Congressional Reconstruction

Johnson's Reconstruction

Johnson was the current democratic president of the united states. His reconstruction plan abolished slavery but did not give African Americans rights. He did not want any amendments to give them equal rights to whites. However since the congress was mostly made up of Radicals they impeached him. Even though he was npt removed from office served his remaining time with no real power and the radicals passed the amendments which gave blacks civil rights.

Black Codes

Black codes were lawss that restricted freemens' rights. These codes established virtual slavery with laws such as these: Black men were not allowed to met after sunset. Also freemen who did not work could be fined, whipped or sold for a year's labor.Plus freemen had to sign contracts that lasted a year and if they quit in the middle of their contract they lost the wages they earned. Finally, Blacks were not allowed to rent land or homes except in rural areas.

14&15 Amendments

The congress passed an amendment called the Fourteenth Amendment which said that ALL persons born in the US had rights and no states could deprive them of thesse rights without dew process of law. The fifteen amendment was added much later in the constitution and it stated that no citizen of the US may be denied the right to vote on account og race or color. Both these amendments were passed because of the Radical Republicans, who thought African Americans and Whites should have the same rights and opportunities.

Radical Reconstruction

The radical republicans are a political party that believed that blacks should have true equality. They were very influential and disagreed with the democratic president (Johnson). The radical's goal was to grant African Americans their civil rights. However the current president did not and he urged states to not ratify the 14th amendment that granted the blacks their rights. The north responded by putting many Radical Republicans into Congress, this let them put ther reconstruction plan into action. First made the south into five districts which was each governed by a northern general. Next it let both white AND black men vote. Also it ordered stated to hold new elections for theri state constitutions. It temporarily did not allow those who had supported the Confederacy to vote . Finally it required all citizens to be equal and it ratifies the 14th amendment.

Carpetbagger

This was what the southerners called the northerners who moved to the south after the war. They reffered to them as that because they thought that tehse men came to make profit out of the south's misery. This reffers to a type of cheap suitcases made from carpet scraped. However, historians believe that most men who moved south were honest educated men who were either freemen or union soldiers or freedmen bereau officials.

Scalawags

Scalawags is originally a Scottish word meaning "scrawny cattle". It was used to name white southern republican because they were believed to be taitors. The scalawags usually included Wigs which were opposed to the secession and farmers who resented the planter class. Many southners resented the scalawags, carpetbagger and feedmen's power. They also thought reconstruction legislatures were incometent. But it is believed that thesse officials were no worse than in other regions of the country at that time.

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THE UNITED STATES ENTER A PERIOD OF RECONSTRUCTION

When the war ended, people still suffered from the destruction it had left. The war had destroyed the south’s shipping industry and most of its railroads. It had devoured farms and farm machinery. It had ruined factories, cities and ports. Basically, it had destroyed most of the southern income. The southerners were left with nothing. Most of the plantation owners had worthless confederate money and could not afford to hire workers. Some even had to sell their lands to be able to pay their debts. However poor white smoothers didn’t have land to sell, plus they couldn’t find jobs because of the competition from freedmen. Most had to resort to move to frontier lands.
Lincoln had made a plan called the reconstruction plan to help the south acquire the north’s pardon and to have a say in the union’s government again. This plan stated that any confederate could take an oath of allegiance to the Union and gain the south’s pardon, except if this southerner had killed African American war prisoners. It also permitted each state to write its constitution if it had 10 percent of the voters who had taken the oath. Finally, the plan stated that southern states would resume full participation in the union and its government. However Lincoln’s plan was vetoed and never put into practice. Yet, after his death, his democrat vice president, Andrew Johnson took the presidency and made a new reconstruction plan based on Lincoln’s. Except this construction plan was more forgiving toward the south. Also it required all states to abolish slavery and all slaves to be free.
Although the African American population was free, life was very hard for them. Some African American’s went to search for their families which had been torn apart by white slave sellers, but most could not find them. Others choose to continue working for their former masters. Still, most ventured out to try and find jobs. This task was very hard because most of the slaves were illiterate and the job competition was very hard. Many freemen found themselves homeless, jobless and hungry. Most slaves could not afford to buy land and President Johnson refused to redistribute the land many of the slaves’ ancestors had worked on (the southern lands). Nevertheless, those who could afford land sold it to other freemen to try and help them. Prior to Lincoln’s death the freedmen bureau helped black southerners adjust to freedom by giving them clothing, medical supplies and meals. Also they gave more than 250,000 blacks a formal education. Unfortunately, this agency lacked a strong support in the congress especially after Lincoln’s death. Therefore the agency was dismantled.
The period of reconstruction is very hard on white southerners and especially hard on black freemen because even though they are free they still don’t have the same rights as the white men. The civil war had destroyed so many resources that it was hard for a man to make a living in the south after the war. However, the government tried to aid the south by accepting their forgiveness and not punishing them for their crimes. Still it was hard for many people to gain money in this terrible period of reconstruction.