The era after the Civil War is often referred to as Reconstruction. The basic premise behind this moniker is America was split in two from 1861-1865, so the following decade was spent reconstructing the country. As you are going to learn, this was an incredibly delicate process with mixed results.
For this week's blog, visit this website and read any three of the fifteen links under the "Textbook Section". In the comments section, summarize what you learned from each link you read. Remember, your post must be at least 200 words and must include the word count.
Sharecropping - Every man or woman that was free just wanted land so that they could provide for their families. During and after the warm many people established subsistence farms in abandoned land. Andrew Johnson later restored the land to its original owners. During Reconstruction, a lot of fired slaves and white farmers became forced into a new system called sharecropping. They were forced to work for large landowners, each family having about 20-50 acres of land. In the end, sharecropping became a type of compromise.
ReplyDeleteRedemption - The main strategy that was used to overthrow Reconstruction was political intimidation and physical violence. Secret organizations, like the Klu Klux Klan, were dedicated to ending the Republic rule. An act was passed in 1870 that gave the president power to use federal troops to prevent the denial of voting rights. This kept many African Americans away from the polls. End of Reconstruction - Corruption in the Grant administration divided the Republican Party and helped the Democrats win control over the House of Representatives in 1874. Slavery had been abolished and citizenship/voting had been established. The financial panic of 1873 and the economic depression was a main reason for Reconstruction ending. The presidential election of 1876 also helped bring this to an end. (209 words)
- Allie Halloran
The Impeachment of President Andrew Johnson - Andrew Johnson was impeached for violating the Tenure of Office Act, and for vetoing 20 Reconstruction bills and urged southern legislatures to reject the 14th Amendment, guaranteeing equal protection of the laws. He had also ordered African American families evicted from their land. Congress attempted to Impeach him, while people came up with false evidence, from accusations of being part of the plot to assassinate Lincoln, to having an affaire with a woman to gain a political advantage.
ReplyDeleteAfter Congress barely failed to remove him from office, he spent the rest of his life, trying to live down the shame. He ran for several different positions of government, failing many times, until he was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1874 where he was was greeted by with applause and roses all over his desk.
Redemption - The process of reconstruction was opposed by a political movement known as Redemption, which sought to reestablish white supremacy in the South. The used lies and trickery to try and draw votes away from the Republican Party. However the main method used to prevent African Americans from using their rights, was through violence and intimidation. The Klu Klux clan was and is an infamous example of this.
The Significance of Reconstruction - While the reconstruction failed in many ways, it still planted the seed of freedom, and changed America forever. For the first time, Blacks could vote, get an education, had a say in politics, and even own land. This was a massive change but also, "Two steps forward, one step back." Quickly as it came about, many of their freedoms were revoked by jealous and petty small-minded men. It would take a century for their full rights and freedom to be reconsidered by all. (296 words)
- Jesse Ruefenacht
Sharecropping- is a system of agriculture in which a landowner allows a tenant to use the land in return for a share of the crops produced on their portion of land. All of the free people wanted land and wanted to build and establish a life for their families. During Reconstruction the former slaves and many white farmers had become trapped in a new system of economic exploitation known as sharecropping. landowners divided plantations into 20 to 50 acre plots for farming by a single family. In exchange for land, a cabin, and supplies, sharecrossers agreed to raise a cash crop and to give half of the crops to their landlord.
ReplyDeleteCongressional reconstruction- In 1866, Congressional Republicans, appalled by mass killing of ex-slaves and adoption of restrictive black codes, seized control of Reconstruction from President Johnson. In 1867, Congress overrode a presidential veto to pass an act that divided the South into military districts that placed the former Confederate states under martial law pending their adoption of constitutions guaranteeing civil liberties to former slaves.
Redemption- More than any other southern city, New Orleans had tested the boundaries of possibility during Reconstruction. It was opposed by a political movement. One of the main purposes was to not let Blacks use their rights.
