Chapter 11 Section 1 Reconstruction

Chapter 11 Section 1 Reconstruction

Francis T. Nicholls

Francis T. Nicholls was born in Donaldsonville in 1834. He received his early education in Louisiana and graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York, in 1855. After a year of active military service, he began a law practice in Napoleonville. When the Civil War began, Nicholls joined the Confederate army. In late May 1862, Nicholls and other Louisiana troops fought Union forces near Winchester, Virginia. The Confederacy scored a major victory, but Nicholls was badly injured. His left arm was amputated (removed by surgery) as a result of the wound. After his amputation, Nicholls was briefly held prisoner by the Union. He was exchanged and, after a period of recovery, reentered the fight. Not quite a year after losing his arm, he lost his left foot in battle and suffered an amputation of part of his left leg. Nicholls continued to serve in the Confederate army in administrative positions, rising to the rank of brigadier general.

At war’s end, Nicholls returned to Louisiana and planned to practice law again. However, his wartime experience made him widely respected in his home state. He was drawn into politics and ran successfully for governor in 1876. Nicholls began his first term in early 1877, the same year all remaining federal troops were withdrawn from Louisiana. The conclusion of federal occupation, the end of slavery, the fate of freed people, and the terrible economic conditions combined to create political disagreements, which often ended in violence. Nicholls was a member of the Democratic Party, which competed with the Republican Party for political control of the state. By the time

Nicholls was elected to his second term as governor in 1888, the Democrats had taken firm control of the state’s political system. Southern Democrats, who were committed to segregation between the races, controlled the state’s political system for most of the next century During his second term, Governor Nicholls fought hard to end corruption in business and politics. He also oversaw the passage of laws that formalized social separation between the races. After his second term ended, Nicholls became a member of the Louisiana Supreme Court. He served there until 1911, and died in 1912 at age seventy-seven. 

Nicholls lived through eventful and often violent times. Like many Americans, he suffered deeply as a result of the war, but Nicholls carried on and remained willing to serve his state. As governor, he tried to find solutions to social, political, and economic problems that had no simple answers. In this chapter, we will explore the years between the end of the Civil War and 1880. We will learn how the interests of former Confederates who were Democrats clashed with the wishes of former slaves and their Republican allies. We will also examine several events of national significance that took place in Louisiana. Finally, we will review the actions politicians and citizens took as Louisiana reentered the nation, and the state moved forward under greatly changed circumstances.

Multiple Choice

What profession did Francis T. Nicholls practice before the war?

• Doctor

• Lawyer

• Artist

• Boat Captain

Multiple Select

What parts of Nicholl's body were amputated as a result of his service in the Civil War?

• Left Foot

• Head

• Right Leg

• Left Arm

Multiple Choice

Nicholls became governor of Louisiana the same year..........

• That Lincoln was assassinated

• That Grant surrendered to Lee

• That Lee Surrendered to Grant

• That federal troops were removed from Louisiana

Multiple Choice

Nicholls was a Southern Democrat, what was the goal of Southern Democrats

• Integration

• Reunification

• Segregation

• repatriotnation

Reconstruction

Reconstruction is the name given to the period between the end of the Civil War and 1877, the year the federal government withdrew its last troops from the South. The term is used to describe attempts to reconstruct the nation, or put it back together, after secession and civil war. Reconstruction included decisions about how and under what terms to bring the states and the people of the defeated Confederacy back into the Union. The fate and legal status of the freedmen (the name given to freed slaves) also played an important role in the social and political debates of the era. Multiple laws were adopted and three amendments were added to the U.S. Constitution in an attempt to create social and political equality for the freed people. When Reconstruction came to an end, the problem of how the former slaves should be treated remained unresolved.

The reconstruction Amendments

Thirteenth Amendment Ratified December 6, 1865 Section 1: Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.

Fourteenth Amendment Ratified July 9, 1868 Section 1: All persons born or naturalized in the United States and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.

Fifteenth Amendment Ratified February 3, 1870 Section 1: The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.

As with many periods in the nation’s history, Louisiana’s history during Reconstruction has unique and significant aspects. First, because New Orleans and much of South Louisiana were occupied by Union troops early in the war, the state had a longer period of Reconstruction than any other state. Second, because of its early military occupation, federal officials saw Louisiana as a testing ground for policies designed to bring rebel states back into the nation swiftly and successfully. Third, several events that took place inside the state attracted national attention and had an impact on the Reconstruction process at the national level.

