Rebuilding the Nation (Pg.

546-547)
1. Problems After the Civil War
- Damage in the South: Large parts of the South were destroyed.
- Freeing Slaves: The nation needed to figure out how to help people who had been freed from
slavery.
- Homeless Refugees: Many people, both African American & white, needed food, shelter, & work.
2. Reconstruction
- Goal: To bring the North and South back together & rebuild the country.
- Lincoln's Focus: Wanted to heal the nation quickly & reunite the country.
3. Lincoln's Ten Percent Plan
- Plan: When 10% of a state's voters took an oath of loyalty to the U.S., they could form a new
government.
- End of Slavery: The new government had to end slavery in the state.
- Rejoining: Once done, the state could send members to Congress again.
- Amnesty (Pardon): Former Confederates who took the loyalty oath were forgiven, except for top
leaders and officers.
4. Wade-Davis Bill
- Stricter Plan: Congress proposed a tougher plan for Reconstruction called the Wade-Davis Bill.
- 50% Loyalty Oath: Required 50% of voters to swear loyalty before rejoining the Union.
- Confederate Fighters: Anyone who had fought for the Confederacy couldn't vote for state
government.
- No Voting Rights: It didn't give voting rights to African Americans.
- Lincoln's Veto: Lincoln didn't sign the bill, so it didn't become law.
5. Radical Republicans vs. Lincoln
- Radical Republicans: Wanted a stricter plan to prevent Confederate leaders from regaining
power.
- Lincoln's View: Thought a lenient plan would get support from Southerners & help rebuild faster.
(Pg. 548-549)
6. The Freedmen’s Bureau
- Purpose: Created in March 1865 to help freedmen (formerly enslaved people) & other war
refugees.
- Emergency Relief: Provided immediate help to people displaced by the war.
7. Education
- Schools: The Freedmen’s Bureau set up schools to teach reading & writing.
- Community Effort: Many African American communities started their own schools, often pooling
money to pay teachers.
- Teachers: Many teachers were northern white or African American women, like Edmonia
Highgate.
- Impact: Schools for both blacks & whites began. The Freedmen’s Bureau helped start schools
that became institutions like Fisk University and Hampton University.
8. Defending Freedmen
- Job Assistance: Helped freedmen find work & resolve disputes.
- Courts: Set up courts to handle disputes & prevent cheating.
9. Lincoln’s Assassination
- Event: President Lincoln was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth on April 14, 1865, five days
after Lee’s surrender.
- Aftermath: Booth was killed two weeks later, & 8 people were convicted for the plot.
 - Public Reaction: Lincoln’s death shocked the nation. He was buried in Illinois, & many people
paid their respects.
10. Andrew Johnson’s Presidency
- Successor: Vice President Andrew Johnson, a southern Democrat loyal to the Union, became
President after Lincoln.
- Expectations: People expected Johnson to be strict on Reconstruction due to his bitterness
toward the Confederates.
11. Looking Ahead
- Concerns: There were worries about how Lincoln’s assassination would impact Reconstruction.
- Next Section: The following section will cover how tensions between Johnson & Congress
affected Reconstruction.
The South After the Civil War (Pg. 550-551)
1. Impact on the South
- Overall Struggle: The Civil War left the South in a tough situation, affecting everyone, regardless
of wealth or race.
2. Physical Destruction
- Damage: Most of the fighting occurred in the South, causing severe destruction.
- Fort Sumter: The fort was destroyed after Confederate attacks.
- Ruins: Cities & plantations were in ruins, & two-thirds of the railroads were destroyed.
3. Wounded Soldiers
- Casualties: A quarter of a million Confederate soldiers died, & many others were wounded &
disabled.
4. Freedmen
- Hope & Fear: Nearly 4 million freedmen were no longer enslaved but faced challenges.
- Needs: They lacked land, jobs, & education. Teaching them to read was a priority.
5. Financial Ruin
- Economic Collapse: The South’s economy was in bad shape.
- Confederate Money: Lost value, & many banks closed, causing people to lose their savings.
The Battle Over Reconstruction (Pg. 552-553)
1. Why It Matters
- Conflict: Radical Republicans wanted a strict Reconstruction, while President Johnson preferred
a more lenient approach. This created a conflict between Congress and the Presidency.
