1. Reconstruction Era
(1867-1877)
Reconstruction: refers to the period following the Civil War
when the southern states were rebuilt and new political
gains emerged for African Americans.
2. Problems following the Civil War
Northern States Southern States
Lost largest number of Cities in ruins
soldiers Money worthless
Factories closed Bitter feeling
Government canceled Bridges and Railroad
work orders destroyed
Returning soldiers needed Farmland was burned
jobs Lost political influence
3. Ruins in Richmond Ruins of Haxall's Flour Mill in Richmond, Virginia. When Union
forces entered the Confederate capital on April 3, 1865, they found much of the city destroyed
by fire.
5. Plans for Reconstruction
Three plans had emerged at the conclusion of the
Civil War to help rebuild the southern states:
Lincoln’s Plan
(Ten Percent)
Johnson’s Plan
Radical Republicans
(Congressional Reconstruction Act of 1867)
6. Lincoln’s Ten Percent Plan
Goal:
achieve a complete and unified Union
peaceful nation instead of a fighting one
Main Ideas:
(1) all southerners, except high-ranking Confederate political and
military officials, would be pardoned and regain citizenship when
they took an oath to support the Constitution and the emancipation
of slaves
(2) when ten percent of the voters in a state took this oath they could
establish a legal government that would be recognized by the
President
* Wanted to take it easy on southern states
* Battled with Congress
7. Assassination of President Abraham Lincoln
Lincoln would never see
his plan take action:
On the evening of April 14,
1865, while attending a
special performance of the
comedy, "Our American
Cousin,“ at Ford’s Theater,
President Abraham
Lincoln was shot
The assassin, John Wilkes
Booth, a disgruntled actor
8. Johnson’s Plan
Vice President Andrew Johnson became President
following Abraham Lincoln’s assassination
Agreed with Lincoln’s Plan, however Johnson’s Plan
was stricter
Ideas:
Pardons would be granted to those taking a loyalty of oath to
uphold the Constitution
No pardons would be available to high Confederate officials
A state needed to abolish slavery before being readmitted
A state was required to repeal its secession ordinance before
being readmitted.
9. Impeachment of President Andrew Johnson
Congress wanted harsher terms for Reconstruction
President Andrew Johnson disagreed with
congressional views on Reconstruction
Congress determined that President Andrew
Johnson had violated the recent Tenure of Office Act
and prompted the Republican-controlled House to
impeach the president
The Senate fell short of their impeachment process
by one vote, however Johnson’s political influence
was gone
10. Radical Republicans
Congressional Military Reconstruction Act of 1867
Ideas:
Organized the south into five military districts
The states had to have a military leader from the north
No state could return to civilian rule and be readmitted to the
Union until white and black voters framed a constitution that
guaranteed suffrage to African Americans and ratified the
Fourteenth Amendment.
Act banned confederate leaders from voting, and any who
didn't pledge their allegiance to the U.S.
12. JIM CROW LAWS
Any law passed with the intention of
keeping Blacks and Whites segregated
1830- first law passed in
Massachusetts which allowed railroad
companies to segregate train cars
13. Jim Crow Laws
Poll Tax – Must pay to vote.
Literacy Test – Must pass a test to vote.
Grandfather Clause – If your grandfather could not
vote then you can not.
14. Plessy v Ferguson
Supreme Court
ruled that
segregation was
legal in the
United States
“separate-but-
equal”
15. Booker T Washington
Born as a slave in
1856
studied at
Hampton
University 1872
Founded Tuskegee
Institute in 1881