Multiple Choice

The name given to the period between the end of the Civil War and 1877, the year the federal government withdrew its last troops from the South. The term is used to describe attempts to put the nation back together, after secession and civil war

• Emancipation

• Reconciliation

• Reconstruction

• Revival

Multiple Choice

The Amendment that made the former Slaves citizens

• 13th

• 15th

• 14th

• 12th

Multiple Choice

The Amendment that ended slavery

• 13th

• 15th

• 14th

• 12th

Multiple Choice

The Amendment that gave the former slaves the right to vote.

• 13th

• 15th

• 14th

• 12th

Presidential Reconstruction

President Lincoln devised and introduced a plan in late 1863 that has come to be known as the ten percent plan. Under its terms, once ten percent of the number of men who voted in the 1860 election swore a loyalty oath to the Union, a state was allowed to form a new government, elect representatives to Congress, write a new constitution, and return to the Union. In addition, the state had to agree to accept the abolition of slavery and promise not to provide any compensation (payment, rewards) to former slaveholders.

Many members of Congress felt these terms were too forgiving. This political faction felt the people of the South should be punished for seceding and, in their view, causing the war. Congressmen who held these views were called congressional radicals or Radical Republicans. Despite congressional opposition to Lincoln’s plan, Louisiana met the ten percent requirement and held an election in early 1864. Michael Hahn, a German immigrant, Union loyalist, and Republican was elected governor. He and other newly elected officials moved quickly to form a state government and adopt a new constitution. The Louisiana Constitution of 1864 acknowledged the end of slavery, but it did not give the vote to former slaves or even to men of color who had been free before the war

Many former free people of color resented being denied the vote. A delegation of well-educated free men of color from Louisiana actually visited President Lincoln in 1864 and stated their case. The United States Congress was more determined than the president to punish the states that seceded. Despite the election of a government and adoption of a new constitution, Congress refused to recognize or seat the new delegation from reconstructed Louisiana. 

Multiple Choice

Lincoln's plan for reconstruction was known as the ______ plan

• 10%

• reconstruction

• 25%

• The Radical

Multiple Select

once ten percent of the number of men who voted in the 1860 election swore a loyalty oath to the Union, a state was allowed to , , and

• return to the Union

• submit their old constitution

• form a new government

• elect representatives to Congress

Multiple Select

What other two things did the states have to agree to before being allowed back into the Union

• accept the abolition of slavery

• Pay the slaveholders for the value of the slaves

• Pass Black Codes

• promise not to provide any compensation (payment, rewards) to former slaveholders

Multiple Choice

Political faction that felt Lincoln's plan went too easy on the south and the people of the South should be punished for seceding and, in their view, causing the war.

• Southern Democrats

• Reconstruction Republicans

• War Hawks

• Radical Republicans

Multiple Choice

Michael Hahn, a German immigrant, Union loyalist, and was elected governor. What was his political party?

• Copperhead

• Republican

• Southern Democrat

• Dempocrat

Multiple Choice

The Louisiana Constitution of 1864 acknowledged the end of slavery, but it did not

• Allow former confederate officers the right to vote

• Provide for segregation

• Give the vote to former slaves or even to men of color who had been free before the war

• End slavery

Multiple Choice

How did Congress react to Louisiana coming back into the Union?

• Congress refused to recognize or seat the new delegation from reconstructed Louisiana.

• They welcomed them back with open arms

• They were still mad but accepted that they had met the requirements

• They allowed to be in the Senate but not in the house.

Open Ended

What is reconstruction ? and why were some republicans against Lincoln's 10% plan?

Just for Fun

Abraham Lincoln was elected to Congress in 1846.

John F. Kennedy was elected to Congress in 1946.

Abraham Lincoln was elected President in 1860.

John F. Kennedy was elected President in 1960.

The names Lincoln and Kennedy each contain seven letters.

Both were particularly concerned with civil rights.

Both wives lost their children while living in the White House.

Both Presidents were shot on a Friday.

Both were shot in the head.

Lincoln’s secretary, Kennedy, warned him not to go to the theatre.

Kennedy’s secretary, Lincoln, warned him not to go to Dallas.

Both were assassinated by Southerners.

Both were succeeded by Southerners.

Both successors were named Johnson.

Andrew Johnson, who succeeded Lincoln, was born in 1808.