2. A Growing Conflict
- Johnson’s Plan: Like Lincoln, Johnson had a lenient plan and implemented it without consulting
Congress.
- Thirteenth Amendment: Approved in January 1865, this amendment abolished slavery and gave
Congress the power to enforce it.
3. Johnson’s Reconstruction Plan
- Amnesty: Johnson offered a broad pardon to most former Confederates.
- State Requirements: Southern states had to abolish slavery and ratify the Thirteenth Amendment
to join Congress again.
- State Representation: By late 1865, many former Confederate leaders were elected to Congress.
4. Black Codes
- New Laws: Southern states passed Black Codes to control African Americans, which critics
argued were similar to slavery.
- Restrictions: These codes restricted African Americans’ rights, such as voting and serving on
juries. They could be hired out if they couldn’t pay fines.
 5. Congress’s Response
- Radical Republicans: They wanted to prevent former Confederates from regaining power and to
protect African Americans’ rights.
- Conflict: Congress adopted a tougher stance due to the Black Codes.
6. The Fourteenth Amendment
- Clashes: The President and Congress clash over Reconstruction laws and amendments in 1866.
- Civil Rights Act: Congress passed the Civil Rights Act of 1866, granting citizenship and rights to
African Americans, except Native Americans.
- Vetoes: Johnson vetoed the Act and another bill for the Freedmen’s Bureau, but Congress
overrode the vetoes. The bills became law.
7. Opposing Plans for Reconstruction
President Andrew Johnson (1865)
- Oath of Loyalty: Majority of white men must swear an oath.
- Thirteenth Amendment: States must ratify it.
- Former Officials: Former Confederate officials can vote and hold office.
Radical Republicans (1867)
- State Governments: Must disband and write new constitutions.
- Amendments: Must ratify the Thirteenth and Fourteenth Amendments.
- Voting Rights: Must allow African American men to vote.
8. The Fourteenth Amendment
- Purpose: Aimed to protect freedmen’s rights and ensure that the Civil Rights Act was upheld.
Key Points:
- Grants citizenship to all born or naturalized in the U.S.
- States cannot make laws that take away a person’s rights or deprive them of life, liberty, or
property without due process.
- States denying voting rights to men over 21 would lose congressional representation (enforced
later).
- Effectiveness: Became a powerful tool for civil rights, but it took nearly a century to fully enforce.
9. Radical Reconstruction
- Conflict: Violence against African Americans in southern cities led Congress to push for stricter
Reconstruction.
Radical Reconstruction Act (1867):
- Removed governments of southern states that didn’t ratify the Fourteenth Amendment.
- Imposed military rule & divided the South into five districts.
- States had to write new constitutions, ratify the Fourteenth Amendment, & allow African
Americans to vote.
- Political Changes: African Americans became active in politics, with some elected to local and
national offices.
10. Accomplishments and Challenges
Achievements:
- Opened public schools, made tax and voting rules fairer, and improved infrastructure.
- Gave property rights to women.
Challenges:
- Corruption & excessive spending were issues.
- Old leaders lost power; new groups like scalawags (southern whites who opposed secession),
freedmen voters, and carpetbaggers (northern whites moving south) became influential.
11. Hiram Revels
- Biography: Minister, Union supporter, & the first African American U.S. Senator.
- Role: Elected in 1870 to complete Jefferson Davis’s term in the Senate.
(Pg. 556-557)
12. Impeachment of President Johnson
- Reason for Impeachment: Radical Republicans wanted to remove Johnson from office because
of disagreements over his lenient approach to Reconstruction.
Impeachment Process:
- The House of Representatives voted to impeach Johnson in February 1868.
- The Senate held a trial from March to May.
- Johnson was not removed from office, as the final vote (35 for and 19 against) was one vote short
of the two-thirds majority needed.
13. Election of 1868
- Winner: Ulysses S. Grant, a war hero, won the presidential election as the Republican candidate.
- African American Vote: About 500,000 African Americans, mainly Republicans, voted, which
helped Grant win 26 out of 34 states.
