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In December 1863, Lincoln talked about "Reconstruction," or rebuilding after the war. He set forth his plan and offered a general amnesty to all Southerners that agreed to take an oath of loyalty.
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The radicals did not want leaders of the confederacy to return to power after war. One of their goals was to get the federal government to help African Americans gain some political power.
(In picture: Thaddeus Stevens a radicl republican) -
In the summer of 1864, moderate republicans and radical republicans agreed to a reconstruction plan called the Davis Bill. Lincoln stopped this plan with a pocket veto.
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Lincoln was assasinated on the night of April 14th, 1865, while attending a play. He was shot in the head by John Wilkes Booth, and he died the next morning.
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Andrew Johnson took over after Lincoln's death. In May 1865, he began his restoration program and issued a new proclamation of amnesty.
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Freedmen's Bureau was created to feed and clothe war refugees in the South. In September of 1865, the plan prevented mass starvation.
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"Black Codes" were issued that severely limited African American rights in the South. Also, the new elections of previous confederates to congress angered the Republicans.
(Pictured: A black man being attacked and beaten during an apprenticeship) -
In late 1865, House and Senate Republicans joined forces and came up with The Committee of Reconstruction. They wanted their own ways of rebuilding the union.
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Congress passed the Civil Rights Act of 1866 to override the black codes. The law newly allowed African Americans to own property and be treated equally in court.
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Republicans added the Fourteenth Amendment to the constitution. It granted citizenship to anyone born or naturalized in the U.S.
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The election was coming up and more violence occoured in the South. Mobs broke out, but in the end the Republicans won.
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In March of 1867, The Military Reconstruction Act was created and wiped out all of Johnson's plans. The plan split up the Confederacy.
(The picture represents the five military districts that the Confederacy was split into) -
The Tenure of Office Act was created to prevent Johnson from winning the election. On February 21, 1868, Johnson fired on Stanton to stop this new act.
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Senate overruled Johnson accusing him guilty of crimes and misdemeanors. He finished his term with no more trouble and did not run again.
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Congress passed the fifteenth amendment. For the first time, African Americans were brought into the political office.
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In late 1870, former confederates rejoined the Union to begin the Congressional Reconstruction Plan. Republican Party took power and introduced many new reforms.
(The picture represents putting things back in order with the reforms) -
Carpetbaggers flowed into the South and were sometimes accused of being intruders. Another hated, diverse group was the Scalawags. They were white Southerners who worked with the Republicans and supported Reconstruction.
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Formerly enslaved people began taking part in the governing of the South. African Americans could now vote and many even became legislatures and administrators on many levels of government.
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Newly elected Republicans governments repealed the Black Codes and quickly made reforms in the South. Hospitals, orphanges, and mental institutions were among some of the reforms.
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Now free, African Americans went out to get an education. Also, they began establishing their own churches.
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In Grant's first term of office, he sat back and let Congress take control. The Republican Congress created "sin taxes" on alcohol and tobacco, while they were taking over for Grant.
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Liberal Republicans and Democrats were concerned that the men in the office weren't there for the right reasons. In 1872, they nominated Horace Greeley to take over.
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Many political scandals followed. In 1873 a wave of fear known as "The Panic of 1873" spread in the nation's financial community.
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By 1876, much time had passed and the Democrats had taken over all of the Southern state's legislatures. In these states, African American voters were able to keep Republicans in power.
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Rutherford B. Hayes took place of Grant in 1876. In April 1877, the Compromise of 1877 was settled and Hayes pulled the federal troops out of the South. This ended Reconstruction.
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After Reconstruction ended, new industries appeared and an alliance formed between white Southerners and Northern financiers. Many African Americans resumed jobs as tenant farmers and sharecroppers.
(Pictured: African American sharecroppers)
