Reconstruction The Unfinished Revolution Eric Foner Reconstruction the period between 1863 and 1877 when national leaders will seek to reconstruct the country following the Civil War The goal of this time period was to seek unity throughout the nation punish war criminals modernize and rebuild the south and dismantle slavery while integrating newly freed slaves in society Radical Republicans a small percentage of republicans who were committed to the idea of abolition which eventually grew to take over Congress Most republicans were only opposed to slavery because they didn t want the Three Fifth Law to spread to other territories The Civil War Total War all civilians and soldiers were involved There were 4 million slaves at the beginning of the war Physical Costs o 1 in 19 people lost their lives o The south lost 20 of its total male population o Cities were destroyed Columbia Atlanta o 20 billion in total costs Economic Costs Innovation Transportation o Railroad increased from 30 000 miles of track to 53 000 miles o Canned food o Increased steel and textile production o Mail delivery systems o Standardized clothing sizes The End of Slavery The Emancipation Proclamation 1863 established a legal framework for the Union to free slaves of the south as they take control of those areas The Proclamation only applied to the Confederacy but they did not recognize it because they were at war with the union o Didn t outlaw slavery didn t make former slaves citizens of the US African Americans in War o By joining the military African Americans learned to read develop leadership skills and were viewed as equals under the military law in the Union o They rarely fought in combat 40 000 died but 30 000 was due to disease o 80 men became officers 16 received the Medal of Honor Black Codes laws made throughout the south used to be able to control African Americans even after they are technically not slaves anymore o Allowed blacks to get married not to whites o Made their children legitimate so that they can inherit pension o Could not rent or lease land o Could not leave job or apprenticeship without good reason Presidential Reconstruction Lincoln Proclamation of Amnesty and Reconstruction 1863 allowed any southern state to form a new government and be restored to the Union if 10 of the voters who voted in the 1860 election pledged an oath to the Union This was a lenient policy because it granted amnesty to most confederate leaders o No states took up the offer o Angered some republicans who viewed it as a lack of effort to force the south to submit to the demands of the Union Johnson democrat from the south very racist pro union for the sole reason that he believed that succession was illegal He was disliked by most republicans in Congress and was one vote short of being impeached o Proclamation of Amnesty 1865 this act was similar to Lincoln s however it denied amnesty to any member of the Planter Class rich southerners or high ranking generals This actually ended up pardoning those leaders and put them back in power Congressional Radical Reconstruction 14th Amendment 1866 defines citizenship for anyone born or naturalized in the US regardless of race and prohibits states from denying life liberty and property without due process o It was not ratified until 1868 because of opposition from Johnson His refusal pushed more people to side with Radical Republicans which gave them control of Congress The Reconstruction Act 1867 created new governments in former confederate states and gave blacks the right to vote 15th Amendment 1869 prohibits federal and state governments from denying people the right to vote because of color race or previous conditions of servitude ratified in 1870 Civil Rights Act of 1875 outlaws racial discrimination in public accommodations like street cars hotels and restaurants Social Aspects of Reconstruction African Americans began to travel search for family members form their own churches and schools bought guns got married began to vote started union and voting leagues and aligned with republicans and moved off plantations and move to larger cities Lincoln was going to redistribute land before he was killed so blacks were forces to work for very low wages o Role in Government Africans Americans ran for office and got elected into high government positions as well as smaller offices in local communities sheriffs clerks or court In 1870 most states had black legislatures and were under republican control Only South Carolina had a legislature that was mostly ran by African Americans 60 of SC population was African American Robert Smalls stole a confederate ship and was elected to 5 terms in congress Martin Delaney created an abolitionist newspaper called the North Star attended Harvard Medical School first proponent of black nationalist the back to Africa movement o Convict Leasing black people would get arrested on petty crimes so that they could be forced to work for free o Sharecropping allows tenant to use the land in return for free work Women s Suffrage 1848 Seneca Falls NY the women s rights debate heated up during reconstruction because of the 15th Amendment o Susan B Anthony American Women s Suffrage Association didn t support the amendment because it did not help women o Elizabeth Cady Stanton National Women s Suffrage Association Failure of Reconstruction Southern White Resistance many people accused radical republicans of imposing Negro rule and black supremacy on the south o Paternalism the belief that black slaves were like children who were incapable of caring for themselves and needed their white masters to survive and would not thrive by being granted freedom Southern whites thought blacks would die off because they wouldn t know how to survive by themselves masters were like fathers o Lost Cause a social and cultural movement through art music and monuments led by southern women who found funds for the monuments throughout the south perpetuates the differences between the north and south 1 Nobility of confederate leaders 2 Defense of state s rights rather than the preservation of slavery as the primary cause that led the eleven southern states to secede from the union 3 Secession was a justifiable constitutional response to northern cultural and economic aggressions against the southern way of life 4 Slavery was a benign institution and slaves were loyal and faithful to their benevolent masters 5 Losing the war was inevitable because the north had more