Reconstruction

Reconstruction

Post civil war

By Diya & Ashrrita

timeline: 1865 - 1877

Civil Rights Acts

Reconstruction Acts.

1866 & 1875

1872

1867

1865

Freedmen's Bureau

Amnesty Acts

Oath of Allegiance

Redeemers & Bourbon Democrats

Special Field Order No. 15

Railroad Grants

New State Constitutions

Carpetbaggers

The Military In Recontruction

Occupation Experience of Soldiers

Soldiers, after fighting the war, had many many responsibilities in putting the South back together, especially after total war battles that destroyed civilian areas. After the surrender of the Confederate Army, soldiers took it upon themselves to set out the fires and restore some order and peace to the civilians in the area. Soldiers were assigned in pairs to each district to overlook the small acts of reconstruction that made Southern areas livable again. Afterward, they took a stronger control over the areas they were assigned to, such as re-establishing political order and providing freedmen the ability to work again. Because many people were dislocated after they were released from slavery, soldiers made sure that they were able to work for other Southern plantation owners without losing their human rights and receiving their wage. They also provided freedmen with some lost horses and mules to jumpstart their own farms and economic journeys. Rebuilding these agricultural systems was important in restoring the economic state of the South, as they were mainly cash crop based and they needed to provide exports to rank in revenue for the economy. Many citizens (both Southerners and freedmen) requested the military to overlook themselves at the beginning of reconstruction, as they knew it would be more organized and safer for all parties involved.

Struggles in Managing Violence

During the Reconstruction period, there was a lot of violence against both Blacks and Southern Republicans in majority Democrat areas. There was a lot of violence on the basic social level, as many African Americans or freedmen would get shot for extremely meaningless reasons (such as not tipping their hats to a white man). It was not people’s intention to kill freedmen or wipe out the race, but rather to subdue them from taking any political stances or growing economically (as there was now fear that the white race wasn’t going to be the superior race in the United States). On a political level, many groups and organizations formed to strip, whip, shoot, threaten, and even kill African Americans as well as Southern Republicans for being racially unjust. These groups would commit these crimes in large quantities and all over the south, eliciting fear from both victim groups throughout the South. Groups such as the KKK, White League, and the Knights of the While Camelia were all prime examples of these “terrorist” groups in the South. The Reconstruction time period is one of great violence and unjust actions, as well as one of the darkest moments in American history. It is often overlooked and not spoken about when describing the opportunities and righteousness of the nation.

Oath of Allegiance

Oaths of Allegiance were prominent during the Reconstruction era as they were both a measure of loyalty and an immense point for conflict. Some successes of loyalty oaths include restoring friendly relations among Southerners and Northerners, and facilitated voter exclusion. Some oaths that were proposed by Lincoln and Johnson allowed rights and property to be restored to those who swore allegiance (except for African Americans), allowing Southerners to return to the Union and live a somewhat normal life as they were protected by the government. Another oath that was included in the Supplemental Reconstruction Act of 1867 allowed biracial state governments to be enacted as individuals had to swear allegiance to allowing Southern men to vote. However, the failures outweighed the successes again. For example, these oaths fueled conflict. Specifically, Radical Republicans proposed a strict oath, namely the Ironclad Oath, that required Southerners to swear that they never supported the Confederacy, causing many pre-war leaders to be prevented from regaining power. However, Johnson gradually began pardoning, or excusing, many of the stricter oaths, allowing pre-war Southern leaders to regain power and return to their pre-war positions, causing an immense amount of political conflict. Furthermore, this repossession of power caused laws such as the Black Codes to be passed, fueling even more conflict. With all of the failures and other factors combined, Johnson was eventually impeached from office.

Railroad Grants

During the Reconstruction era, the federal government offered financial aid to railroad companies in the South to rebuild and industrialize the region. However, political failure came with economic success. Some examples of success include the gradual restarting of economic activity, expanded the railroad network for transportation, and increased land value. Specifically, economic activity was jump-started as jobs were created once railroads began again and factories also started to grow. Although the network was torn during the Civil War, the network ultimately increased, allowing communication and transportation to also increase alongside it. Land alongside the railroad was sold to settlers, allowing an efficient source to increase capital and encourage growth in sparse regions. Some failures that came with railroad grants include drained resources, corruption, and political alienation. Since there was an incredible amount of attention being put on the railroad grants, a lot of the financial aid from the government was diverted to this situation rather than other services such as public education. Corruption became a major issue during this era because a lot of the railroad aid programs were well known for fraud and corruption, which caused much political discontent. Another failure was political alienation, which rose because of the issue of corruption. This issue allowed the white Southerners to grow and support their corrupt view towards the government, causing other problems to arise which all collectively lead to the overthrow of biracial governments and the failure of Reconstruction.

Military Districts

After the war, the Union decided to split up the Confederacy into different military districts until they were properly readmitted back into the Union. There were 5 distinct districts spanning the Confederacy (minus Tennessee, which had already been readmitted). The five districts are North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Alabama and Florida, Mississippi and Arkansas, and Louisiana and Texas. The President was responsible for assigning his trustees to each district, and giving them the power to make decisions on behalf of himself and the values of the Union. They were placed to protect the rights of all freedmen and ensure that they were acting upon their human rights. The power of jurisdiction and power was also provided to anyone who stepped out of the line of law. Anyone who is arrested for the previous reasons are allowed to try in court, and no unreasonable punishments are to be given without asking a superior officer. Death can not be convicted without directly receiving confirmation from the President. As soon as states provide a draft of a state Constitution that matches that of the United States, they are allowed to be readmitted and then allowed to be part of the House and the Senate. These Constitutions had to call upon the 14th Amendment, and had to ensure that freedmen were able to participate in the political processes that occurred within the state. The goal of each district (each under the command of a Union general officer) was to look over the creation of new governments and officers while ensuring that the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments were being met before they were admitted into the Union.

