Give Me Liberty (The Meaning of Freedom) Notes

The Meaning of Freedom I. Blacks and the Meaning of Freedom A. Freedom to Black people meant escaping the lashes, punishments; and basically rights that white men also had B. They began to hold mass meetings, own guns, liquor, etc. II. Families in Freedom A. Black institutions like churches and schools were strengthened, and freed from white supervision B. Families were being united, even those that have been separated during slavery C. In households, black men were gaining more power and women were put into the domestic sphere; this would ultimately change later on and women will be working after the poor family conditions where they earned little money III. Church and School A. Church became a central part of black life, and they formed their own churches B. Blacks viewed education as the next best thing to liberty, and were flooding into schools established by the northern missionary societies, the Freedmen’s Bureau, etc IV. Political Freedom A. Black people, after the Civil War, sought voting rights and wanted a place in the “public sphere” 1. They believed that if they don’t receive this, then it would betray the democratic promises of the nation and the war’s meaning V. Land, Labor, and Freedom A. Land was seen as being hand-in-hand with freedom, and blacks claimed that some land belonged to them or that they should be allowed to own it without white supervision VI. Masters Without Slaves A. After the Civil War, many white southerners lost their property, life-savings, and had to submit to the northern demand 1. Economic recovery for the south would also be slow and painful B. Although the north has emancipated the slaves, white southerners found it difficult to agree to these terms. Thus, they treated blacks as if nothing changed 1. Best way to describe it was they had no economic autonomy, nor civil and political equality VII. The Free Labor Vision A. The free labor vision would be to turn the south into something like north meaning to have public schools, small towns, and independent farmers… to resemble the “free society” VIII. The Freedmen’s Bureau (1865-1870) A. Goal of the Freedmen’s Bureau: IX. X. XI. XII. 1. Establish schools, provide aid to the poor and aged, settle disputes between whites and blacks and among the freedpeople, and make sure they are treated equally in courts B. Their successes lies in education and healthcare, where they helped coordinate/finance black education, and expanded hospitals C. Their economic relations were bit controversial The Failure of Land Reform A. In summer of 1865, Andrew Johnson ordered all land in federal hands to be returned to its former owners -- this means that agents were sent to “Sherman land” to evict blacks 1. This was met with opposition, and people protested and sent petitions to the president B. Because there were no land distribution, a lot of the freedmen remained poor during reconstruction 1. Many had no choice but to work on white-owned plantations often for their former owners Toward a New South A. New systems of labor emerged in different parts of the South: 1. South Carolina and Georgia a) Task system - workers assigned daily tasks 2. Southern Louisiana a) Wage labor in sugar plantations 3. Virginia and North Carolina a) Sharecropping - a compromise between blacks’ desire for land and planters’ demand for labor (1) Basically, planters would rent out a part of the plantation to the black, and they would device the crops at the end of the year The White Farmer A. Many white yeoman farmers found their crops being destroyed, and they resorted to planting cotton and using that cotton as collateral for land (system known as crop-lien) 1. However, cotton price fell steadily, so farmers needed to plant more cotton to obtain new loans B. Many people fell into debt from this The Urban South A. Although the rural south suffered, the urban cities experienced growth after the Civil War B. For example, the railroads helped enable merchants in market centers (Atlanta trading with north) XIII. Aftermaths of Slavery A. Like other nations, black laborers were viewed as lazy, lacking in ambition, etc. B. However, former slaves tried to break through this stereotype by withdrawing women/children from the workforce, and growing their own food and consuming it rather then selling it to an international market C. However, one unique change that the United States had was that former slaves were given the right to vote only within two years of the end of slavery The Making of Radical Reconstruction I. Andrew Johnson A. Calls himself the “honest yeoman” and being a foe of large planters B. Advocates for states rights, lenient reconstruction policies, stubborn, and very racist II. The Failure of Presidential Reconstruction (1865-1867) A. Policies from the Presidential Reconstruction 1. Offered a pardon (which