- Radical Republicans’ Decline: With Grant’s moderate leadership, the influence of the Radical
Republicans in the party began to decrease.
14. Fifteenth Amendment
- Purpose: Approved in 1869, it prevented states from denying African American males the right to
vote based on race, color, or previous condition of servitude.
- Limitations: Some African Americans felt the amendment was too weak because it didn’t stop
states from adding other requirements, like property ownership or voting taxes.
- Ratification: It became law in 1870 after three-fourths of the states approved it.
15. Ku Klux Klan
- Rise of the Klan: Some whites, angry about losing power, formed secret societies like the Ku Klux
Klan (KKK) to terrorize African Americans & their allies.
- Violence: The KKK threatened, whipped, tortured, & killed African Americans and white
Republicans to suppress their votes, especially during the election of 1868.
- Government Response: Congress passed the Ku Klux Klan Acts in 1870 and 1871 to stop the
violence, but Klan-like groups continued, leading to a decrease in African American voting.
16. Key Elements of Radical Reconstruction
- Imposing military rule on southern states.
- Granting rights to African Americans, including the right to vote.
- Passing constitutional amendments (the 14th and 15th) to secure those rights.
17. Looking Ahead
- Challenges Remained: Although Reconstruction guaranteed rights to more Americans, there
were still huge obstacles, including ongoing racial violence and the declining interest in
Reconstruction efforts.
- Return of Confederate Power: As interest in Reconstruction waned, former Confederates began
regaining power.
The End of Reconstruction (Pg. 558-559)
1. End of Reconstruction
- Why It Matters: Although Reconstruction brought reforms to the South, many of the changes were
temporary. After Reconstruction ended, African Americans faced new challenges and injustices,
which would take over a century to overcome.
 2. Reconstruction’s Conclusion
Decline of Support:
- As time passed, people began to forget about the Civil War and turned their focus to personal
matters.
- Scandals in President Grant’s administration weakened faith in the Republican Party. Grant’s
appointments, often friends, were corrupt, even though Grant himself wasn’t directly involved.
- Despite being reelected in 1872, many Northerners lost trust in the Republican policies.
Self-rule for the South:
- People wanted federal troops to leave the South & full forgiveness for former Confederates.
- By 1874, Republicans had lost control of most southern states due to terror campaigns by secret
societies like the Ku Klux Klan.
- By 1877, Democrats controlled the entire South.
3. Election of 1876
The Candidates:
- Rutherford B. Hayes (Republican) – promised to continue Reconstruction.
- Samuel J. Tilden (Democrat) – promised to end Reconstruction.
Results:
- Tilden won the popular vote but was short of one electoral vote.
- Congress created a special commission that gave all disputed electoral votes to Hayes.
- Democrats agreed to let Hayes win in exchange for the end of Reconstruction.
- Hayes’ Actions: Once in office, Hayes removed federal troops from the South, effectively ending
Reconstruction.
African Americans Lose Rights (Pg. 560-561)
1. Voting Restrictions
After Reconstruction ended, Southern states passed laws that limited African Americans’ rights to vote:
- Poll Tax: A tax had to be paid before voting, which prevented many poor African Americans (&
some poor whites) from voting.
- Literacy Tests: Voters were required to read & explain a section of the Constitution.
- Grandfather Clause: Allowed illiterate white men to vote if their father or grandfather had been
eligible to vote before 1867, when African Americans couldn’t vote.
2. Segregation (Jim Crow Laws)
Southern states passed laws to separate African Americans from whites in nearly all areas of life:
- These laws segregated public places like hospitals, schools, playgrounds, & transportation.
- Plessy v. Ferguson (1896): The Supreme Court ruled that segregation was legal under the
“separate but equal” doctrine. In practice, facilities for African Americans were usually much
worse than those for whites.
3. A Cycle of Poverty
Sharecropping:
Poverty forced many freed African Americans & poor whites to become sharecroppers:
- Landowners gave sharecroppers land, tools, & seeds in exchange for a portion of their crops.
- At harvest time, sharecroppers had to give the landowner a portion of their crops. After settling
debts, they often had little or nothing left.