During Reconstruction, former slaves and many small white farmers became trapped in a new system of known as sharecropping. Lacking land of their own, former slaves were forced to work for large landowners. planters with the support of the Freedmen's Bureau, sought to restore gang labor under the supervision of white overseers. But the freedmen, who wanted autonomy and independence, refused to sign contracts that required gang labor. Basically, sharecropping emerged as a sort of compromise.(179 words I couldn't find any thing else to write about)
ReplyDeleteInstead of cultivating land in gangs supervised by overseers, landowners divided plantations into 20 to 50 acre plots suitable for farming by a single family. In exchange for land, a cabin, and supplies, sharecrossers agreed to raise a cash crop and to give half the crop to their landlord. The high interest rates landlords and sharecroppers charged for goods bought on credit transformed sharecropping into a system of economic dependency and poverty.
its Adrian that just published it posted as unknown and it was being weird
ReplyDeletePolitics of reconstruction- right after the war ended all white legislatures enforced the black codes which forced ex slaves to work on plantations. Many American Americans in the south defied the efforts to reduce them by protest. In the end ex slaves were forced back to tenant farming
ReplyDeletePresidential reconstruction-After able to push through the 13 amendment, which was to abolish slavery. The president wanted to restore the rebel states to come back to the union. Johnsons view of reconstruction did not settle well with the republicans. He vetoed a bunch of republican based measures including the freedomans bureau and the first civil bil of rights. He orderd the black families kicked off their land on which the u.s. army had settled on. He enforced the black codes which southern state governments enacted to reduce ex slaves to be plantation laborers
Republican conventions in the south- In an event former slaves joined with white republicans to govern the south. The freedman, in alliance with carpetbaggers and southern republicans called scalwags for the time being gained power in every confederate state except Virginia. A little over 600 African Americans served as legislatures in reconstruction governments. The reconstruction governments drew up democratic state constitutions expanded women's rights, provided debt relief and established the souths first state funded schools. Black colleges founded during the reconstruction included Fisk university in Nashville in 1866 Howard university in 1867 and Virginia Hampton institute in 1868. Some of the reconstruction governments were plagued by inexperienced and incompetent leadership and corruption. There were a number of examples of flagrant corruption. Including one example where a state legislature awarded a 1,000$ to a member to cover a lost bet on a horse race. Another example a New York publisher gave a 30,000$ loan to a Georgia official to influence him to buy a textbook
The end of the Reconstruction-- During the 1870s, various divisions inside the Republican Party and the north's lack of interest let the white Democrats from the south return to power. Retirement and death removed the most outspoken supporters of civil rights, such as Thaddeus Stevens, who passed away. Corruption in the South's Republican government took away the support for the Reconstruction. Most abolitionists believed that their goals had finally been achieved! Slavery had finally been eradicated and from that, citizenship and voting rights for former male slaves was able to be created because of the Constitutional Amendment. The Democrats condemned the rule of the South by "Liberal Republicans," and declared that the North had achieved its goals and the Reconstruction should end. Most supported to the Democrats. The depression weakened the Republican Party and Democrats got the House of Representatives. The financial panic during 1873 and the ensuing economic depression helped bring the Reconstruction to an end. Meanwhile Property owners in the South demanded that the state budget be cut and better yet, the tax rates lowered. Southern prisons were destroyed and the convicts were released. The spending money on public schools, caring for orphans and the sick almost disappeared. All of these things and more caused the end of the Reconstruction. (207 words)
ReplyDelete-Abbey
Politics of reconstruction- The reconstruction era was supposed to be a movement to bring the nation back together again. It was supposed to give everyone equal rights and fair opportunities. This idea, however, failed after the south launched its "black codes." The black codes prevented African Americans from making money of their own and having better lives. Instead, they were forced to work without pay for whites again. They could be arrested for no reason and always had to have a written certification of "employment" with them. One African American army veteran said, "If this is freedom, what did you call slavery?"
ReplyDeleteThe impeachment of Andrew Johnson- Andrew Johnson was arguably one of the worst presidents that America has ever seen. He was from the south (Tennessee) and, like most southerners at the time, a racist. He hated the idea of the 14th amendment and urged southern senators not to sign it. He did everything in his power to prevent African Americans from being free. He even evicted African American families from land that the US army settled them on. He vetoed 20 reconstruction bills and was eventually impeached for violating the tenure of office act.
