1865-1890 Flashcards
(27 cards)
Andrew Johnson (1865-68)
Democrat
Supported emancipation
Criticised plantation-owning Southern elite
How many pardons did Johnson issue to Southern plantation owners?
13,000
Johnson’s Presidential Reconstruction (1865)
Appointed new state governments to accept the abolition of slavery, but these were mainly dominated by Southern elites who implemented ‘black codes’
‘Black Codes’
Implemented by Southern elites, very similar to ‘slave codes’
Which acts did Congress pass that Johnson vetoed?
Feb 1866 renewal of the Freedmen’s Bureau
Mar 1866 Civil Rights Act
Jul 1866 Freedman’s Bureau Act
14th Amendment 1868
Guaranteed equal citizenship
Was passed in an alliance between moderate and radical Republicans
How many seats do Republicans get in the 1866mid-term elections?
2/3
Feb 1867 Reconstruction Act
Passed even after Johnson vetoed
All previous measures to integrate S. states stopped
Ex-confederate states would be accepted back after ratifying 14th amendment
An example of opposition to reconstruction in the South?
1865, formation of the KKK
1867 - Republicans in Congress infuriated by Johnson’s obstructionist tactics
Passed laws to limit the President’s power
Tenure of Office Act 1867
Restricted power of the President to remove office holders without the approval of the Senate
Radical supporter Stanton suspended in 1867
Johnson tried to dismiss him in 1868
The House of Representatives began impeachment
Why was Johnson not impeached?
Republicans did not want to set a pad precedent of removing Presidents
Johnson saved by 1 vote
Ulysses Grant (1868-1877)
Republican
War General
Implemented radical reconstruction measures
High accusations of corruption
15th Amendment 1869
Right to vote was not to be ‘denied on account of race, colour or previous servitude’
Ratified: 1870
How did the government try to deal with violent resistance in the South against reconstruction?
Passed three Enforcement Acts in 1870 and 1871 to strengthen the 14th and 15th amendments
Targeted white terror groups (including KKK)
Civil Rights Act 1875
Intended to guarantee equal treatment in issues like jury service and public transport
Opposition to radical reconstruction
Extreme opposition from white terrorists
Political opposition from Southern states
Opposition from Democrats in the south the ‘Redeemers’
How was opposition to reconstruction successful?
Violence and intimidation reduced Republican vote from African-Americans
Some politicians encouraged this violence
1876 - Redeemers won back democratic control of most of the ex-confederate states
Examples of opposition to reconstruction
1873 Colfax Massacre - 3 white people and 15 pro-Republican African-Americans killed
1874 - Battle of Liberty Palace, 5000 White League members rebelled against Republican governor William Pitt Kellogg in New Orleans
Failures of Radical Reconstruction
Many sympathisers to Southern opposition in Congress
Liberal Republicans reluctant to keep using federal troops to suppress Southern discontent
Democrat control restored in several S. states 1870-755
Amnesty Act 1872
Allowed large numbers of ex-confederates to return to pollical life after being disqualified in previous laws
Panic of 1873
Rapid economic expansion resulted in a banking crisis
Stock market prices collapsed, banks failed and economic enterprises were badly hit
Weaknesses of Grant’s presidency
Panic of 1873
Indigenous American policy
Political and financial corruption
