20 and 40 had died in the war. • 4 million newly freed African Americans were homeless or unemployed. • General Sherman proposed that millions of acres abandoned by planters, or confiscated by the federal government, should be given to former slaves. • Southern landowners rejected the idea that the government could simply give away their land, a violation the Constitution.

3. Key Terms-Prior Knowledge • Reconstruction-the time after the U.S. Civil War where the federal government tried to rebuild the South (buildings, farmland, government, etc.) • Republicans- party that was mostly in the North and wanted black equality • Democrats-party that was mostly in the South and opposed black equality

4. Reconstruction • 3 forces fought to control the Reconstruction efforts: • Radical Republicans • Southern Democrats • The President Charles Sumner is back!!!

5. Lincoln’s Plan for Reconstruction • Wanted to let the South down easy • Vetoed early efforts to punish the South (Wade-Davis Bill) • Assassinated before the Reconstruction began (bad for South given his compassion)

6. Andrew Johnson • Became President after Lincoln was assassinated. • Former Democrat and resident of Tennessee (and a slave owner!). • Recruited as Lincoln’s VP in 1864 to gain southern support

7. Radical Republicans • Controlled Congress after the Civil War. • Led by Charles Sumner (Senate) and Thaddeus Stephens (House), the Republicans sought to promote black rights and punish the South for its rebelliousness. • Carpetbaggers-Republican businessmen who went to the South to rebuild (some took advantage of those in need). • What was the difference between Lincolns plan and the Radical Republicans? • The difference between Lincolns plan and the Radical Republicans was________________________________________________-. Thaddeus Stevens…nice guy…

8. Republican Support for Black Rights • Freedman’s Bureau-an organization set up to give clothing, food and education to newly freed blacks. • Civil Rights Act-granted citizenship to blacks and forbade discrimination. • Andrew Johnson, previously a Democrat, vetoed both laws, but was overruled. • Was the Freedman’s Bureau and the Civil Rights Act a good effect of Reconstruction? The Freedmen’s Bureau and the Civil Rights Act were/were not a good effect of Reconstruction because________________________________________________.

9. Relevance • What are some results of Reconstruction we can still see today? • A result of reconstruction we can still see today is ________________.

10. Closure • Summarize what you learned today. • Today I learned _________________________________________________________.

11. Objective • Students will be able to evaluate the effects of Reconstruction.

12. Prior Knowledge • A teacher is late to a staff meeting. • Is this a positive or negative thing? • This is a positive/negative thing because_________________________________. • A student is late for class. • Is this a good or bad thing? • This is a positive/negative thing because_______________________. • Students you have just proven that you can evaluate. Today you are going to be using that skill to determine whether the effects of the Reconstruction were positive or negative.

13. Freedman’s Bureau

14. Legal Protections for Blacks… • 13th Amendment-slavery is abolished • 14th Amendment-blacks are given citizenship rights (overrules the Supreme Court decision in the Dred Scott case) • 15th Amendment-gave voting rights to blacks • Are the Reconstruction Acts a good Effect of Reconstruction? • They were/were not a positive effect of Reconstruction because_____________________________________________.

15. Black Job Opportunities • Sharecropping-Blacks do not have any tools, most blacks worked on a white’s land, using his tools, and gave most of the crop to the owner • Common for blacks • Provided very little opportunity to get ahead • Tenant Farming-a farm worker provides his own tools and supplies, but pays rent to use land • Are either of these positive effects of Reconstruction.Why? • These are positive/negative effects of reconstruction because___________________________________.

16. Republicans unite to oppose Johnson… • Republicans were upset that Johnson opposed their Reconstruction efforts, Republicans passed laws to limit his authority. • Tenure of Office Act (1867)-President may not fire any U.S. officials he did not appoint (all his staff was appointed by Lincoln) • Command of Army Act (1867)-President can’t order military action without the consent of his leading general (this law kept the President from removing troops from the South)

17. Johnson is impeached… • Impeached after firing his Secretary of War Edwin Stanton (among others) • First President impeached in history (but never convicted)

18. Southern Whites • Established a legal system of discrimination (“de jure”-by law) • Believed in “Social Darwinism” (that only the strong in society deserve rights) • Why would whites want Social Darwinism? • Whites would want Social Darwinism because_________________________. • Do you believe in Social Darwinism?Why? • I Do/Do Not believe in social darwinism because______________________________________________.

19. Black Codes or Jim Crow Laws • Laws discriminating against blacks, though they said nothing of race. • Literacy test • Poll tax • Property Requirement • Grandfather Clause • Disenfranchisement = attempting to limit or remove a blacks rights (voting) • Was this a good or bad effect of the Reconstruction? Why? • This was a good/bad effect of the Reconstruction because_________________________.

20. State of Louisiana Literacy TestOne wrong answer denotes failure of the test. (10 min) • Draw a line around the number or letter of this sentence. • Draw a line under the last word in this line. • Cross out the longest word in this line. • Draw a line around the shortest word in this line. • Circle the first letter of the alphabet in this line. • In the space below draw three circles, one inside the other. • Above the letter X make a small cross. • Draw a line through the letter below that comes earliest in the alphabet. ZVSEDGMKYTPHC • Draw a line through the letter below that comes last in the alphabet. ZVSEDGMKYTPHC • In the space below write the word noise backwards and place a dot over what would be its second letter should it have been written forward. • Give your age in days.

