After the Civil War ended in 1865, The United States needed to rebuild, particularly in the devastated southern states. The period following the Civil War in which this rebuilding took place is referred to as Reconstruction. It lasted from 1865 to 1877. It was a time of great pain and endless questions. On what terms would the Confederacy of southern states be allowed back into the Union? Who would establish those terms: Congress or the President? How would freed blacks be treated in the South? Did the end of slavery mean that black men would now enjoy the same status as white men? What was to be done with the Confederate leaders, who were seen as traitors by many in the North?
The way of life for African-Americans, though, was bound to change. Congress approved three amendments to the Constitution that changed African-American rights. The Thirteenth Amendment formally abolished slavery in all states and territories. The Fourteenth Amendment promised all men, including African-American men, equal protection under the law. And finally, the Fifteenth Amendment gave African-American men the right to vote. For a southern state to be readmitted to the Union, it had to ratify, or approve, these new amendments. Although they were positive steps towards racial equality, they proved difficult to enforce.
In the end, the president chose how to organize Reconstruction. After President Lincoln was assassinated, his successor President Andrew Johnson decided not to punish the South harshly. During the Civil War, Johnson remained loyal to the Union, even though his home state of Tennessee was one of the states that seceded from the Union. As president, Johnson provided pardons to most Confederate leaders, many of who returned to power. And while he outlined steps to create new state governments, he allowed each state to decide how it would treat its black citizens. Many southern states adopted Black Codes of law that sought to maintain white power. The North was furious. Recently freed African-Americans found the postwar South very similar to the prewar South.
President Johnson faced strong opposition in Congress. In the 1866 Congressional Elections, a group known as the Radical Republicans came to power. They wanted to punish the South and take power from the long-ruling white Southern Democrats. The Radical Republicans passed the Military Reconstruction Acts of 1867 to do so. They divided the South into five military districts with new governments. They also forced southern whites to allow blacks to vote, hold political office, and serve as judges or police chiefs. This power shift angered many Southerners.
President Johnson vetoed all of the Radical Republican initiatives, but Congress overrode him each time. It was the Radical Republicans who impeached President Johnson in 1868. The Senate, by a single vote, failed to convict him, but his power to create radical reform was reduced.
When Ulysses S. Grant became president in 1868, he failed as well to oversee lasting reform. Grant was a revered and decorated Union general during the Civil War, yet turned out to be less effective as a politician. From 1869 to 1876, the Republican President Grant faced multiple scandals and corruption that allowed Democrats to gain seats and power in Congress.
In the 1876 election, Democratic nominee Samuel J. Tilden won the popular vote over Republican nominee Rutherford B. Hayes. However, Tilden was one vote short of the majority needed to win the Electoral College, and 20 electoral votes were disputed. A special electoral commission, or official group, established in 1877 decided in favor of Hayes, but Democrats resisted the decision. Finally, through informal meetings, Democrats and Republicans agreed to the Compromise of 1877. The compromise stated that if Hayes were elected, he would withdraw federal troops from the South, effectively ending Reconstruction. Democrats gave the election to Hayes, knowing that the end of Reconstruction governments would allow them to return to power in the South.
In 1877, Union Troops withdrew from the South. Without their support, Reconstruction state governments fell, Democrats retook positions in local governments, and southern whites renewed their efforts to strip African-Americans of their rights. It would take another century before the Civil Rights Movement made meaningful racial change in the South.
FOUNDING THE RECONSTRUCTION ERA
The military conflict was over. But in many ways, Reconstruction was still a war. Many radical Northerners wanted to punish the South. Many Southerners were desperate to preserve their way of life.The way of life for African-Americans, though, was bound to change. Congress approved three amendments to the Constitution that changed African-American rights. The Thirteenth Amendment formally abolished slavery in all states and territories. The Fourteenth Amendment promised all men, including African-American men, equal protection under the law. And finally, the Fifteenth Amendment gave African-American men the right to vote. For a southern state to be readmitted to the Union, it had to ratify, or approve, these new amendments. Although they were positive steps towards racial equality, they proved difficult to enforce.
In the end, the president chose how to organize Reconstruction. After President Lincoln was assassinated, his successor President Andrew Johnson decided not to punish the South harshly. During the Civil War, Johnson remained loyal to the Union, even though his home state of Tennessee was one of the states that seceded from the Union. As president, Johnson provided pardons to most Confederate leaders, many of who returned to power. And while he outlined steps to create new state governments, he allowed each state to decide how it would treat its black citizens. Many southern states adopted Black Codes of law that sought to maintain white power. The North was furious. Recently freed African-Americans found the postwar South very similar to the prewar South.
President Johnson faced strong opposition in Congress. In the 1866 Congressional Elections, a group known as the Radical Republicans came to power. They wanted to punish the South and take power from the long-ruling white Southern Democrats. The Radical Republicans passed the Military Reconstruction Acts of 1867 to do so. They divided the South into five military districts with new governments. They also forced southern whites to allow blacks to vote, hold political office, and serve as judges or police chiefs. This power shift angered many Southerners.
President Johnson vetoed all of the Radical Republican initiatives, but Congress overrode him each time. It was the Radical Republicans who impeached President Johnson in 1868. The Senate, by a single vote, failed to convict him, but his power to create radical reform was reduced.
THE END OF RECONSTRUCTION
Many Southern whites could not accept the idea that former slaves could not only vote, but also hold office. Their anger created the white supremacist Ku Klux Klan. The Klan targeted Republican leaders and blacks trying to exercise their new rights. The Klan would beat, lynch, or massacre their enemies. Targets of the attacks looked to the federal government for protection, with few results. Entire armed militias of citizens formed in the South dedicated to fighting Republican intervention and suppressing black voters.When Ulysses S. Grant became president in 1868, he failed as well to oversee lasting reform. Grant was a revered and decorated Union general during the Civil War, yet turned out to be less effective as a politician. From 1869 to 1876, the Republican President Grant faced multiple scandals and corruption that allowed Democrats to gain seats and power in Congress.
In the 1876 election, Democratic nominee Samuel J. Tilden won the popular vote over Republican nominee Rutherford B. Hayes. However, Tilden was one vote short of the majority needed to win the Electoral College, and 20 electoral votes were disputed. A special electoral commission, or official group, established in 1877 decided in favor of Hayes, but Democrats resisted the decision. Finally, through informal meetings, Democrats and Republicans agreed to the Compromise of 1877. The compromise stated that if Hayes were elected, he would withdraw federal troops from the South, effectively ending Reconstruction. Democrats gave the election to Hayes, knowing that the end of Reconstruction governments would allow them to return to power in the South.
In 1877, Union Troops withdrew from the South. Without their support, Reconstruction state governments fell, Democrats retook positions in local governments, and southern whites renewed their efforts to strip African-Americans of their rights. It would take another century before the Civil Rights Movement made meaningful racial change in the South.
