US Reconstruction Era: Amendments, Freedmen's Bureau, and Political Conflict

The Freedmen's Bureau and Its Legacy

• Established by Congress.
• Served as an early welfare agency.
• Led by General Oliver O. Howard.
• Achieved significant success in education, teaching formerly enslaved people to read.
• Suffered from poor land distribution policies (the promise of "40 acres and a mule" was largely unfulfilled).

Lincoln's Ten Percent Plan (10% Plan)

• A key Reconstruction plan proposed by President Lincoln.
• Required 10% of the state's voters from the 1860 election to take an oath of allegiance to the U.S. and abide by emancipation.

The Black Codes: Regulating Freedmen's Lives

• Laws enacted in the South to regulate the affairs of freed Black citizens.
• Designed to ensure a stable and subservient labor force.
• Severely oppressed the ideal of freedom for formerly enslaved people.
• Created an ugly impression in the North, fueling Radical Republican opposition.

Reconstruction Amendments: Abolition to Suffrage

These amendments fundamentally changed the U.S. Constitution, moving from the abolition of slavery to granting Black men the right to vote:

• The Thirteenth Amendment (13^th Amendment)
• The Fourteenth Amendment (14^th Amendment)
• The Fifteenth Amendment (15^th Amendment)

The Thirteenth Amendment (13th Amendment)

• Officially abolished slavery throughout the United States.

The Fourteenth Amendment (14th Amendment)

• Granted citizenship to all persons born or naturalized in the United States (including former slaves).
• Reduced the representation of any state in Congress and the Electoral College if it denied the ballot to any adult male inhabitants.
• Disqualified former Confederates who, as federal officeholders, had once sworn to support the U.S. Constitution, from holding federal or state office.
• Guaranteed the federal debt while explicitly repudiating all Confederate debts.

The Fifteenth Amendment (15th Amendment)

• Proposed in 1869, ratified in 1870.
• Secured the Black male vote (suffrage).
• Notably, this was the first time the word "men" appeared in the Constitution regarding voting rights.

The Rise of the Redeemers and Home Rule

When Northern troops withdrew from the South, conservative Southern Democrats, known as the Redeemers, took control, leading to the restoration of "home rule."

• Redeemers: Southern Democrats who sought to regain control of state governments from Republican and Black coalitions.
• Home Rule: The return of local, conservative Southern control, often leading to the suppression of Black rights.

Carpetbaggers and Scalawags in the South

Both groups were often accused of taking advantage of the South's post-war devastation during Reconstruction:

• Carpetbaggers: Northerners who moved to the South during Reconstruction, often seeking personal gain or political power.
• Scalawags: White Southerners who cooperated politically with Black freedmen and Northern newcomers (Republicans).

The Ku Klux Klan (KKK) and Radical Rule

• Known as the "Invisible Empire of the South."
• Founded in Tennessee in 1866.
• Used savage measures and intimidation against Radical Republican rule and Black citizens.

Seward's Folly: The Purchase of Alaska

• The acquisition of Alaska from Russia in 1867.
• Negotiated by Secretary of State William Seward.
• Initially mocked by critics as "Seward's Icebox" or "Seward's Folly."

Key Radical Republicans in Congress

• Senator Charles Sumner (Massachusetts)
• Representative Thaddeus Stevens (Pennsylvania)

Advocates for Black Emancipation and Suffrage

Prominent figures who worked tirelessly for emancipation and rights, often clashing over the 15th Amendment's exclusion of women:

• Elizabeth Cady Stanton
• Susan B. Anthony

Andrew Johnson: A Misfit President

• Apprenticed to a tailor at age 10.
• A Democrat from Tennessee.
• Largely self-taught.
• Known for his honesty.
• An effective speaker.
• Did not fully understand the Northern political climate.
• Distrusted by the South.
• Not accepted by Republicans.
• Ultimately viewed as a misfit as president.
• Often summarized as the "wrong person, wrong place, wrong time."

The Critical 1866 Congressional Elections

• These midterm elections resulted in Republicans gaining a veto-proof majority in Congress.
• President Johnson attempted to influence the elections through public speeches, which ultimately backfired ("blew up in his face").
• Johnson faced public heckling and ridicule while campaigning to support his views.

The Three-Fifths Compromise Context

Although predating Reconstruction, the compromise became relevant when considering Southern representation post-slavery:

• Historically counted enslaved Black people as three-fifths of a person for purposes of representation.
• The abolition of slavery meant the South would gain more seats in the House unless the 14th Amendment's provisions were enforced.

Extremism During Reconstruction

Two major examples of extreme measures taken during the Reconstruction period:

• The Ku Klux Klan (KKK)
• The Black Codes