American Civil War and Reconstruction

A Violent and Remorseless Revolutionary Struggle

• The images depict the aftermath of a violent conflict, likely the American Civil War, showing destruction and rubble.
• The conflict was deeply divisive, with different perspectives on its meaning and purpose.

A Second Revolution?

• Reconstruction of the nation following the war was a complex process, involving debates on the meaning of freedom and who should guide the rebuilding effort.
• Presidential Reconstruction, Black Reconstruction, and Radical Reconstruction are different approaches to rebuilding the nation.

Prologue: "What This Cruel War Was Over"

• American public opinion was divided about the purpose of the war.
• Lincoln's "Hard War" initially sought reconciliation, evolving to focus on abolishing slavery.
• The Emancipation Proclamation, issued in 1863, declared slaves in Confederate states to be free.
• The Union victory brought about a vision for the nation focused on equality and citizenship rights.
• Military strategy during the war focused on occupied territories, impacting the lives of enslaved people and leading to opportunities for them.
• Sherman's Field Order no. 15 sought to establish new land arrangements for the freed people.

"Our New Government"

• Alexander Stephens, a Confederate vice president, expressed the Southern view that the new government was founded on a false premise of racial equality.
• Stephens believed that the subjugation of Black people was a natural condition.

Presidential Reconstruction

• The 13th Amendment (1865) outlawed slavery in the United States.
• The 13th amendment was limited in enforcement.
• Andrew Johnson, a Pro-Union Democrat, championed a lenient approach to Reconstruction.
• His strategy of offering pardons to former Confederates and restoring their political rights clashed with radical Republicans.
• The Radical Republicans demanded full rights for African Americans.
• The Freedmen were not given equal opportunities, and the economic conditions were destructive to the enslaved population.

Black Reconstruction

• African Americans had contested views about freedom.
• The African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church played a pivotal role in their lives.
• African Americans sought to rebuild their families and communities in the wake of slavery.
• Vagrancy laws and other forms of policing challenged their freedom and mobility.
• The Freedmen's Bureau was created in 1865 to help newly freed slaves transition into freedom.

Provisional Governments

• Provisional governments were established in the South to oversee the process of readmission to the Union.
• Initially, former rebels were given positions of power (voting rights), while some saw Johnson's support for the formerly enslaved as contradictory (activist government).
• Black Codes were legislative efforts to control and limit the rights of formerly enslaved people.

Radical Reconstruction

• The Memphis race riot in 1866 and subsequent violence underscored the urgency for federal intervention.
• Radical Republicans' vision for Reconstruction aimed for comprehensive change.
• The Fourteenth Amendment granted citizenship and equal protection under the law.
• Congress barred Southern delegates from participating in the process of readmission, forcing them to ratify the 13th Amendment for readmission.

Military Occupation

• The Reconstruction Act of 1867 required Southern states to adopt new constitutions that included black suffrage.
• Military courts mandated black suffrage, despite significant resistance.
• Enforcement and longevity of the Act were major challenges, as too few military personnel covered large regions.

Coda: "Let us have peace"

• Ulysses S. Grant became president, emphasizing the need for stability after the war and division in the U.S.
• The 15th Amendment established universal male suffrage regardless of race, but enforcement was incomplete, leading to continued challenges.
• Reconstruction outcomes yielded mixed progress for African Americans.

U.S. Senate

• Key figures like Hiram Revels, Blanche Bruce, and Edward Brooke became successful Black senators, signaling changing landscapes in the United States.