Chapter 14: To Punish or to Forgive?

14-1 With Malice toward None

What the North called The War of the Rebellion was called The War between the States in the South. What should the North do with these incomers? !incoln "gainst the #adicals Once a state always a state was a term Southerners used to try to get back in the nion. This means that they had no right to secede. The North would !ro!erly ask was that some "onfederate leaders be barred from office. Some Re!ublicans and most #emocrats sided. Some Northern a$engers and reforms were bitter against these rebels. They called themsel$es Radical Re!ublicans. They actually destroyed their own states. They had no right to go$ern themsel$es or to be re!resented in the "ongress. Thaddeus $tevens and Charles $u%ner Two leaders were Thaddeus Ste$ens and "harles Sumner. Thaddeus Ste$ens had a !ower in the %ouse of Re!resentati$es. %e took u! the great cause of abolishing sla$ery. "harles Sumner was the leader of the Senate. &fter being beaten' he returned. They formed an odd and awesome alliance. !incoln&s Plan 'or #eunion (incoln showed his greatness and forgi$ing s!irit. %e let the Southerners back and forga$e them e$en if they fought against the nion. %e needed the Southerners to take a solemn oath to su!!ort the "onstitution in the future. (incoln would recogni)e the go$ernment of the state. They had to abolish sla$ery though. &ll would do it. The Wade-(avis Plan (incoln did not satisfy the Radical Re!ublicans. The Radicals created a Wade #a$is !lan. & ma*ority of the !eo!le had to take a new oath to su!!ort the "onstitution. There would ha$e to be an election to call a con$ention to make a new constitution. This !assed "ongress. (incoln refused to sign. %e issued a new !roclamation. &ny state could choose between (incoln+s one,tenth !lan and the Radical+s ma*ority ironclad,oath !lan -!romise of future loyalty and an oath of !ast !urity.. The "ssassination o' !incoln &t /ord+s Theater' 0ohn Wilkes 1ooth had a !assionate "onfederate !atriot. %e killed the 2resident' and other !eo!le attacked William Seward -howe$er' the !eo!le wanting to killed &ndrew 0ohnson -chickened out..

14-)

"ndrew *ohnson and the #adicals

&ndrew 0ohnson was no (incoln. This was disastrous. The $outhern $tate Conventions 2resident 0ohnson suggested that the con$entions in the South gather under his !lan to re!udiate war debts' nullify ordinances of secession' and ado!t the Thirteenth &mendment. 0ohnson did not demand these terms. South "arolina re!ealed the ordinance of secession. 3ississi!!i refused to ado!t the Thirteenth &mendment. These e4tremists were gaining strength. The +lac, Codes These codes limited black freedom. This did not suit any northerner. They began to wonder if their young men had died in a "i$il War merely to !reser$e sla$ery under a new name. Con'ederates -lected to .''ice

Chapter 14: To Punish or to Forgive?

Southern states !roceeded to elect "onfederates to "ongress. 5nstead of warning the South about this' 0ohnson !ardoned these men. &ll of the old states e4ce!t Te4as formed new go$ernments. Re!resentation in the South were all of the !eo!le instead of counting the whites and 678 the sla$es. 5f Southerners *oined' the Re!ublicans would lose control. When the congressional re!resentati$es tried to take seats' they were abru!tly shut out. 9$en if "onfederate states followed the 2resident+s rules' the 2resident had no !ower to make the rules' the "onfederates said. & *oint "ommittee of /ifteen would take care of some matters in the North. The Freed%en&s +ureau The first bill e4tended the life of the /reedmen+s 1ureau. 5t was to hel! the recently freed blacks. 5t built hos!itals. 5t treated half a million cases of illness. 0ohnson $etoed it because it ga$e the 1ureau the !ower. 0ohnson+s sabotage of their !rogram angered many Re!ublican members of "ongress. They did not yet ha$e $otes to o$erride his $eto. & resolution was !assed. No congressional re!resentati$e would be admitted until "ongress had decided that the state was entitled to re!resentation. The Civil #ights +ill This allowed the federal go$ernment to inter$ene in the states affairs to !rotect the rights of all 0ohnson $etoed this bill. "ongress o$errode his $etoes and the two of them became laws. The Fourteenth "%end%ent / #-01-W "ongress drew u! a new amendment to the "onstitution. 5t answered most of 0ohnson+s constitutional ob*ections to the "i$il Rights. 5t defined nited States citi)enshi! and forbade any state from de!ri$ing citi)ens of rights and !ri$ileges. 5t reduced re!resentation of any state that did not allow its adult male citi)ens to $ote. 5f they acce!ted the amendment' they could enter the nion. Tennessee ratified. Others followed 0ohnson refused. Now the Re!ublicans and the 2resident were at odds. 0ohnson e$en tried to form a new !arty. %e was the first 2resident to tra$el the country and gi$e aggressi$e s!eeches. This was un,!residential. This was a landslide for Re!ublicans and an increase in the !ower of the Radicals. nited States citi)ens.

14-2

+lac, #econstruction Militar3 #econstruction "ongress !assed a law that di$ided e$ery "onfederate state into districts. Some Radical demands were not reasonable. They did not want to forgi$e or forget. &lthough 0ohnson $etoed this' it was !assed o$er his $eto.