Cycle of Debt
Many sharecroppers became trapped in a cycle of debt:
- Poor harvests or low crop prices meant sharecroppers couldn’t pay off debts, leaving them with
no choice but to offer a larger share of the next year’s crops to the landowner.
 4. Methods Used to Deprive African Americans of Rights:
- Poll taxes & literacy tests restricted voting.
- Grandfather clauses protected white voters.
- Jim Crow laws enforced racial segregation.
- The Plessy v. Ferguson ruling legalized segregation under “separate but equal.”
(Pg. 562-563)
5. Fighting for Civil Rights
Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)
- The Supreme Court upheld segregation laws in the South, & these laws continued for over 50
years.
Civil Rights Movement (1950s–1960s)
- Some Americans launched a campaign for equal rights for African Americans.
- Methods used included marches, petitions, & public actions to end discrimination in:
- Education
- Public facilities
- Voting rights
Opportunities for African Americans
- In southern towns & cities, African Americans faced dwindling opportunities.
- Skilled jobs were increasingly closed to African American artisans.
- Educated African Americans found work as school teachers, lawyers, or preachers within their
communities.
- Most urban African Americans had to take low-paying, menial jobs.
6. Industrial Growth in the South
Economic Recovery
- Reconstruction began the South's slow economic recovery.
- By the 1880s, new industries began to appear.
“New South”
- Southerners began to see industrial growth & took pride in a "New South."
- Agriculture was the first part of the economy to recover:
- Cotton production revived and hit record highs by 1875.
- Tobacco* production also expanded.
Industrial Development
- Southern investors started industries to turn raw materials into finished products:
- Textile industry played an important role.
- Iron, timber, and oil industries began to develop.
- Lumber mills and furniture factories** processed materials from southern forests.
Quote by Henry Grady (1889)
- He described the South's dependence on imports, despite having natural resources in
abundance:
- Coffins & nails were imported from other regions, even though they had iron and timber nearby.
A Growing Industrial Age
- Southern leaders were proud of the progress made in utilizing their own resources.
- Despite progress, the North remained more industrialized than the South.
 7. Looking Back and Ahead
Reconstruction’s Legacy
- By 1877, Reconstruction had both successes and failures:
- Most importantly, all African Americans were finally recognized as citizens.
- Laws like the Fourteenth Amendment laid the foundation for the civil rights movement almost 100
years later.
Quick Study Guide (Pg. 562-563)
1. Section 1
Rebuilding the Nation
- The South faced major economic and social challenges at the end of the Civil War.
- Reconstruction plans and programs like the Freedmen's Bureau were designed to rebuild the
South.
- The death of Abraham Lincoln threatened lenient plans for Reconstruction.
2. Section 2
The Battle Over Reconstruction
- President Andrew Johnson and the Radical Republicans clashed over Reconstruction plans.
- Conflict over Reconstruction led to Andrew Johnson's impeachment.
- During Reconstruction, African American males gained the right to vote. Republicans came to
power in each southern state.
3. Section 3
The End of Reconstruction
- With the end of Reconstruction, African Americans in the South lost many rights they had gained
after the Civil War.
- Many African Americans and poor whites were forced to become sharecroppers.
- The South's agriculture revived, and its industries expanded.
Document-Based Questions (Pg. 567)
Document 1: The "Organization and Principles" of the Ku Klux Klan, stated below, was written in 1868.
It describes the goals of the Klan. What does the Klan say is its attitude toward violence?
"This is an institution of chivalry, humanity, mercy, and patriotism; embodying in its genius and its
principles all that is chivalric in conduct, noble in sentiment, generous in manhood, and patriotic in
purpose; its peculiar objects being:
First, to protect the weak, the innocent, and the defenseless from the [insults], wrongs, and outrages of
the lawless, the violent, and the brutal; to relieve the injured and oppressed....
Questions to be asked each [Klan] candidate:
- Are you in favor of a white man's government in this country?…”
Answer:
The Klan say it its attitude toward violence are:
- The Ku Klux Klan describes itself as an institution of chivalry, mercy, and patriotism.
- Claims to protect the weak, innocent, and defenseless.
- Main goal: support a "white man's government".
- Though they claim to oppose violence, they used violence and terror to control African Americans
and their allies during Reconstruction.