The Nation’s Status
The time period after the Civil War is known as [Reconstruction]. This is, in part, because the [South] was in bad shape. For example:
· [Cities] were destroyed (Atlanta, Richmond, Charleston)
· 300,000 [men] were [dead].
· [Fields] and [livestock] were destroyed leaving no food.
· [Slavery], which was at the center of the South's economy no longer existed.
Basically, the [South] had [nothing] and could do [nothing] to change this. The [North], on the other hand, recovered very quickly from the war.
Reconstruction Approaches
[Lincoln] (while he was alive) planned on treating the South [kindly]. [Andrew Johnson], who replaced him as President, [agreed] with Lincoln on how to handle the South. The Radical Republicans, however, wanted to treat the South like a [conquered nation]. Andrew Johnson was this type of person:
[He was stubborn and unwilling to compromise with the Radical Republicans]
He tried working on Reconstruction while [Congress] was gone, but when they returned they took control of it. Andrew [Johnson] did not get along with [Congress].
Situation in the South
One reason why the Radical Republicans wanted to treat the South poorly was because the South passed [“Black Codes”] to keep former slaves in their "place". During this period of Reconstruction, blacks enjoyed more rights and even held positions in Congress. This outraged the South and led to the formation of the [Ku Klux Klan] also known as the [KKK]. This anti-black group would threaten, intimidate, and even kill a black person or a white person that defended blacks.
Despite gaining some rights, most blacks in the South continued living like [slaves] working under a new system known as [sharecropping], which meant that you farmed the land of a rich plantation owner and then during harvest you would [“share”] part of it.
Republican Reconstruction
One of Congress' Acts to protect blacks was the [Civil Rights] Act of 1866. This made all blacks legal [citizens]. Congress was worried, however, that the [Supreme Court] would rule the Act [unconstitutional] due to the [3/5] Compromise, which said that a black person was only [3/5] of a human. Due to this concern, the 14th [Amendment] was passed.
How did the North enforce these laws if the South (and the [KKK]) didn't like them? The Radical Republicans kept the [military] down there to force the South to follow the law and the new Amendments. Using the military to enforce the law is known as [martial law].
Impeachment of the President
President Andrew [Johnson] [vetoed] many Radical Republican bills that came to him. This limited Congress' power until the Radical Republicans gained a [2/3] majority, allowing themselves the ability to [override Johnson’s veto]. This led to Johnson's power being limited.
Not content to simply weaken Johnson's power, Congress decided to try and [impeach and remove] him from office. Why? Because...
1. The President's job is to [enforce laws].
2. President [Johnson] has been [vetoing] the laws.
3. This makes a person wonder if the President will actually [enforce] the laws that he has
been trying to [veto].
So what was the process? First the [House of Representatives] impeached him. Then he moved on to the [Senate] where he was not [removed] by 1 vote. Johnson was not removed from office because some Radical Republicans believed that it would destroy the [balance of power], permanently making the President a powerless third branch of the government.
Reconstruction Supporters
During this time period, there were two types of people that played key roles in Reconstruction: [carpetbaggers] and [scalawags]. [Carpetbaggers] were people that came from the [North] to the [South] looking for political power and/or financial success (taking advantage of the South). [Scalawags], on the other hand, were from the [South] and supported the Radical Republican's Reconstruction. They did this for a variety of reasons:
1. Some always agreed with the [North].
2. Some wanted to be on the [winning] side, which was the North.
3. They believed that like it or not, this was the in the [South’s] best interest.
[Scalawags] were viewed as [traitors] by the South for supporting the [North].
Other Presidents
Due to Johnson's weaknesses, he was not re-elected. Instead, [Grant] was elected. He treated the South kindly, even removing some of the [military] from the South. Grant's presidency was weakened by the [scandals] of others. After Grant, [Hayes] became president even though he didn't win the election with the Southern states included. In order to become president, he had to please the South, which meant [removing] all of the [military] in the South.
Connections beyond Reconstruction
Eventually the South took over Reconstruction because...
[the North grew tired over fighting with the South for the rights of blacks].
This is similar to the Situation in [Iraq] today. Let's look more at the similarities.
The Confederacy was overthrown and so was [Saddam] Hussein. The North had to keep troops in the South after victory and today the U.S. keeps [troops/military] in [Iraq]. The North gave up on Reconstruction in the South because it grew unpopular. Today the popularity of staying in [Iraq] is diminished. One of the lessons that can be applied to the War in [Iraq] is that change takes [time].
All gains made for black rights were lost, but a foundation was made for the [Civil Rights] Movement of the 1950s and 1960s.