April 10 2015 Flames After Midnight Thesis Eula and her family Horace Milton Mayo The lynching of the three African Americans Alternative account Freedman s Bureau o March 1865 o Negotiate labor contracts o Authority to provide some medical care o Schools for the freedmen s children o Courts to decide disputes with contracts Emancipation Amendments 13th 14th 15th o Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude shall exist within the United States o Ends slavery o All person born or naturalized in the United States are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside o Provides for the freedmen citizenship and due process of the law o The right of citizens of the United States shall not be denied or abridged on account of race color or previous condition of servitude o Gives freedmen voting rights The Texas Reaction Evidence of physical intimidation of the freedmen o Not only of the freedmen but also of the Northern workers who come South who try to make things easier for the freedmen o We see the burning down of freedmen schools o We see assault of the white female schoolteachers who came down to help New constitution written o Texas Convention will met in Austin in 1866 o They write a new constitution o They offer minimal compliance with the new requirements No guarantees of freedmen political rights New elections are held in 1866 1867 Constitution of 1866 Texas will declare the secession ordinance null and void They also repudiate war debt They will recognize but not ratify the 13th amendment to end slavery They promised basic rights to the freedmen but denied them the right to vote hold office be part of a jury or attend white public schools The Texas Reaction New governor is Brig General James W Throckmorton o 1866 1867 o He opposed secession but was a general in the Confederate army Voters ratify the new Constitution of 1866 August 20 1866 Black Codes 1866 o President Johnson declares the rebellion over in Texas and restores civil authority o Texas along with all other Southern states will enforce these to try and control the newly freed black population o Texas wanted to ensure that the social structure remained in place o They feared disorder and the need to socially control the new freedmen population o They gave no freedom of movement African Americans could not leave their homes without permission from their employers o Labor contracts would be for a length of 12 months Wages to the freedmen would be paid at the end of the year However should a freedman change his job or his residence during that year he loses all of his wages o The freedmen had no right to assemble Should the freedmen want to meet as a group they had to get permission from the employer Inter racial marriage is prohibited in Texas o Freedmen were prohibited from holding office voting or testifying against whites o Schools Freedmen s children cannot attend white public schools o Marriage o Visitors o Vagrancy o Disobedience Freedmen were not allowed to have visitors during working hours If a freedman has no employment or does not own property he is treated as a vagrant He will be taken to the courthouse and fined To pay off the fine his labor will be hired out as convict labor If he is not obedient or respectful to the employer he could be fined Congressional Reconstruction Johnson wants to reinstate the Confederate states into the Union Congress thought that the Union may have won the war but Johnson was breaking the peace Congress attempted to impeach Johnson but was leveled by the House o The Senate actually hold the trial o He was not impeached by 1 vote He got 35 there had to be 36 to impeach him Johnson lost power Congress thinks they had authority now to take over Reconstruction o Over Johnson s veto they extended the Freedmen s Bureau o Declare the governments in the South as provisional o To oversee Reconstruction in the former Confederate states they make military districts Phillip Sheridan was the military commander in Texas o Impose voting restrictions They will insist that pledges are made that a man had not born arms against the Union This disqualifies soldiers The Act of March 1867 o To reenter the Union Congress will insist that each state will Register African American and Anglo voters that are eligible Elect a convention to draw a new constitution Form new state and local governments Ratify the 13th and 14th amendments Elect new U S senators and congressmen Secure Congressional approval Why Congressional Reconstruction Genuine concern for the new freedmen Revenge o Force Southern states to give up slavery Fear that the Union had won the war but that Johnson was losing the peace o Recognizes equality of all before the law o Provide voting rights for African American males o Centralizes power by appointing many government positions o Puts into effect mandatory school attendance for white children and African American Congressional Reconstruction The Constitution of 1869 children The Davis Administration Texas is readmitted in March of 1870 o They ratify the 13th amendment in February of 1870 The new governor is Edmund J Davis o He is a radical Republican o He is governor until 1874 Davis expands state government by placing his supporters in government official positions He will establish public order by using the state militia He will also establish the state police with an act in 1870 He gains powers to introduce martial law o He will use this several times when the normal law and order processes fail He approves funding for railroads and road building He approves the creation of the first public school system in Texas He is able to do all this by raising taxes o He raises them 10 times o He is not a popular governor because of this With the readmission of Texas into the Union the military is removed The Coke Administration Election of 1874 Redeemers Richard Coke takes office He is a Democrat He is a Redeemer governor Fraud and intimidation The Texas Constitution April 18 1876 o We will not see a Republican governor for another 100 years This is the Constitution that we have today o It is highly amended but the same one Major points o Ended appointed officials and introduced elected officials for major offices in government o Introduced biennial legislative sessions o Puts an end to compulsory school attendance and the state school system The Legacies of Reconstruction Profound distrust of the United States federal government It will keep a very limited state government
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