Disputed election- The most controversial elections in American history was the election between Rutherford B. Hayes (republican) and Samuel Tilden (democrat). Because the nation is still dramatically divided, it's clear who wanted democrats to win and who wanted republicans to win. The majority of northern states were for Hayes and the southern states were for Tilden. But this was not a civilized election at all. The two parties accused each other of altering ballots and vandalizing votes. The republicans accused democrats of intimidating African Americans into not voting for Hayes while the democrats accused republicans of ignoring votes for Tilden. Hayes ended up winning the election, but the south would not accept him as president unless republicans met their demands. Since they agreed to terms US government could not interfere with southern affairs which meant that life for the African Americans was not about to get better. (320 words)
-Jacob McCawley
Sharecropping- Sharecropping was a sort of compromise. Former slaves wanted to put their newly found freedoms to use, while whites wanted others to do their work for them. So, in exchange for shelter and supplies, people could work on land raising cash crops. They would have to give half of their crops to their landlord, and work at the pace that they wanted, which sometimes took its toll on them. What started out as a step into freedom ended up becoming a system of poverty. Debt seemed to pile up over time instead of slowly being taken away. But, this was a new source of freedom that former slaves didn't have during slavery. It is also important to mention that not only did former slaves work as sharecroppers, but poor whites also took on this task. The economy had taken its toll on everyone. But because of sharecropping, opportunities of working, earning money, and getting an education were available to those that didn't have it before.
ReplyDeleteRepublican Governments in the South- The Southern governments finally had former slaves joining the political force. Freedmen, carpetbaggers, and scalawags took over for a short period of time in every Confederate state except for Virginia. Over 600 African Americans served as legislators in the Reconstruction governments. These governments were harshly convicted of being extravagent, but they really did have many great successes. They helped give the South its first public schools, roads, and asylums. Leaders also wanted to help modernize the South by constructing more railroads, and giving other social services. They grew women's rights, gave debt relief, and made some of the first state-funded schools in the South. There were academies established to help educate former slaves, and the first higher education facilities for African Americans were founded in the South. Unruly corruption dampened the South's reputation in leadership, but these examples prove that as a whole, the South did some very beneficial things for our country.
The End of Reconstruction- By the 1870's white Democrats began to take over the political world once again. Leaders in Congress who spoke openly about civil rights retired and died, so Americans began to lose their voice in what civil rights was really about. Corruption divided the Republican party, which gave the Democrats control of the House of Representatives in 1874. By 1872, former abolitionists thought their work was done, simply because slavery was abolished, and they obtained the right to vote. But little did they know their work was far from over. The Economic Depression of 1873 also weakened the Republican party, and by that time, the Reconstruction was coming to an end. The presidential election of 1876 was the formal close to the Reconstruction. (458)
Sharecropping - This new system happened after the Civil War which was a result during the reconstruction era. Which continued the workers in the routine of cotton cultivation under supervision. Economic features of the system were gradually extended to poor white farmers. The cropper brought to the farm only his own and his family's labor. In return for their work they got the money earned from the cash crop which was often split. Most croppers worked under the close direction of the landlord, and he sold the crop and kept accounts. The problem is that under this system, there's no incentive to maximize production, because the more you produce, the more your hated landlord gets. It was still hard for African Americans to get jobs and so sharecropping ended up being their only option, still better than slavery - There could have been better options.
ReplyDeleteThe End of Reconstruction - By the end of Reconstruction there were some pros and cons. A success in this time was the potential agreement in the House and the Senate. This ended the corruption and disagreement. The Compromise of 1877 ended Reconstruction and started a new political order in the South. One of the largest failures of Reconstruction would probably be the economy drop within the South. Whites also continued to fail following the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments.
