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Lincoln Proposes Reconstruction Plan
Following the surrender by the Confederate forces at Appomattox Courthouse in Virginia, Lincoln was faced with the issue of uniting the Nation. He chose to go about this in a very leniant way which would punish the Southern states very little for seceeding. He would pardon any Confederate leader who swore loyalty to the Union. Also, states could be readmitted if 10% of their voters had sworn loyalty to the Union. Also each state had to outlaw slavery in their respective Constitututions. -
Freedmen's Bureau Set Up
Following the Emancipation Proclamation of 1863, the slaves were "freed". The freedmen's bureau was set up to help these people get on their feet initially. It provided former slaves with job training, a basic education, and job oppurtunities. It served as an early welfare program that helped many former slaves as well as a number of poor whites. This system provided these people with food, shelter, and medical attention if needed. -
Wade-Davis Bill Proposed
In response to Lincoln's very leniant plan, the Radical Republicans had a much more punishing route to reunite the country. They proposed that 50% of voter's in a state must pledge loyalty to the Union. Also only non-confederates could vote and hold offices. Lincoln refused to sign the bill because he thought it was too harsh on the South. -
First black Codes Established
The first black codes were issued in 1865 to restrict the freedoms of African Americans. The black codes included not allowing African Americans to own or borrown property. They were also forced to sign strict labor agreements that were illegal to break. Along with these, African Americans were not allowed to testify against whites in court. Also many southern states did not allow African Americans to vote. -
Johnson Proposes his plan for Reconstruction.
Andrew Johnson was a white suppremiscist from the South however he was the only congressman to remain loyal to the Union during the Civil War. Even though Johnson was from the south, he publicly hated the planter class in the south. This excited the Radical Republicans becuase it gave them hope of a strict Reconstruction Plan. Johnson's surprised everyone when he issued a very similar Reconstruction plan to Lincoln. -
Lincoln is Assinated
Theatre actor John Wilkes Boothe assassinated President Lincoln just days after the Civil War ended while he was attending a play. Andrew Johnson was Lincoln's Vice President so he took over the Presidency after Lincoln died. Andrew Johnson was a white suppremiscist from the South. Johnson's surprised everyone when he issued a very similar Reconstruction plan to Lincoln. -
13th Amendment Passed
The 13th amendment was passed as one of the stipulations for southern states to get back into the Union. The 13th amendment abolished slavery and indentured servitude. As with any law, people still chose to break it. One way around the law used by many southerners of the time was to pay African Americans very little to work and live in the fields. Their payment was having a place to live. This was practically no different than slavery. -
Union Reunited
After Johnson issued his plan for Reconstruction, the states began the quest to re-apply for statehood. Near the very end of 1865, President Andrew Johnson stated that the Southern states had met all the requirements he issued so the Nation was reunited. Because of Johnson's leniant plan, Northern congressman faced the same issues they faced before the Civil War because the same officials were re-elected back into office. After all though, the Union was reunited. -
KKK organized
The KKK was formed in 1866 by former Confederate officials and heavy believers in white supremacy. The KKK is known as the first real terrorist group in America and uses violence to help their cause. Memebers of Ku Klux Klan wear all white costumes and have a history of hangings and burning crosses in known African American areas. -
Civil RIghts Act Passed
In response to the Black Codes passed by the South, the Civil RIghts Act was passed in 1866. This act gave citizenship to African Americans and even offered some protection from the Black Codes. Republicans feared that if the Democrats regained control, this new Act woudl be repealed. For this reason, the 14th Amendment was drafted. -
14th Amendment Passed
The 14th amendment was drafted as a permanent version of the Civil Rights act of 1866. It stated that all people born in the United States were full citizens. Also immigrants could obtain full citizenship by completing the citizenship process. Also under the 14th amendment, former Confederate officials could not hold state of federal offices. As punishment, if a state denied people their voting rights, the state would lose thier representation in congress. -
Reconstruction Acts of 1867
The Reconstruction Acts of 1867 stripped the Southern states of their political power and separated the south into five different military districts. These districts were placed under the jurisdiction of the Union army. The act also stated that if a state wanted to remain in the Union, they would have to gurantee all men the right to vote and they would have to ratify the 14th amendement. -
Grant Becomes President
During the election of 1868, for the first time ever, freed slaves were allowed to vote. The two main candidates for this election were Ulysses Grant, the former war hero for the Union forces during the Civil war faced the democratic candidate Horatio Seymour. Grant won the popular election by only 300,000. There were 500,000 freed slaves that voted so this was incredibly significant that they were able to vote and Grant was elected president. -
15th Amendment Passed
The 15th Amendment states that a state cannot deny a person the right to vote because of race, color, or history of slavery. During the time immediately following Civil War, the Republican party dominated Congress. For this reason, along with Grant winning the Presidential election only because of the freed slaves votes, Congress passed the 15th Amendment because they knew they need votes from freed slaves to keep the power. -
Financial Crisis of 1873
Grant's presidency is forever tarnished by corruption and scandals.During the Financial crisis of 1873, Grant and his advisors continued inflating the paper money used during the Civil War with no gold to back it up. Also industires that prospered during the War because the country was going through things so fast, continued to expand despite the need for these materials decreasing. He tried to fix this by removing silver as a form of currency.This actually lead to fewer people paying off debts. -
Election of 1876
Following Grant's two terms as president, the Election of 1876 featured Rutherford Hayes as the Republican Candidate and Samuel Tilden as the Democratic Candidate. Samuel Tilden won both the Popular vote and the electoral vote but was not able to receive the required amount. For this reason, as in precious elections, congress would choose the new President. The heavily Republican congress chose Rutherford Hayes despite the votes. -
Compromise of 1877
This Compromise removed the Union troops from the South and ended Reconstruction. It removed the 5 military districts and left the south without supervision. When the troops left, the South began to try to find ways around all of the new laws. -
Rise of Jim Crow
Jim Crow was a famous white supremiscist who fought to diminish the rights of African Americans in every way. He was able to pass laws that madated segregation in public transportation, schools, courts, accomadations, and other things. This process was complete in 1910 and the Mississippi Plan was passed shortly after. The Federal Government did little to prevent this movement which sometimes included violence. -
Mississippi Plan
In 1890, as a way to limit the rights of African Americans in the state, Mississippi passed a new Constitution baning blacks from voting and holding office. They justified this by saying the black were illiterate anyway and didn't know who to vote for. They used this plan as a way to keep white people in control of politics in the south. -
Plessey v. Ferguson
The Plessy v Ferguson Case occured in 1896. Here, the Supreme Court ruled 7-1 that African Americans and whites were separate but equal. This decision lead to segregation in railroad cars. It also justified segregating public areas such as schools. This case was held true until the case of Brown v Board of Education in 1954.