Reconstruction

Guelzo - Ph. D U of Penn (1986)

Lincoln Scholar Won the Lincoln award 3-times

Intro
Lincoln - secession constitutionally impossible - reconstruction should be an executive
branch issue, not a constitutional issue
Saw Confederate states in rebellion, not its own country
Legislative - wanted to do the whole process again for “new” states
Fighting over who controls reconstruction

Lincoln - a pragmatist, wanted easy terms, 10% rule, appointed Andrew Johnson
Jan 1st, 1863 Emancipation Proclamation - slavery will be abolished in rebelling states,
said in a way to not anger the border states and cause them to leave too
Changed from ending union to ending slavery
Radical Republicans - believe in equality, heavily against confederation

Andrew Johnson - democrat from Tennessee, former slave owner, promised to be

slave’s Moses-Hated Slaveocracy
May Proclamations - claims they are Lincoln’s easy terms, restores rights to former
rebels-including votes, restores property to “legal” owners, $20,000 rule disenfranchise
the wealthy-have to request readmittance from Johnson
Plans to “restore” Southern states, no role for Congress, no rights for former slaves
Asserting that the Executive branch takes over reconstruction

Field order no 14 - you have been on this land, owners are now gone, each gets 40
acres and a mule based on family size

reconstruction- easy, physical rebuilding

Reconstruction - construction of the entire political, and social world

New southern governments

Plan: more yeomen, pro-union farmers, actual many former rebels
black codes- restore slavery in all but name, state and local laws made to basically
recreate slavery
not what Johnson wanted, but willing to accept to move reconstruction along-though
public thought that too

Radical Repubs - horrified by outcome, sets up a conflict between exec/legis branches

Chap 2
Radical Repubs - a minority of Republican majority
- Senate 37 reps, 11 Dems; House 132 reps 59 dems
Actions
- Block Southern delegates
- Extend Freedman’s Bureau for another year
Adjudicate disputes; negotiate contracts; distribute confiscated land;
provide social welfare; enforce order
- Civil Rights Bill-to protect the rights of freedmen

Johnson’s Response - Vetoes bills

- Sets up conflict between Exec and Legis Branches
- Who Controls Reconstruction-Presidential Reconstruction

How to Resolve? - 1866 election

- Johnson supports those who wish for quick Reconstruction - against his own
party, “Swing around the circle” - vote for these people, they will work with me
- Incumbents - Oppose Johnson - Harsher terms
- In the South - white riots against Freedmen

1866 Election
- Johnson’s picks lose
- Congress overrides vetoes

Congressional/ Radical Reconstruction

- Reconstruction Act of 1867
- South split into 5 military occupation districts
- Disenfranchise ex-rebels (5 years)
- Voting rights for Freedman

A new South
- Blacks voting-some places a majority - vote republican
- Blacks as mayors, sheriffs, serve on juries

What do Freedmen want?

- Their own land - hard to get
- —- no money-poorly paid jobs-not much around
- —- no credit-won’t extend-few banks
- —- whites won’t sell
Sharecropping/Crop Lien/Tenancy
- A system of production in a cash-poor society
- Not planned, developed
- Ultimately a disaster for blacks and poor whites
Planters- landowners
Sharecroppers - people working

Land as a source of wealth

Congress remains at odds with President

Johnson’s Impeachment - failed by one vote
Johnson wanted to remove cabinet members but Congress put laws to protect

Chap 4-5
Grant- Wins election 1868
- Vows to continue Reconstruction
- Republican Party in the South
- –Freedman, “carpetbaggers”-northern repubs that move south, “scalawags”-
white southerners that vote repub

Republican Government
- Social welfare spending
- –Public schools, public health, government
- –Requires taxes-especially on landowners

- South must pass the 14th amendment/rewrite state constitutions

- A new southern economy -modern, industrial, rr

- –Engender Republican loyalty

Landowner Advantages
- Labor cheap
- Product-valuable
- “Company store”
Wage slavery
Southern Resistance
- The Klan - terrorized freedmen and republicans, enforced “conventions”
Grant Responds-Anti-Klan Laws (1870-71)
- Federalize crimes
- – Federal prosecutors, judges, juries
- Success in cracking down
- What does it mean for the future?

The Courts
- Reconstruction as a constitutional debate
- – Leg vs Exec
- Legislature expands Constitution to protect
- – 13th, 14th, 15th amendments
- Court narrows federal legislations-limits powers
- – Slaughterhouse and Cruikshank
- —- Federal legislation only applies to people in official capacity

Corruption
- Undermines Grant administration
- Undermines Reconstruction
- – Supporters-North/west
- – Leadership in South

Economic Panic of 1873 - Collapse of railroad bond market

- Impact on Economy - Railroad outside role
- Impact of Politics - Republicans take the blame
- – 1874 election results - House 114 Rep majority to 61 dem minority
- Implications for Reconstruction?

1876 Election-Tilden-Dem-(wins popular vote)-Hayes-Rep

- Disputed electoral returns(20 districts)
- –No electoral vote winner- Tilden 1 short of the majority
- Special Electoral Commission
- – 5 House; 5 Senate; 5 Supreme Court
- – Rules in favor of Hayes on all 20
- Hose blocks acceptance-Impasse

Bargain on 1877-Conspiracy Theory

- Hayes awarded presidency
- Dems get local elections
- The End of Reconstruction
Southern “Redemption”
- Undoing Reconstruction
- –Violence-lynching
- – “The lost cause” - focusing on ”states rights” not slavery
- Jim Crow
- –Validated by Plessy v. Ferguson

Lessons
- Time-needed quote “We cannot change these people’s minds”
- Civil Rights-second reconstruction