restored political and property rights) to nearly all white southerners that took an oath of allegiance a) Excluding Confederate leaders and wealthy planters 2. Appointed provincial governors (only whites), made them create local governments and ordered them to manage local affairs in the south B. However, these local governments were racist and discriminatory to former slaves; thus, making most of the Republican North turn against the president’s policies III. The Black Codes A. Black codes were, by far, one of the most oppressive policies that came out of the local governments B. It did grant them some rights like legalized marriage, and ownership to property; however, there were far more limitations and oppressions 1. E.g. denied them the rights to testify against whites, serve on juries, or vote C. This made many of the North turn against Johnson’s policies because southern political leaders were not ready to accept the reality of emancipation IV. The Radical Republicans A. Radical Republicans called for the president to dissolve the local governments in the south and replace them with new ones without “rebels” and ensuring that black men had the right to vote 1. Prominent Radicals in Congress were Charles Sumner and Thaddeus Stevens B. Radicals embraced the expansion of federal government power as they see it being necessary to protect all American rights V. VI. VII. VIII. C. Thaddeus Stevens’ aim was to confiscate the land of loyal planters and divide it among former slaves and northern migrants to the South The Origins of Civil Rights A. Republicans had the majority in the Congress; however Radicals and Moderates were divided on the issue of changing/completely altering Johnson’s policies B. In 1866, Lyman Trumbull of IL. proposed two bills: 1. Extension the life of the Freedmen’s Bureau a) Did not get passed until 1870 2. Civil Rights Bill - all people born in the U.S. were citizens regardless of race and dessert rights a) Congress overrode the president’s veto b) First major bill to be overridden by Congress C. Both bills were vetoed by the president, which made tensions between the executive and legislative branches even more tense The Fourteenth Amendment A. Guaranteed those born in the U.S. citizens and receiving equal protection of the law B. Compromise was made regarding granting blacks the right to vote (between Moderates and Radicals) 1. If the South allowed black men to vote, then the black population would be counted towards the representation in the House of Representatives 2. Or… they can limit the votes to white and sacrifice part of their political power The Reconstruction Act A. The unwillingness to act from Johnson and the white South forced many moderate Republicans to become Radicals B. Congress adopted the Reconstruction Act, overriding Johnson’s veto in March 1867 C. Reconstruction Act: 1. Divided the south into 5 military districts 2. Creation of new state governments with black men given the right to vote 3. This began the Radical Reconstruction lasting until 1877 Impeachment and the Election of Grant A. March 1867: Congress adopted the Tenure of Office Act, which barred the president from removing certain officeholders B. February 1868: Johnson removed Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton, an ally of the Radicals 1. Led the house to impeach C. He was only 1 vote short to have him removed from office D. Ulysses S. Grant would be nominated for president, and he would win IX. X. XI. XII. XIII. The FIfteenth Amendment A. Ratified in 1870: the 15th amendment prohibits the federal and state governments from denying any citizen the right to vote because of race B. This did not extend to women, though The “Great Constitutional Revolution” A. The newly empowered national state, and the idea of national citizenry enjoying equality before the law became what Carl Schurz, a Republican leader, called the “great Constitutional Revolution” B. Revolutionized previous interpretations of the Constitution Boundaries of Freedom A. Although efforts were made to universalize the 14th amendment, which Charles Sumner moved to remove the word “white” from naturalization-- oppositions were still held among groups like Asian-Americans The Rights of Women A. Women saw Reconstruction as the moment to claim their own emancipation B. The destruction of slavery led many women looking for for more rights, free labor rights, and how to achieve more liberty Feminists and Radicals A. The 15th amendment did not apply to women, which led to a split in the feminist movement (with now having a moderate vs a radical group) 1. National Woman Suffrage Association (radical) a) Led by Elizabeth Cady Stanton, opposed the 15th amendment because it did not enfranchise women b) Used racial and ethnic prejudices to make her points 2. American Woman Suffrage Association a) Led by Lucy Stone, saw the 15th