Enlistment of Freedmen

• After the war, nearly half of the US army consisted of the USCT (United States Colored Troops). They were the ones that were stationed all along the south to make sure that there was no violence between Southerners and freed slaves. Though the army did not completely tamper all the fighting, the presence of the military significantly decreased the amount of potential violence that could have occurred. They were deployed in other areas, such as the borders of states to fight against Native American attacks. Some were stationed to break up moonshine stills (copper or brass machinery used to turn crops into alcohol) in both North and South Carolina. The freedmen also earned respect for African Americans during this time, as they were seen still upholding positions of respect and honor. They were taken seriously (though there was still discrimination between the African Americans and the Whites). Past soldiers from previous regiments especially were looked upon in a positive manner.

Carpetbaggers

Carpetbaggers are those from the Northern states who ventured to the Southern states during the Reconstruction era to profit off of it. There were many successes and failures that arose from this. Some successes include advancements in public education and businesses while some failures include corruption and political violence. Specifically, carpetbaggers contributed to advancements in public education because they played a great role in establishing public schools for both blacks and whites, allowing literacy rates to exponentially increase. They also contributed to the establishment of businesses as they invested and opened new businesses in industrial departments such as lumber and steel, allowing the economy to revitalize. However, some carpetbaggers contributed to political corruption as they took advantage of the South for personal gain. Additionally, a large number of carpetbaggers who were genuine in their efforts to help the South were targeted by many violence groups such as the Ku Klux Klan. Overall, carpetbaggers’ impact during Reconstruction include a share of successes and failures through their genuine and ingenuine contributions to revitalizing the South once again.

"Redeemers" & Bourbon Democrats

The “Redeemers” were a Southern Democratic party that sought to end Republican control and restore conservative rule. They were successful in ending the Republican party and reasserting white supremacy over the nation, resulting in the rights of African Americans to be limited via policies. However, they were unsuccessful as they were now in immense oppressive political and social implications as blacks and poor whites revolted. The “Bourbon Democrats” was the conservative wing of the Democrat party that dominated Southern politics. Many of the Redeemers were included in this sector. Some successes include economic growth as they were supported by wealthy individuals who helped modernize parts of the economy, and they fought corruption as they opposed many social corrupt practices in many regions of the nation such as the Tweed Ring in New York. Some failures include increased racial inequality as the Bourbons emphasized white supremacy and inferiority of African Americans, and economic inequality was also created as many of their policies were concentrated among the wealthy elite, giving an unfair advantage to them as opposed to the middle and lower class.

CSA’s (Confederate States of America) leadership were mostly captured and tried for treason during the early stages of Reconstruction. However, the presidents, generals, and vice presidents were tried for only a small amount of time and then released with pardons from the government. Some of the officials even went on to participate in the Congress after their states were readmitted back into the Union.

CSA Leaders

For example, Robert E. Lee was originally tried for treason and could be potentially imprisoned for his leadership in the Confederacy. The secession of the states and war efforts against the Union were technically against the law and considered treason against the government. Like most leaders, however, Lee was pardoned from any sort of jurisdiction by Andrew Johnson, and was able to go about his life as normal. After the war, Lee became a strong advocate for the union and reconstruction of the United States, even getting memorials in his name after his death to commemorate his unification efforts. However, like most Southerners, he still believed that African Americans had no place in American society, and didn’t deserve the human rights and political power they were offered. Later on in his life, he became the president of Washington College in Virginia, and was greatly mourned during his passing by both the North and the South.

Robert E. Lee

VS

New State Constitutions

During the Reconstruction era, President Johnson required states to draft new state constitutions in order to be readmitted into the Union. The resulting state governments were often run by carpetbaggers (Northerners who moved to the South) or scalawags (white Southern Republicans). Some successes with the new state constitutions include universal voting rights for men, including African Americans, and basic civil rights being granted to freed slaves. However, these reforms were short- lived and ultimately reversed by President Johnson once admitted to the Union. Additionally, although the state governments constituted these rights, a great majority of individuals living in the states opposed these and revolted as they still had racist ideologies and didn’t agree with many of the new amendments.

Sherman's Field Order No. 15

The Union confiscated a strip of coastline from South Carolina to Florida to provide to recent Southern freedmen to start their own farmers and gain economic stability. Sherman and the secretary of war went down to the area (still during the Civil War) to discuss emancipation with some of the Baptist and Methodist ministers in the area. After their discussion, they decided to come back and gain confirmation from Lincoln to pass the Field Order No. 15. The order calls for Black freedmen to move to the strip of confiscated land from Southern farmers to start their own farms/plantations to start selling their own crops. Over its course, the strip of land housed 40,000 freedmen who each had 40 acres of land. Mules from the armies were often loaned as well to give the freedmen some sense of farm aid with transportation. The Freedmen’s Bureau of 1865 was also authorized to give out the 40 acres. However, when Andrew Johnson stepped into presidency, the order completely dissipated and the Confederate farmers mostly got their land back. While there were no lasting benefits or impacts from the order, the attempt showed the United State’s conviction to bring new and equal opportunities for freedmen.