I. Introductiona. What is History?i. An abstraction / the pastii. Physical and literary debrisiii. History is made up (put together by historians)1. How they interpret historyiv. Schools of historical thoughtv. Political left and right influence reasoning1. Also influenced by what is going onvi. Intellectual historians – base events on human thought processvii. Some historians use economics and “higher beings” as to why people do what they doviii. “product of time period”b. Reconstruction Historiographyi. Reconstruction – period of time that the U.S. is rebuilding after Civil Warii. Historiography – study of past and what historians say about the pastiii. Dunningites 1. Historical school of thought2. Describe Reconstruction as a “tragic era” and a “black rule”3. A redemption (saving grace) for white southernersiv. Revisionists 1. Influenced by Civil Rights2. 1950’s & 1960’s3. Rewrote what the Dunningites said4. Say good and positive things about Reconstruction5. Thought the government was corrupt during Reconstruction (true throughout the nation)6. Say “Black Rule” wasn’t there because blacks were underrepresented v. Post-Revisionists1. 1960’s & 1970’s2. Challenged revisionists 3. Said nothing changed4. Thought Reconstruction was a failure5. Blacks were no better off than when they were slaves because of economic inequality6. Assertive black leaders / militancyII. Reconstruction – 1865-1877- Abraham Lincoln was president- Presidential Reconstruction - Congressional Reconstruction- Rebuilding the South- Re-instate southern states- “What do we do about the blacks?”a. Presidential Reconstruction Under Abraham Lincolni. Ten Percent Plan1. 10% of the voters pledge allegiance to U.S., then state could rebuild government to rejoin U.S.2. Said nothing about votes of black menii. “Radical Republicans”a. 1864 – Lincoln proposes black men voting rights because they helped in the warb. Let Louisiana back in without extending voting rightsc. Lincoln cared more about the country being whole than political rights and slaveryd. 1864 – Arkansas and Tennessee readmitted to Union without extending the voteiii. Wade-Davis Bill (1864)1. 50% votes and extended rights to blacks2. Abolitionists didn’t like this billa. Because voting rights were taken out3. Vetoed by Lincolno 1865 – Lincoln assassinatedo Successor was Andrew Johnson Anti-succession; not anti-south Southerner, former slave owner, unionist, lifelong Democratb. Presidential Reconstruction Under Andrew Johnson- Southern states view succession null and void- Expected to repudiate war debts- Ratify 13th amendment- Amnesty program – loyalty oatho High ranking officials and those with $20,000 taxable wealth or more could not just make the oath This is because Johnson had been poor and the planter elite looked down their noses at him. Once again, Johnson was anti-succession, not anti-south- White southerners basically reconstructed themselvesi. 13th Amendment1. Abolished slavery (1865)2. Civil War became a crusade against slaveryii. Frederick Douglass1. Johnson said no to Douglass about black men votinga. This is because he thought they were on the same level as poor white southernersb. Blacks didn’t have enough knowledge- Blacks were limited to what they could do.o Drafted petitions to constitutional conventions.iii. Petition of South Carolina Blacks (1865)1. A petition2. Used the Declaration of Independence as a basis3. “Taxation without representation” catchphrasea. No right to vote? Didn’t have to pay taxes4. No privileges, just even handed justice- Northerners did not want blacks to vote or to extend the vote- 1865 – Wisconsin and Connecticut o voted no to let black men vote- 1865 – Mississippi o First state to hold the full state constitutional conventiono Johnson asked the delegate of Mississippi to get the constitutional convention to let literate and property holding blacks vote Didn’t work and didn’t repudiate debts Came back to the Union anyway- By the end of 1865 all southern states were back in the U.S.iv. Black Codes1. Laws against blacks2. Kept blacks under white control3. Allowed courts to take kids to apprenticeship / away from their parents- Many leaders from the confederacy are voted into officeo Pisses off northernerso Congress ignores the confederate membersv. Freedmen’s Bureau (1865)1. Facilitate from slavery to freedom2. Help the freed slaves3. Give 1 year to operate4. Congress passes an act to keep; Johnson vetoes; Congress overridesvi. Memphis Riot (1866)1. Southern violence in Tennessee2. Federal troops sent invii. New Orleans Riot (1866)1. Southern violence in Louisiana2. Delegates were surrounded by police and mobs3. Federal troops sent in4. An absolute massacre by the police- Northerners are outragedc. Congressional Reconstruction- 1867 – Congress takes overo Reconstruction Acts (3) Divides south into 5 districts ruled by marshal law Starts everything over Registered white and black men to vote States had to ratify 14th amendment 1868 – some states were back in the U.S. 1870 – all states were in the U.S.i. 14th Amendment1. 18662. All people born or naturalized in the states are citizens3. Legal protection for blacks4. Equal protection clause5. Deny rights to vote? Less seats in the houseii. 15th Amendment1. 18702. All men can vote and cannot deny a person to vote based on colouror background- New Republicans from the south were referred to as “scalywags”iii. Ku Klux Klan1. Set up to intimidate blacks2. Terrorist groupiv. “Forty Acres and A Mule”1. For blacks who were newly freed2. Some was under Freedmen’s Bureau3. Planters would flee from union arm back during civil wara. This land was divided up to freed slaves4. Short lived5. Amnesty act by Johnson says that the land goes back to the original owners6. Whites have economic control of blacksv. Sharecropping, Tenant Farming and the Crop Lien System1. Tenant farmers – something to bring for themselves (own tools, animal, etc.) ; Sharecroppers – give ½ of crop to ownera. Didn’t own landb. Many slaves became these2. Crop Lien Systema. Merchant – usually landownerb. Interestc. Gain debt pland. Landowners and merchants began to dictated. Reconstruction Unravels- 1870’si. The Redemption1. White Southern Democrats regain control2. White southerners can intimidate blacks (KKK)3. People in the north lose interest in Reconstructionii.