The 1%peach%ent o' "ndrew *ohnson The Radicals now turned against the 2resident. They !assed laws taking away !owers that the "onstitution had gi$en to the 2resident. "ommand of the &rmy &ct and the Tenure of Office &ct were !assed' and this wasted much. The 2resident fired Stanton to test this. "ongress took a chance to im!each the 2resident. 68 Senators $oted guilty and :; $oted not. This was one $ote less than the two,thirds re<uired.

The election o' 1454 The Re!ublican 2arty met in "hicago and nominated =eneral lysses S. =rant for 2resident. =rant won %oratio by a landslide. The Re!ublicans wanted to kee! the sla$e $ote under control' and so they !assed the :8 th &mendment.

The New $tate Constitutions New state constitutions had been written. 9$ery state had white ma*orities e4ce!t South "arolina and (ouisiana. They barred "onfederates from office and granted black suffrage. 9$en after the Reconstruction' go$ernments continued in use.

Chapter 14: To Punish or to Forgive?

+lac, #econstruction / M3th and #ealit3 The myth of Reconstruction -1lack "ar!etbag.' is that go$ernments were dominated by foolish blacks. This was not true. Scalawags -white Southerners. and car!etbaggers -Northerners who came to the South. and the blacks were !art of it. The blacks dominated none of the go$ernments. =o$ernments were e4tra$agant. They were eager for e$erything. Southern states had to borrow' and their debts rose e$en higher. &nother myth is that go$ernments were always corru!t. No. Well' there was some truth. 5n most of the old "onfederacy' Radical rule was o$er. Only in three states did this last for a few more years. The $outh Fights +ac, The Re!ublican go$ernments were able to remain in !ower in the South of blacks $oted for some. Some whites decided to make sure blacks did not $ote. This secret army mainly made u! of "onfederates was called the >u >lu4 >lan. This destroys chances for reconciliation. Some states !assed the >u >lu4 >lan &cts to outlaw these organi)ations. "onfederate heroes were back in charge. &ll guarantees that sla$ery was abolished were *ust technicalities. Sla$ery was the only thing the "i$il War abolished. Thaddeus Ste$ens died in :?@?. (ea$e the South alone. The South now di$ided into a su!erior race and an inferior race. This would take time.

14-4

The North Withdraws The Cr6dit Mo7ilier $candal The first string of ma*or go$ernment scandals broke. The nion 2acific Railroad was to build westward. The "r Adit 3obilier "om!any was in$ented by the nion 2acific. The nion 2acific !aid the "om!any huge fees for work done' or not done. This was an outrage' but !eo!le thought it was worth it.

.ther $candals There was a notorious salary grab. &lthough the "onstitution says that =rant a$oided this !re$ious by signing the bill the day the term began. This cheated the go$ernment out of millions of dollars. The Secretary of War was im!eached by the %ouse.

The Panic o' 1482 Two ma*or fires and these scandals broke out. There was a full,scale de!ression.

The (isputed -lection o' 1485 nder this' the Re!ublicans were badly beaten in the election of :?BC. #emocrats won these seats in the %ouse. 0ames =. 1laine 2lumed >night was !assed o$er. Rutherford 1. %ayes was chosen. The #emocrats named Samuel Tilden. The :?B@ election was one of the most bitter in nited States history. 5t a!!ears that Tilden had been chosen D :?C,:@8. %owe$er' the confusion came. EF electoral $otes were in <uestion. So' %ayes won by a $ote of :?8 to :?C.

The -lectoral Co%%ission & few weeks before the date of inaugurating' "ongress created a commission of fifteen members. 8 re!resentati$es' 8 senators' and 8 Su!reme "ourt members were made of : inde!endent' B Re!ublicans' and B democrats. 0ustice #a$is became a Re!ublican' so there were ? GSB. Of course' %ayes won.

The Co%pro%ise o' 1488 The crisis was not yet o$er. There had to be com!romise. %ayes agreed that he would grant four fa$ors. /ederal troo!s with lea$e the South. &t least one southerner would get a !ost in the "abinetH %ayes would gi$e conser$ati$e #emocrats control of !art of the local !atronage.

Chapter 14: To Punish or to Forgive?

14-9

The (ivided $outh +lac, 0oting 9$en though the blacks were abolished from sla$ery' the last of the Reconstruction go$ernments colla!sed. Segregation laws started to a!!ear later. 1lacks started to hold in !olitical offices.

The #ise o' *i% Crow !aws Segregation was !racticed in the new !ublic schools. 0im "row was a forced segregation of races in a song. Some thought this was absurd.

The $upre%e Court "pproves *i% Crow When 0im "row became a reality' few in the North s!oke out about this. 5n the case of 2lessy $. /erguson' it was !ro$en that sla$es were se!arate but e<ual. 1lacks would ha$e different items than whites did. Sharecro!!ers earned barely enough to stay ali$e. They borrowed from their !ro!erty owner or from the local storekee!er. The re!ay debts' they made the sharecro!!er sto! growing food. The landowner' storekee!er' and sharecro!!er were all ke!t in bondage to that !iece of land and that cro!.

The #econstruction $corecard Radical Reconstruction increased white Southerners fears of blacks. 5t hel!ed make the Two,Nation South into a One, Nation South. This ga$e new strength to the #emocratic 2arty. New liberal constitutions brought to the Southern states benefited the !oor. /ree !ublic education came along' with $aluable !olitical e4!eriences. 5t was under this Reconstruction that the :C th and :8th amendments were !assed. 1lacks would now fight for e<ual rights' under a new name.