Reconstruction

Reconstruction

1865-1876

Objectives

We will identify the political, economic, and social effects of Reconstruction.

I will identify the effects of Reconstruction in Texas.

EQ- What effects of Reconstruction affected Texas the most?

The Challenge of Rebuilding

The war had divided the country. The country needed to reunite and to help the millions of newly freed African Americans adjust to life after slavery. Leaders from the North and South needed to work together to rebuild the nation.

South is in Shambles

Most of the fighting had taken place in the South and as a result, it laid in ruins. The South's transportation system was in ruins. The end of slavery had caused the South's economy to be in ruins.

Texas at the End of the War

No big battles had been fought in Texas and Union troops did not burn towns or destroy roads as they had done in other states. The war however had left Texas with huge debt.

Juneteenth

On January 1, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln emancipated (freed) the slaves in the United States which included the southern states. Since Texas was part of the Confederacy, they ignored this proclamation (public statement). After the southern states surrendered, the U.S. government had to go throughout the South to announce that slaves were free. General Granger arrived in Galveston on Juneteenth 19, 1865, and declared that all slaves were free. Since then, Juneteenth has been celebrated by African Americans in Texas often with church-centered celebrations featuring food and fun. Today, Juneteenth is a state holiday in Texas. 

Multiple Choice

Why is Juneteenth celebrated in Texas?

• It was the day slaves found out that they had been freed

• It was the day Andrew Johnson became President

Lincoln is Assassinated

Just a few days after the Civil War is over Lincoln is assassinated.

New President

• Lincoln is assassinated and Andrew Johnson becomes president

• President Johnson is a Southerner and is way too lenient on the South

Johnson’s Plan for Reconstruction 

After the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln, Andrew Johnson, a southern democrat, became President. His plan for reconstruction was for southern states to be admitted back into the Union as quickly as possible. Johnson’s plan required states to end slavery by passing the 13th amendment, declaring that secession (to leave the Union) was illegal and cancelling all war debts. For adult white males to be able to vote again, they would have to pledge an oath of allegiance (loyalty) to the United States.

Johnson's Plan continued

To lead Texas through this process, Johnson appointed Andrew J. Hamilton as the temporary governor of Texas. His job was to implement the provisions of Reconstruction and to organize a group of delegates to begin writing a new constitution. Reconstruction in Texas would not be as easy as Johnson’s plan sounded, and it would eventually lead to his impeachment and the increased power of the “Radical Republicans”. 

Poll

Do you think Reconstruction would have been handled better if Lincoln had not been assassinated?

• Yes

• No

Growth of Tenant Farming and Sharecropping

Agriculture continued to be the most important part of the Southern economy. Freed people could not afford land so many of them became tenant farmers or people who rent land in order to grow crops. The landowners would usually receive a portion of the farmer's crop as payment for being able to use their land.

Sharecropping

Sharecroppers promise land owners even a bigger portion of their crops since they need to borrow supplies like mules, plows, and seeds.The system of tenant farming and sharecropping were not good as long as they owed money, sharecroppers and tenant farmers and their children could not leave the land.

Open Ended

Why are tenant farming and sharecropping referred to as a cycle of poverty (poorness)

Freedman's Bureau

 The Freedmen’s Bureau, was created to help former slaves adjust to freedom. The agency provided food, shelter, and medicine to former slaves. It focused primarily on helping blacks get jobs. This was a difficult task. Since most whites did not believe that former slaves should be treated as equals. One aspect of the Bureau that was successful was the creation of schools for black children. Over 100 schools were built in Texas.

Multiple Choice

The Freedman's Bureau was established to provide freed slaves .....

• food

• medicine

• shelter

• all of the above

Ku Klux Klan (KKK)

The Ku Klux Klan spread into Texas during 1868. The ideas of the KKK were based on vigilantism (one who takes the law into his own hands) and opposition to Republican rule. At first their activities consisted of parades, and midnight meetings in graveyards, but then they turned to acts of intimidation and murder. These actions were directed at freemen and white Republicans who supported the actions of the Freedmen’s Bureau.

Black Codes

The newly reconstructed government of Texas under the Johnson Plan agreed to follow the laws of the Union, but they did not support the goals of Reconstruction. In 1866, southern states began to pass laws called “Black Codes”. These laws created a separation between blacks and whites. They also prevented blacks from voting, holding public office, and serving on a jury. The passage of the Black Codes would convince the Republicans in Congress that Texas and other states had not changed and should not be readmitted into the Union. It also made them believe that the southern states should be punished for seceding. As a result, the Texas Const. of 1866 was not approved by the U.S. Congress, and Texas was not admitted back into the Union. The ideas of segregation would still continue until the 1960s. 

Multiple Choice

True or False "Black Codes" were laws passed to segregate (separate) blacks and whites.

• True

• False

The Constitution of 1876

 In 1875, Governor Richard Coke organized a constitutional convention to write another constitution. Texans would have a new constitution a year later, in 1876. The Constitution of 1876 would become the one that still governs us today. This constitution limited the powers given to the three branches of government, severely limited the power of those elected to office and a more local control to citizens. This process was effective for awhile, but by the 20 th century these provisions made it very difficult to conduct government business, and the amendment process has made it a very long document. Presently, the constitution has been amended more than 400 times. 

Open Ended

Write down one thing you learned about Reconstruction.

Poll

After the Civil War, the lives of African Americans was

• not much better

• a bit better

• alot better

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