Lyndon Johnson, who succeeded Kennedy, was born in 1908.

John Wilkes Booth was born in 1839.

Lee Harvey Oswald was born in 1939.

Both assassins were known by their three names.

Both names are comprised of fifteen letters.

Booth ran from the theater and was caught in a warehouse.

Oswald ran from a warehouse and was caught in a theater.

Booth and Oswald were assassinated before their trials.

Open Ended

What did you think about the coincidences between the two?

President Johnson and Reconstruction

When the war ended in 1865, the radical element of Congress continued to gain power. After Lincoln was assassinated, his vice president, Andrew Johnson from Tennessee, became president of the still-divided nation. Like Lincoln, Johnson preferred quick reintegration of the rebel states rather than punishment. In fact, because he pardoned large numbers of former Confederates, his opponents in Congress accused him of giving in to the South. There was some merit to those claims because the presidential pardons made it possible for former Confederates to regain their property and reenter politics. They were able to retake control of state legislatures, including Louisiana’s.

Members of Congress became so angry with Johnson that they brought him to trial on impeachment charges before the U.S. Senate. Impeachment is the process of bringing charges of wrongdoing against a public official while that official is still in office. President Johnson avoided being forced out of office by a one-vote margin.

Multiple Choice

After Lincoln was assassinated, his vice president, ____________ __________from Tennessee, became president

• Andrew Johnson

• John Kennedy

• Martin Luther King

• Ulysses Grant

Multiple Choice

What did Congress accuse Johnson of ?

• being too hard on the South

• Stealing Money from the freeman's bureau

• giving in to the South

• Giving land to his friends

Multiple Choice

How did Congress act on their dissatisfaction with Johnson?

• They Vetoed every bill he proposed

• They tried to Impeach him

• They refused to attend his addresses to the nation

• They encouraged others to run for congress.

Multiple Choice

The process of bringing charges of wrongdoing against a public official while that official is still in office

• eradication

• Emancipation

• Abolition

• Impeachment

The Freedmen’s Bureau

In the South, debates also raged about how the newly freed slaves should be treated and what rights they should have. In the hope of resolving problems related to the freed slaves and to white southern refugees, the federal government established the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, commonly known as the Freedmen’s Bureau. The Bureau provided emergency relief to poor southerners, both white and black. Bureau representatives established schools for the former slaves, most of whom were illiterate (unable to read). They also performed marriages between newly freed slaves who wanted their relationships to be legal for the first time.

The Bureau’s central focus was on trying to reestablish and regulate labor relations between former slaves and former masters in the postslavery economic system. One visitor to Louisiana observed that the Freedmen’s Bureau had been established “for the laudable purpose of protecting the newly emancipated slaves and regulating their relations with their former masters. . . Theoretically this is very fine. In practice it is a failure.” 

Multiple Choice

Bureau that provided emergency relief to poor southerners, both white and black

• Black Codes

• Freeman's Bureau

• The Jim Dandy Bureau

• Jim Crow Bureau

Multiple Select

Bureau representatives did which of the following?

• established schools for the former slaves

• Birth babies

• Performed marriages between newly freed slaves who wanted their relationships to be legal for the first time.

• Adopted African American Babies

Multiple Choice

What was the central focus of the freeman's Bureau?

• Making sure that the former slaves had the right to vote

• reestablish and regulate labor relations between former slaves and former masters

• Building housing for the former slaves

• Setting up the NAACP

Postwar Black Codes

Many southern states took questions of labor regulation into their own hands. They passed new laws designed to regulate the labor, movements, and even the behavior of former slaves. These laws, called Black Codes, placed strict conditions on the freed people. Freedmen were required to sign a contract promising to work for a single employer for a full year. Entire families were included in the contract and were required to work alongside the husband or father. Under the terms of these Black Codes, if a freed person did not sign a contract, he was subject to being arrested and jailed on charges of vagrancy (having no steady job or residence). Passage of Black Codes in most states of the former Confederacy, including Louisiana in 1865, created a strong backlash from northerners.

They saw the new codes as a way to re-create a situation of servitude that was similar to slavery in many ways. The newly passed Black Codes convinced radicals in Congress they had to pass harsh legislation to protect the freedmen and to punish southerners. They saw the southerners as being neither sorry for their actions nor willing to accept a postslavery society and economy

Multiple Choice

Laws passed in the South designed to regulate the labor, movements, and even the behavior of former slaves. These laws placed strict conditions on the freed people.

