Major Post Civil War Problems

What would you do to solve the following problems? Discuss with your partners and jot down some solutions.

• After the war, the 800,000 returning soldiers found that they couldn’t get work. During the war, factories were working overtime to supply things needed for the war. Now, the supply is low and there is an overabundance of workers. What can be done to help these workers and to keep production high?

• In the south, the landscape has been destroyed. Most of the battles were fought in the south, it was the southern farms, schools, buildings, and cities that were often leveled and destroyed. The already weak and poor southern economy really cannot take care of these problems. What can be done to take care of this?

• Now that the war is over, the 13th Amendment was passed that freed the slaves. These “freedmen” now are looking for jobs, but discrimination and racism is still very much alive. What can be done to help these former slaves become equal members of society?

• The secession of southern states lead to a Civil War that resulted in 610,000 deaths. Confederate leaders, politicians, and military generals can be blamed for this. What should be done to these people now that the war is over? Should they be punished? Should they be allowed to hold office? What solutions can you come up with to take care of this problem?

• In April of 1865, President Lincoln is shot and assassinated by John Wilkes Booth, a southern sympathizer (supporter of the south). Vice President Andrew Johnson is now president, Johnson from a different party than Lincoln. Many fear that Johnson will be too lenient towards the south, many think that he will do just fine. Is there anything to fear with Andrew Johnson as president? Why or why not?

• Many southern state governments are purposely passing laws to restrict the rights of former slaves. These “slave codes” or “Jim Crow Laws” are meant to find loopholes in the law to prevent former slaves from being equal. What can be done to make sure that these southern governments are treating these former slaves fairly and equally?

Major Congressional Reconstruction Plans

• Rate them based on the following criteria:– Northern factory worker– Southern farmer– Former slave– Immigrant– President of the United States– Former Confederate Leader Jefferson Davis– Robert E. Lee– Ulysses S. Grant

The Best?

• 10 Percent Plan• Wade Davis Bill• Freedman’s Bureau• 13th Amendment• Southern Black Codes• 14th Amendment• Reconstruction Act of 1867• 15th Amendment• Plessey v. Ferguson

The End of Reconstruction

• Reconstruction never had a formal end; many say that it is still going on.

• However, there were many consequences and repercussions to Reconstruction:

• The 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments were passed that gave Constitutional rights to African Americans.

• Rise of Racism– KKK (Ku Klux Klan)—racially motivated hate group that

was frustrated by the new rights and privileges given to former slaves. Often utilized scare and intimidation tactics to prevent former slaves from using their new found freedoms.

– Scalawags—term used by southerners to describe a southerner who helped northerners during Reconstruction

– Carpetbaggers—term to describe northerners who came to the south to get rich in the rebuilding of the south

– Jim Crow Laws/Black Codes—laws used by southern governments to bypass or find loopholes in the law• Poll taxes, grandfather clauses, white only/black only facilities

• Segregation—legal separation of races– Plessy v. Ferguson—Supreme Court Decision that

ruled that the races could be segregated as long as facilities were equal--“Separate but Equal” Doctrine

• A Renewed Vigor in settling the west now that slavery is no longer an obstacle in territories achieving statehood