Reconstruction

By the end of this lesson, you will be able to describe the political struggle over Reconstruction, explain the achievements and failures of the Reconstruction era, and analyze why Reconstruction ended and what its legacy has been.

The Question of Reconstruction

The Civil War ended in April 1865. Four questions immediately arose:

1. On what terms would Confederate states rejoin the Union?
2. What rights would formerly enslaved people have?
3. Who would control Reconstruction — Congress or the president?
4. Who would pay for rebuilding the South?

Presidential Reconstruction (1865–1866)

Lincoln's Plan ("10% Plan"): when 10% of a state's 1860 voters swore loyalty, the state could form a new government; former Confederates could be pardoned; no mention of Black rights.

Andrew Johnson (president after Lincoln's assassination):

• Johnson was a Tennessee Democrat who had stayed loyal to the Union — not an abolitionist
• His Reconstruction plan: amnesty for former Confederates; Southern states could rejoin if they ratified the 13th Amendment (abolishing slavery) — no Black rights required
• Vetoed the Civil Rights Act of 1866; Congress overrode his vetoes

Southern response under Johnson's plan:

• Former Confederate leaders returned to Congress
• Southern states passed Black Codes — laws designed to return Black freedpeople to near-slavery:
  • Required Black workers to sign annual labor contracts (vagrancy laws jailed those who didn't)
  • Restricted movement, forbade owning firearms, prohibited jury service
  • Established apprenticeship systems that bound Black children to white employers

Radical Reconstruction (1867–1877)

Congress, controlled by Radical Republicans, was furious. They took control of Reconstruction:

14th Amendment (1868): all persons born or naturalized in the US are citizens; no state can deny equal protection of the laws; due process required. Overturned Dred Scott decision; most consequential amendment in American history (applied to nearly every later civil rights case).

15th Amendment (1870): right to vote cannot be denied on account of race.

Reconstruction Acts (1867): South divided into five military districts; states had to ratify 14th Amendment and guarantee Black male suffrage to be readmitted.

Freedmen's Bureau (1865–1872): federal agency providing food, clothing, healthcare, education, legal assistance to freedpeople and poor whites. Established hundreds of schools — including historically Black colleges (Howard University, Fisk University).