amendment as a good step forward Radicals Reconstruction in the South I. “The Tocsin of Freedom” A. Blacks (including former slaves) have become actively involved in the public sphere 1. Plantation workers organizing strikes for higher wages, etc. B. As they have new rights as citizens, thousands joined the Union League, an organization closely linked to the Republican Party C. Southern states were pretty much under Republican control by 1870, and the new state constitutions expanded public responsibilities (education, asylums, etc) II. The Black Officeholder A. Black people have held political offices, not the high offices, however III. IV. V. 1. They’ve been elected to the national House of Reps., U.S. senate B. Many officeholders were former slaves that received their leadership through serving in the Union army, working as ministers, teachers, etc. Carpetbaggers and Scalawags A. Carpetbaggers 1. Northerners that went to the south to reap the spoils of office in the south a) Some were corrupt, some were Union soldiers, others were investors B. Scalawags 1. White republicans born in the south a) Non-slaveholding white farmers from the southern upcountry, that supported the UNionists efforts Southern Republicans in Power A. South’s first supported public schools 1. Allowed for blacks to learn/be educated, albeit schools were segregated B. Civil rights legislation 1. Laws made it illegal for railroads, hotels, and other institutions to discriminate on the basis of race C. Promoted the South’s economic recovery The Quest for Prosperity A. Rather than land distribution, railroad construction was believed to be the key to transforming the South into a society like the North 1. Thus, much was done to try and incentive the North to invest in the South (tax reductions, etc.) 2. Program have mixed results, but generally weak B. Although, many blacks were locked in poverty, there were still much change as seen with the democratic government The Overthrow of Reconstruction I. Reconstruction's Opponents A. Many people, especially Democrats, were opposed to the Reconstruction 1. Southerners were bitter, disliked the increasing taxes, and big government B. Most fundamental reason was they white southerners could not accept the idea of former slaves voting, holding office, and enjoying equality before the law II. “A Reign of Terror” A. Secret societies like the KKK (Ku Klux Klan) sprung up attempting to prevent blacks from voting, and destroying organization of the Republican party by assassinating local leaders, etc. III. IV. V. VI. B. KKK attacked white Republicans and blacks, killing many in violent manners, attacking cities, etc. C. In 1870-1871: Congress adopted the three Enforcement Acts, outlawing terrorist societies and allowing the president to use the army against them 1. Grant would dispatch federal marshals to arrest hundreds of accused Klansmen The Liberal Republicans A. Liberal Republicans were a group of republicans that were a lot more moderate and argued that the growth of federal power needs to be lessened 1. They believe that their job of freeing the slaves has been completed, so blacks must rely on their own resources without further assistance B. They nominated Horace Greeley, editor of the New York Tribune, for president 1. Grant would win the election, however C. However, liberals republicans and democrats agreed on a new policy towards the South The North’s Retreat A. The North was slowly becoming discontent with Reconstruction, and had sentiments of “mass black barbarism” in the south B. The economic depression also made northerners stray away from stuff in the south because they have no time to deals with both C. Slaughterhouse Cases (1873) and United States v. Cruikshank (1876) were Supreme Court cases that whittled away the guarantees of black rights The Triumph of the Redeemers A. With Reconstruction on the defense, Democrats began to re-control the states, calling themselves the “redeemers” B. KKK starts to do crimes in broad daylight because they knew Washington wouldn’t bother to interfere The Disputed Election and Bargain of 1877 A. Rutherford B. Hayes (R), Samuel J. Tilden (D) - disputed election, very close 1. SC, FL, Louisiana - votes were contested so... B. Congress in 1877 appointed a 15 member Electoral Commission with a Republican majority to decide the election- Hayes was chosen as the victor by 1 vote C. However, behind the scenes both parties deliberated and made compromises: 1. Hayes would avoid further intervention in southern local affairs a) Hayes would withdraw federal troops from the South 2. Hayes would place a southern in the cabinet position of postmaster general 3. Helping the infrastructure of the South D. This is known as the Bargain of 1877 VII. The End of Reconstruction A. Civil rights era of the 1950s and 1960s, sometimes, is seen as the Second Reconstruction