The Reconstruction Era: How America rebuilt after the Civil War

Plantation mansion
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Between 1865 and 1877, the southern states of North America underwent a time of great transformation.

 

This period is known as the 'Reconstruction Era', and it was a time when the country attempted to rebuild itself after the Civil War.

 

The US government needed to find ways of reintegrating the 11 Southern states that had seceded from the Union at the start of the Civil War, which included 4 million formerly enslaved peoples.

 

During Reconstruction, many important changes took place in America, including the passage of the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments to the Constitution.

Background

The Civil War ended on the 9th of April 1865, with the Union forces achieving victory.

 

The plan to rebuild both infrastructure and national unity via a 'reconstruction program' began soon after, as planned by President Abraham Lincoln and his fellow Republicans.

 

However, their plans for Reconstruction were opposed by the Democrats, who wanted a more lenient approach.

 

As a result of this disagreement, two different plans for Reconstruction emerged: Presidential Reconstruction and Congressional Reconstruction.

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Presidential Reconstruction

Prior to the end of the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln created a plan to reintegrate the defeated states, called the Ten Percent Plan.

 

The Ten Percent Plan was a lenient plan that only required a state to pledge loyalty to the Union and ratify the 13th Amendment, which abolished slavery. Once those two things were done, that state would be allowed to form a new government. 

 

Presidential Reconstruction was led by Abraham Lincoln's successor, Andrew Johnson. It focused on quickly rebuilding the Southern states and restoring them to the Union.

 

To achieve this goal, Lincoln pardoned many Confederate soldiers and allowed Southern state governments to be reestablished.

 

Unfortunately, Lincoln’s assassination on the 14th of April 1865 meant that Johnson was left to carry out Presidential Reconstruction alone.

Johnson’s approach to Reconstruction was very different from Lincoln’s. He believed that the Southern states should be rebuilt as quickly as possible, without much input from the federal government.

 

As a result, he pardoned even more Confederate soldiers and allowed the Southern state governments to pass 'Black Codes', which restricted the rights of African Americans.

 

While former slaves were allowed to own property, get married, and use the legal system, these 'Black Codes' created laws that hindered them.

 

For example, in some states African Americans were not allowed to testify against whites or serve on juries.

The 'Black Codes' could also allow law enforcement to arrested former slaves based upon minor offenses, such as being homeless or unemployed.

 

After their arrest, they could then be forced to work for wealthy planters again. For many African Americans who were victims of this system, their situation had changed little from when slavery was legal.

 

Johnson’s lenient approach to Reconstruction was opposed by the Radical Republicans in Congress, who believed that African Americans should be given more rights and protections.

The Radical Republicans were a group of Republicans who believed in social and political equality for African Americans.

 

They were led by Thaddeus Stevens and Charles Sumner. The Radical Republicans wanted to see a more thorough Reconstruction process, one that would guarantee civil rights for African Americans.

 

In response to Johnson’s lenient approach, the Radical Republicans took control of Reconstruction in 1867.


Civil Rights Bill of 1866 and Freedmen’s Bureau

In 1866, Congress passed the Civil Rights Bill, which granted citizenship to all persons born in the United States (including African Americans).

 

The bill also guaranteed equal protection under the law for all citizens. This angered Johnson, who vetoed the bill.

 

He did so because he believed that the states should be responsible for guaranteeing civil rights, not the federal government.

 

However, Congress overruled his veto, and the bill became law.

 

The Radical Republicans also pushed for the creation of the Freedmen’s Bureau, which provided food, clothing, and medical care for African Americans.

 

In addition, the bureau helped African Americans find jobs and housing. The Radical Republicans also advocated for the passage of the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments to the Constitution.

Constitutional Amendments

The 13th Amendment abolished slavery in America. This led to the rise of black codes, which were designed to keep African Americans in a subordinate position. In 1868, the 14th Amendment was ratified, ensuring that no law could be made that would hinder the freedoms of US citizens.

 

This extended to all persons born or naturalised in the United States, including African Americans.

 

As a result of the 14th Amendment, no one could be deprived of “life, liberty, or property, without due process of law”, since every citizen had “equal protection” under the law.

 

This now meant that the 'Black Codes' were unconstitutional.

Ulysses S. Grant was elected as president on the 4th of March 1869 on a platform of continuing Reconstruction. He sent federal troops to the South to protect African Americans from violence and to help them register to vote.

 

In 1870, the 15th Amendment was ratified, which guaranteed that no one could be denied the right to vote based on race.

 

These three amendments were designed to give African Americans more rights and protections.

 

However, some former Confederate states tried to undermine the Fifteenth Amendment by passing poll taxes and literacy tests.

 

These requirements prevented many African Americans from voting. 


The Reconstruction Acts

In the 1866 mid-term congressional elections, the Radical Republicans gained a majority in both the House and the Senate.

 

They used this majority to pass a series of laws known as the Reconstruction Acts. The first Reconstruction Act divided the South into five military districts and placed them under martial law.

 

This allowed for African Americans to be protected from violence and helped them register to vote.

 

The second Reconstruction Act required that all former Confederate states ratify the 14th Amendment before they could be readmitted into the Union. 

 

The third Reconstruction Act put into place a plan for readmitting Southern states into the Union.

 

It also created military governments in Tennessee, Virginia, and Mississippi. These governments were responsible for ensuring that African Americans had equal protection under the law and could vote without interference.

 

By the end of 1870, all of the Southern states had been readmitted to the Union. 

Consequences of Reconstruction

Reconstruction theoretically ended in 1877 in the Southern states, and it was considered to be a time of great progress for African Americans.

 

They were elected to public office, served on juries, and attended integrated schools. Unfortunately, this progress was short-lived. 

 

By 1877, most of the gains made by African Americans during Reconstruction had been undone.

 

This was due in part to white Southerners’ resistance to change, as well as federal troops being withdrawn from the South.

From around 1887, Southern states began passing “Jim Crow” laws, which segregated African Americans from whites in all aspects of public life.

 

Jim Crow laws mandated separate schools, restaurants, bathrooms, and other public facilities for African Americans.

 

These laws were designed to keep African Americans in a subordinate position.

 

Despite the setbacks, Reconstruction was a time of great progress for African Americans.

 

For the first time in American history, they were given citizenship rights and protections under the law.

 

In addition, African Americans made significant gains in education and politics during this period.

 

While Reconstruction ultimately failed to bring lasting change to America, it was nonetheless a crucial step in the long journey towards equality for all citizens.

Further reading