• Jim Crow Laws

• Freeman's Codes

• Literacy laws

• Black Codes

Multiple Choice

What would happen if a former slave did not sign a contract to work for someone?

• He was subject to being arrested and jailed on charges of vagrancy

• They were beaten

• They lost all their property

• They could be returned to slavery

The Mechanics’ Institute Riot

Labor was not the only hot-button issue of the time. The issue of whether former slaves should be given full citizenship rights, including the vote, caused strong reactions in Louisiana and in Congress. The 1864 Louisiana Constitution included a clause that allowed for later consideration of amendments. These future amendments could possibly address expanding the franchise to men of color who were literate, owned property, or had fought for the Union. Republican politicians and citizens were willing to and stood to benefit politically from granting freedmen the vote. They called for a meeting to consider the question. 

Approximately 25 white Republicans gathered on July 30, 1866, in a New Orleans building called the Mechanics’ Institute, which was then being used as the statehouse. By the time the meeting was scheduled to begin at noon, several hundred people had gathered in the streets outside. At least 200 former slaves were marching in a parade toward the Mechanics’ Institute to show support for adoption of amendments that would give them the vote. Former Confederates, most of whom were members of the Democratic Party, were also gathered outside the building. Around 1:00 p.m., the two groups came together and began to insult each other. At least one shot was fired from each side, setting off the full-scale Mechanics’ Institute Riot. 

Many of the poorly armed freedmen scattered. The white mob’s focus moved toward the Institute where the delegates remained and some of the freedmen had fled. The white Republican delegates and mostly unarmed African Americans tried to keep the mob outside. But the furious men, many of them police or firemen, charged the building repeatedly. When they finally broke inside, they began to attack those in the hall, even though at least one of the delegates was waving a white handkerchief as a sign of surrender. When the fighting ended, at least 37 supporters of the convention were dead. Three were white Republicans. The other 34 were African Americans. More than 140 other men in or near the hall were injured, including former governor Michael Hahn.

. Despite the very public nature of the event, no one was ever arrested or charged in the deaths. Outside Louisiana, however, reaction was very strong. The event was written about in newspapers and magazines all over the country. The 1866 Mechanics’ Institute Riot, which one newspaper called “an absolute massacre,” galvanized (stirred up) public opinion in the North and led to the election of additional Radical Republicans to Congress in the next election. As a result, the Republicans could pass stricter legislation that would force the South to give the freedmen civil rights and the vote. Even when President Johnson vetoed their legislation, they had enough votes to override the veto. 

Multiple Choice

Which is the most likely reason why Republicans were more in favor of giving the former slaves the right to vote in Louisiana?

• The Former slaves were more likely to vote for Republican Candidates.

• The Former slaves were more likely to vote for Democrats

• The former slave's would become office holders themselves

• The former slaves would join the U.S. Military in case of another Civil War.

Multiple Choice

What was the Mechanics institute?

• A building in New Orleans where a convention was held to consider giving African Americans 40 acres each and a mule

• A building in New Orleans where a convention was held to celebrate African American independence.

• A building in New Orleans where a convention was held to consider giving African Americans in Louisiana the right to vote.

• A storehouse for munitions that were seized by African Americans and a riot ensued.

Multiple Choice

What best describes what happen at the Mechanics institute?

• Mechanics rioted because of low wages

• Citizens against giving African Americans the right to vote in Louisiana broke into the convention and killed 37 supporters of giving the right to vote to African Americans.

• Citizens for giving African Americans the right to vote in Louisiana broke into the convention and killed 37 non supporters of giving the right to vote to African Americans.

• The U.S. Military was called in to keep the peace between those that supported African American voting and those that did not. The soldiers fired and killed five men.

Multiple Choice

As a result of the riot at the Mechanics institute what happen to the people responsible for injuring and killing convention members?

• No one was charged but five were hanged by angry mobs

• No one was charged or arrested

• All the members of the group responsible for the killing were given a public execution

• The police were arrested five of their own responsible for the riot

Multiple Select

What happen to congress as a result of the Mechanics Institute Riot?

• More Democrats were elected to Congress

• More Radical Republicans were elected t congress

• Fewer Laws were passed favoring African American voting

• Congress passed stronger laws protecting the rights of African Americans

Open Ended

Summarize the story of the Mechanics institute riot in New Orleans.