Reconstruction of the Union

Reconstruction of the Union Port Royal Experiment 1862 Black slaves work small farms in coastal SC Establish schools w/ white and black teachers from the North Establish black church that becomes a quasi-government Residents prosper but have no legal rights War ends; whites return; blacks forced to leave – experiment fails, but it did provide a model for how southern society could have been “reconstructed.” Lincoln vs Congress 1863-1865 1863 – Emancipation Proclamation frees all slaves in areas held by the Confederacy (but not slaves in areas held by the Union.) Lincoln  lenient; 10% plan; if 10% pledge loyalty, agree to abolish slavery, and repudiate Confederate debt, the state can re-enter the Union. President hopes to convince southern states to give up the fight if they could get back in the Union easily. Congress  Who says the president gets to decide? Congress should determine the course reconstruction takes. Radical Republicans in Congress support a tougher policy to punish rebels; Wade-Davis Bill  50% (not 10%) must pledge loyalty, etc. Freedom for the slaves – “Day of Jubilee” 1 Some blacks move – better to trust a stranger than someone familiar who still thought of you as a slave. Many blacks leave the plantations to look for family members. Some blacks stay where they are because there are employment opportunities and they have no cash or access to credit to move. Blacks can’t buy land – no capital; their only skills are low wage skills; no way to save; no access to credit. Black poverty becomes an endemic problem in the region. (Even by 1880 per capita income in the South is 1/3 the national average.) The national government must answer several questions: 1. How were seceded states to return to the union? 2. How to rebuild the southern economy? 3. How were defeated rebels to be dealt with? 4. How to assure black freedom? 5. What is the status of the freedman? Lincoln assassinated, April 1865 Was there a conspiracy or a coup d’etat? After the assassination, Northerners are more hostile to the South and so Radical Republicans see a chance to pursue a harsher reconstruction policy. At first, they believe the new President will support them. Johnson – hates planters but likes to see them grovel. He issues 13,000 pardons in two years. Johnson mistakenly believes the Confederates have learned their lesson and that the planter elite will be replaced in leadership positions by people like himself – small business men and small farmers who are looking to make money and put the war behind them Dec 1865  13th Amendment Why an amendment and not just a law passed in Congress? 2 In the South, Planter leadership remains in power; “Black codes” dust off all the old laws governing slaves and replace “slave” with “freedman” Blacks are non-citizens; can’t vote; serve on juries; testify against whites; annual labor contracts tie them to one plantation. In some states employers can whip employees; vagrants given back to former owners. Black codes precipitate angry reaction from Congressional Republicans. Southern planters seem to be reversing the Northern victory in the Civil War by reinstituting slavery under another name. 14th amendment Grants citizenship to all persons born in the US Guarantees due process of law and equal protection of the laws If southern states mistreat freedmen, the federal government can intervene. If vote denied to blacks, the state gets reduced representation in Congress (never enforced) Southern states readmitted to the Union only if they ratify the amendment; most wait to see what happens in the 1866 election Radical Republicans win; Johnson embarrasses himself during the campaign and loses credibility. Now in control, Radical Republicans want to Reconstruct the South (and not just restore it). They are radical because they suggest redistributing power – take land away from those at the top of society and give it to those at the bottom. Most Americans were not ready for such radicalism. Blacks want land -- why don’t they get it? – precedent; fear of government power. 3 If the federal government can take land away from planters and give it to freedmen, what’s to stop the government from taking away others’ land in the future? Who will enforce the laws? Troops can occupy the South to ensure compliance, but this costs money and most Northerners don’t want higher taxes. In any case, they want their tax money to benefit them, not to be used policing the South. Status of Blacks, 1866-1876 In the South blacks have political rights but no economic power; whites have economic power but no political rights. Did radicals want to divide whites and blacks to bury the south and insure northern dominance? 1867 Reconstruction Act – military occupation of the South 5 military districts; 20,000 troops. Radicals depend on an unstable alliance of blacks and unionist whites. Blacks want publicly funded education; whites don’t want their property taxes to pay for it. With blacks and poor whites divided, Planter elite quickly gains the upper hand. White economic power trumps black political power 1868 election  Republican Grant barely wins; Democrat Seymour gets majority of white vote. Radicals fear losing power and push for 15th amendment (1870) But VIOLENCE and TERROR trumps all Assassinations; lynchings; riots; intimidation; arson. 4 5