21. Rise of the KKK • Founded by Nathan Bedford Forest in 1865 in Pulaski, TN • Originally founded to protect white property, but spread to include harassment and violence against blacks and black sympathizers. • KKK fades away once the military is withdrawn from the South (because they no longer need to operate in secret)l • Was this a good or bad effect of the Reconstruction? • It was a good/bad effect of Reconstruction because___________________________.

23. Relevance • Which effects do we still see today? • The effects that we still see today are_______________________________________________________________________.

24. Closure • Summarize what you learned today. • Today I learned________________________________________________________________________.

25. Objective • Students will be able to evaluate the effects of Reconstruction.

26. Prior Knowledge • A teacher is late to a staff meeting. • Is this a positive or negative thing? • This is a positive/negative thing because_________________________________. • A student is late for class. • Is this a good or bad thing? • This is a positive/negative thing because_______________________. • Students you have just proven that you can evaluate. Today you are going to be using that skill to determine whether the effects of the Reconstruction were positive or negative.

27. The Fifteenth Amendment • Ulysses S. Grant is elected president in 1868. • Radical Republicans pass the Fifteenth Amendment guarantees African Americans the right to vote. • States could still require literacy or property qualifications to vote. • Was this a good or bad effect of the Reconstruction. • The Fifteenth amendment was a positive/negative effect because________________________.

28. Republican Governments Bring Change • African Americans Use Political Power • Served as school superintendents, sheriffs, mayors, coroners, police chiefs, and representatives in state legislatures. • Six as lieutenant governors. • Two as Speakers of the House in Mississippi and South Carolina • Between 1870 and 1877, two African American senators and fourteen African American congressmen served in the United States Congress • Hiram Revels first African-American senator. • Was African-Americans holding political office a good or bad effect of Reconstruction? Why? • African-Americans holding office was a positive/negative effect of Reconstruction because____________________________________________________________.

29. Freed People Build New Communities • Work and Family • Marriages became legal and African Americans could chose where they lived. • Some flocked to the cities seeking opportunity. Most had to settle what they had under slavery.

30. B. Schools and Churches • Independent schools taught the basics: reading, writing, and math, health and nutrition, or how to look for a job. • Black churches encouraged education. • Many African American politicians began as ministers. • Was this a positive effect of Reconstruction? Ex-slave education was a positive/negative effect of Reconstruction because______________________________________________.

31. The Nation Considers Other Matters • Scandals in Grant’s Administration and bank failures weaken the Republican Party. • Vice President, Schuyler Colfax, was investigated and implicated in a scheme to steal profits from the Union Pacific Railroad. • Grant seemed to look the other way when scandal was revealed.

32. Panic of 1873 • One of the nation’s most influential banks failed, apparently as a result of overextended loans to the expanding railroad industry. • This resulted in bank failures all over the nation, job losses, and uncertainty in the economy to northerners. • Was this a good or bad effect of Reconstruction?Why? • The Panic of 1873 was a positive/negative effect of Reconstruction because____________________________________________.

33. The Collapse of Reconstruction • Northern Support Evaporates • 1871, Federal troops were beginning to withdraw from the South. • 1872, the Freedmen’s Bureau was dissolved • 1874, Radical Republican leader Charles Sumner died.

34. Effects of Reconstruction • African Americans: • A few southern blacks owned their farm. • Reunited with their families • Literacy increased • Provided hope for all African Americans. • Women • Were not given the right to vote, although a major part of the abolition movement. • American Woman Suffrage Association – worked for voting rights • Wyoming Territory gives women the right to vote in 1869 • Were these good or bad effects?Why • These were positive/negative effects because__________________________________________________________.

35. State and National Politics • Republicans are shunned in the South by whites, embraced by African Americans and would became the party of Big Business. • Democrats would dominate the South and be identified with laborers. • State and Federal Power • Voters wanted a balance of power between the two. • Most in Congress felt that the South should be left alone to govern without Federal interference. • Were these positive/negative effects?Why? • These were positive/negative effects because_________________________________________________.

36. Objective • Students will be able to evaluate the effects of Reconstruction.

37. Prior Knowledge • Intro Sentence • Quote • Explain Quote • Concluding Sentence • Today you will be using this format in order to write an essay.

38. Skill • In paragraph evaluate whether Reconstruction was overall a positive or a negative event based on effects. Use three effects to use as examples of your viewpoint.

39. I Do • The effects of the Reconstruction were beneficial overall. First, According to the notes, “Radical Republicans pass the Fifteenth Amendment guarantees African Americans the right to vote.” Even though states could still require literacy tests slaves now had the right to vote. This gives slaves a voice in politics and allows them to choose representatives that protect their interests. Second, according to the notes, “Black churches encouraged education.” Ex-slaves were looking to educate themselves to improve their lives. Education to slaves was previously unavailable and now they were free to educate themselves. Third, according to the notes, “Served as school superintendents, sheriffs, mayors, coroners, police chiefs, and representatives in state legislatures.” Ex-slaves were receiving occupation in influential roles in the community. Even though they did not have an education to start off with Ex-slaves were beginning to get jobs that not only affected their lives politically but socially as well.

40. We do • As a group choose the three effects you will use and whether the Reconstruction was positive or negative.