(222 Words)
-Matthew Mettendorf
The politics of reconstruction- The reconstruction age after the civil war was supposed to be a time of reunification. A time where the south joined back with the union. However, thanks to a resilient South, the southern states would continue to act the same as they did before the war. They came out with the "black codes" and basically loopholed the whole new system that had been set up to give freedom. Nothing would truly start to improve in the south
ReplyDeleteThe end of Reconstruction- After all the reconstruction, there were both upsides and downsides to this reconstruction plan. Some of the upsides were that the south finally agreed with the north on something in the senate which was a good first step as the south slowly started to get order. The downside of it was the north was to leave the south alone if their nominee Rutherford B. Hayes was elected. This allowed southern folks to basically ignore the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments and continue to oppress black people with impossible wages to pay and debt.
Sharecropping- After the civil war, black people were finally free to get a job and raise money on their own. However some systems of earring money in the south were pretty corrupt and dishonest towards the black community. One very popular system that was corrupt but so many black people did for a job was sharecropping. In this system, the worker,would go out into the owners field and work hard working the land. In return, the person would get a share of the crop that was sold and would be able to use that money for his family. This system was corrupt because plantation owners would make it impossible for them to pay back their debt for the land used up and would make it difficult for them to have any money for themselves. Although this was a very corrupt system of work, it was a step up from slavery for now they at least had choice on how to work and earn.
Z. M. Fisher
(318 words)
Politics of reconstruction- it started out like it was going to help all the freed slaves. Most freed slaves where happy but scared. But then the black codes where enforced it made them go right back to work on plantation. Basically it denied them the chance to own or rent land. They also stopped them from owning guns or marrying whites or meeting after sunset. It resulted in most of the freed slaves becoming sharecroppers.
ReplyDeletePresident reconstruction- president Abraham Lincoln tried to get all the southern states that seceded back in the union. He wanted restoration and he got that and they signed the 13th amendment. President Andrew Johnson vetoed a couple of republican backed measures and he pushed for the black codes to be passed.
Significance of reconstruction- the civil war happened and then the slaves got freed and the Union and the Confederate rejoined. They passed laws to make it where the freed slaves could own land and they could make there own deciles and they could go to school and or work for who they wanted. They could go around anywhere. No they didn't have all the privileges in the world but life got better. They made it where freed slaves were tied with poor whites on the chain of classes. The south and the north were back to almost normal they were both in offices and debating over different decides that needed to be made. The worst part of this was that this made racism worse on the African Americans. They had more people out for them but they were free so there was a plus and a down side to it. (237) Hunter
Sharecropping was when rich white folks would have used to be slaves and poor white people work on a farm. It wasn't just one big farm it was about 20-50 acres of land given to one family to attend to. This would eliminate one person having to watch over the slaves all day. The owners would then receive half of what is made and the family's keep the other half. Now this isn't complete freedom but it's more than before.
ReplyDeleteDuring this reconstruction era some terms were made. A scawalag is a southerner who supports the Republican Party and a carpetbagger who is born a northerner and moves to the south and supports the Republican Party. The reconstruction was a failure. It put the south in economic trouble and it left the future generation of slave descendants undetermined.
From reconstruction came schooling in the south for former slaves. Also the 14th and 15th amendment which allowed equal rights and voting rights. There was one major party and that was the democratic. The south became more violent than ever. This kept away people that thought about migrating to the south. Racism became more of a deeper issue in America. All of these were long term issues we face today. (208) Avery
Significance of reconstruction- at the beginning of this period slaves were freed. They got to work for who they wanted and get wages and also send their kids to school if they wanted them to have education or they could have them work to make more money. They even were classified and worked with the white poor people. They were still held under slavery in a sort of way with debt but was still a better life. They also got the right to vote so they entered politics with enthusiasm. The confederate and the union also joined even though some were against it. The past Union was more dominant in this process but it was all legal and equal rights for all. There was some agreement in the house and the senate which was a success. But the southern people still rebelled in their own ways against the new amendments against blacks. Also if Hayes was to become president there was gonna become more rebellion and possibly people try to leave. Also with the blacks now being able to work with white peoples the whites did not like this because they were use to being over them and not being on the same level so they were not willing to view them as the same because that's what they always believed. (221 words)
ReplyDelete- Caleb Cravatt