The Reconstruction Acts

ASU HST 200 (Historical Themes) The Era of Reconstruction, 1865–1877 The Reconstruction Acts The 1867 Military Reconstruction Act changed the course of Reconstruction in the South by incorporating the ideas of the Radical Republicans. Republicans viewed the Reconstruction Acts, three other legislation approved by Congress that year, including this one as a means of addressing the chaos in the South. Tennessee was exempt from these measures since it had previously been readmitted to the Union and was one of the 10 southern states that had not yet ratified the Fourteenth Amendment. The 1867 legislation separated these states into five military districts. Every district was under the leadership of a Union general, and martial law was enforced. The task of defending emancipated individuals fell to these generals and the twenty thousand federal troops positioned in the districts. The soldiers in each district monitored voter registration and elections after a supplemental legislation gave all released males of voting age (21 years old) the ability to vote. These states could not re-join the Union until after drafting new state constitutions and ratifying the Fourteenth Amendment. As expected, President Johnson vetoed the Reconstruction Acts because he believed they were illegal and unneeded. Congress overrode Johnson's vetoes once again, and by the end of 1870, all of the military-ruled southern states had ratified the Fourteenth Amendment and rejoined the Union. An important turning point in the post-Civil War era was the Reconstruction Acts of 1867, especially in the South. The Radical Republicans' worldview gave rise to these Acts, which were intended to establish federal authority over the Southern states and to take action against the disorder and social unrest that followed the Civil War's conclusion. The Acts were among several pieces of legislation Congress approved that year with the intention of enforcing law and order and protecting the rights of recently liberated people. The creation of five military districts from the Southern states was a key component of the 1867 Military Reconstruction Act. The purpose of this division was to make it easier for the federal government to impose its authority in the area, which had been in disorder ever since the Confederate government fell. A Union general was assigned to each district, with the duty of upholding law and order and supervising the execution of Reconstruction directives. In order to enforce adherence to the new rules and crush any opposition to federal authority, martial law was declared in these districts. Enfranchisement of freedmen, or liberated persons, was a fundamental element of the Reconstruction Acts. The law gave all liberated males of voting age—21 years old—the ability to cast a ballot. Compared to the pre-war period, when African Americans were mostly denied the ability to vote in Southern states, this was a substantial shift. The Reconstruction Acts sought to establish a more democratic and inclusive society in the South by granting freedmen the right to vote and participate in politics. Moreover, before the Southern states could be readmitted to the Union, the Reconstruction Acts placed strict obligations on them. These included the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution being ratified and the creation of new state constitutions. Congress ratified the Fourteenth Amendment in 1866, granting citizenship and equal legal protection to all people born or naturalized in the United States, including freed slaves. Congress aimed to guarantee that the Southern states would respect the equality and justice inherent in the Fourteenth Amendment by imposing these standards as a prerequisite for readmission. President Andrew Johnson vigorously opposed the Reconstruction Acts despite their importance, vetoing the measure on the grounds that it went beyond federal authority and infringed on the rights of the Southern states. But the Radical Republicans in charge of Congress overrode Johnson's vetoes, proving their dedication to carrying out their vision of Reconstruction. All of the military-ruled Southern states had ratified the Fourteenth Amendment and returned to the Union by the end of 1870, but they were still under the federal government's supervision. With the Reconstruction Acts of 1867, Congress made a daring endeavor to alter the social and political climate in the South following the Civil War. These Acts attempted to guarantee the rights and liberties of all people and create a more just and equitable society in the wake of the Civil War by enforcing military authority, granting suffrage to freedmen, and establishing requirements for readmission to the Union.