To what degree were Republican governments in the South, in the period between 1865 and 1877, able to bring about political, economic and social reforms?
Thesis: The Republican governments in the South during the Reconstruction era between 1865 and 1877 were able to bring about great political, economic and social reforms to a great degree.
POLITICAL
The political approaches to Reconstruction brought about political reforms to a limited degree.
- “10 percent” Reconstruction plan.
o Decreed that state could be reintegrated into Union when 10% of voters take oath of allegiance.
o Opposition within the Republicans who feared restoration of planer aristocracy would mean possible re-enslavement of blacks.
§ TF Republicans passed the Wade-Davis Bill but failed to pass.
§ Conflict between Radical Republicans and moderate republicans, including Thaddeus Stevens in the House and Charles Sumner in the Senate believing that Lincoln did not adequately punish the South.
o Radical Republicans favored vengeful approach to Reconstruction
§ Hated by white southerners.
- Johnson would not prove to help the Radical Republicans in his racist views, issuing his own Reconstruction proclamation.
o Disfranchised certain leading Confederations in South
o Called for special state conventions which were required to repeal ordinances of secession, repudiating all Confederate debts and to ratify the 13th Amendment
- 10% previously barred high-ranking rebel officials from taking oath and participating in new government.
o HV Johnson pardoned many of Southern elite and allowed them to be elected to Congress – political reform.
§ Included Alexander Stephens elected to Congress, preventing the social change that Radical Republicans wanted.
§ The southern whites moved towards Redemption where Democrats would retake control of southern governments at the end of Reconstruction in 1877
· Led to no social change as a result of high-ranking CSA officials, unrepentant, elected to Congress.
Southern resistance prevented reforms from working to a larger degree
- Southern states refused to ratify 13th Amendment
o 13th Amendment (end of slavery) would still be ratified when enough other states did in 1865.
- Ku Klux Klan racist organization formed as well as the White League to intimidate blacks and liberal whites and keeping blacks from the poles.
o Increasing rates of lynching.
o Grandfather Claus which virtually disfranchised all blacks, Literacy Test which was extremely biased in favor of whites, virtually keeping blacks away from the polls, and the poll tax which was extremely biased in favor of whites.
Political reform only in writing and not in thought
- Reconstruction shaped by 3 stages.
o Lincoln and Johnson, through Executive Powers, would restore the 11 ex-Confed states, the “sinful eleven”.
- Was political reform though did not decrease anti-black sentiment through the methods mentioned above.
o Stage 2 and Stage 3 would have Congress, then Southern Conservatives dominate and take back control of their states with a result of loss of liberty of blacks.
- By the Hayes-Tilden Election in 1876 where backdoor agreements led to end of Reconstruction.
- Without federal intervention, Reedemer governments would dominate and revoke many of rights previously available to blacks.
- Reconstruction Act which separated South into 5 military districts.
o Ex parte Milligan (1866) would reduce powers of the military tribunals (any relevance)
o Temporarily disfranchised many former Confeds.
o However as soon as military would leave and the government would pass in the hands of Redeemers, the anti-black sentiment would be there once more.
- Successes:
o All Southern men allowed to vote
o More democracy as previously appointed positions become elected.
o For a limited time, blacks serving in southern governments.
o 13th, 14th, 15th Amendment first steps in securing political rights for blacks.
- Frederick Douglass rejoiced “What a country – fortunate in its institutions, in its 15th Amendment, in its future”
o HV with KKK and racist groups, national politics and racist groups prevented them from voting.
Led to temporary reform of political rights of the blacks
- High voter turnouts due to close political competition – increased public concern for governmental policies.
o 80% of eligible voters voted.
- Black voters organized into Union League, where freedmen turned League into educating members in civic duties, campaigned for Republican candidates.
o Hiram Revels and Blanche K. Bruce would be blacks elected to senate.
o Blacks now counted as 5/5ths of person, means 12 more votes in Congress and 12 more presidential electoral votes.
§ Grant would win because of 500,000 black votes in the South.
ECONOMIC
- Reconstruction did nothing to redistribute wealth or change ante-bellum power structure.
o Blacks freed but did not have any capital or trade.
o Exchanged slavery for share-cropping and crop-lein system.
§ Blacks would forever be in debt to his owner sells the black his items at the highest prices, is charged more for the use of one acre of land than what the market price would offer, and would pay in shop orders that are worthless outside of the shop.
o Did not have the skill and as they worked for food, would lead to loss of rights and remain at the lowest level of social hierarchy.
- END of slavery
o Did nothing to redistribute wealth or to change ante-bellum power structure.
o Only 5% of blacks would own land at end of Reconstruction.
- Congress creates the Freedmen’s Bureau 1865
o Intended to be a primitive welfare agency, provided food, clothing, medical and education needs to freedmen and white refugees, increasing civil equality between them.
o “4o acres and a mule” describing how Bureau helped get southern farms back in working order, building schools and hospitals, notably Howard University and handed out free meals.
- Headed by Union General Oliver O. Howard
o Successes – taught 200,000 blacks how to read.
o HV local administrations collaborated w/ planters in expelling blacks from towns, making them sign labor contracts to work for former masters.
- White south resented bureau and Andrew Johnson who shared white-supremacist views and Johnson repeatedly tried to kill the Freedmen’s Bureau, making it expire in 1872.
o Previous had authority to resettle freed blacks on confiscated farmlands in South but efforts frustrated when Johnson pardoned Confederate owners of confiscated lands.
Social
- One of first acts of new Southern regimes sanctioned by Johnson = Black Codes
o Regulated affairs of emancipated blacks just like slave codes.
§ Started in Mississippi but would pass to Southern.
§ Aimed to establish a stable, subservient labor force.
o Dire penalties, fines made them work for the same employer for one year.
§ Often tied blacks to labor contracts.
o Forbade blacks to serve on juries, renting and leasing land, or getting a vote anywhere.
- Could spread the Black codes
o Would lower tariffs, reroute transcontinental railroad and repeal the free-farm Homestead act and even repudiate national debt.
- Could spread the Black codes.
o Conflict when Johnson vetoed bill extending controversial Freedmen’s Bureau.
- MW Republicans passed Civil Rights Bill which conferred on blacks privilege of American citizenship and struck at Black Codes
- Effects of the 14th and 15th Amendment
- Freedmen’s Bureau taught 200,000 Afircan Americans how to read before federal funding stopped in 1870.
o Johnson in 1866 vetoed a bill increasing services and protection to Freedmen’s Bureau and a civil rights bill that nullified Black Codes and guaranteed full citizenship and equal rights to blacks.
Did not change thought against the North
- Still referred to the Civil War as “the War Between the States” – reform in political thought was negligible and paved way for redemption.
o Harsh propaganda against the North
§ Scalawags, a derogatory term for southerners who cooperated w/ Reconstruction governments and carpet baggers term for northerners who came south for economic opportunities who helped run the new governments.
Derogatory terms show hostility towards North = lack of political reform.
HV under military protection by the Republicans, blacks were able to build black communities.
- By hundreds of thousands, blacks would leave white-dominated churches and go for the Black Baptist, African Methodist Episcopal Churches and gave rise to black leaders.
o Organizations helped blacks protect newly won freedom.
- Established schools for education
o Accepted from American Missionary Association.
Conclusion
- Emphasize how all would change after military reconstruction act
- Was only change in politics not thought.
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