Reconstruction
By: Nathan Schmitz
Civil Rights Amendments
The Fourteenth Amendment: ratified July 28, 1868. This amendment defines citizenship and prevents states from interfering in the rights of citizens of the United States.
The Fifteenth Amendment: ratified Mar. 30, 1870. It extended the right to vote to African American men.
15th Amendment
Black voting with whites
Abraham Lincoln
16th president, american hero
Andrew Johnson
17th president, horrible leader. He was impeached
Plans for Reconstruction
Within the government different groups had different opinions on Reconstruction
Congress had a more disciplined idea of reconstruction they did not agree with Lincoln's plan saying that the southerners would not truly be loyal, and protect former slaves. Congress instead came up with its own reconstruction plan the Wade Davis bill calling southern states to abolish slavery and delay reconstruction until a majority of states' white males took and oath of loyalty. It was vetoed by Lincoln as in flexible.
The radicals wanted the blacks to have equal rights, right away like voting and passed the amendments and bills to give them equality.
President Johnson was ill suited to control reconstruction because he favored whites. Johnson pardon all rebels except confederate office holders and the richest planters. To rejoin the union they had to nullify acts of secession, abolish slavery, and refused to pay confederate government debts.
Black Codes
Racism and Discrimination
One major hindrance on black equality was the Ku Klux Klan it was a southern secret terrorist group to prevent African Americans from voting. The klan attacked and killed anyone in the republican party or that voted for the republican party. They burned homes, schools, and churches, and stole livestock to remove black from the south. The African Americans would fight back when possible if they recognized their tormentor by voice or physical characteristics they would burn down the Klansmen's barn down. They would often group up to protect other and their property from destruction by the Klan. The blacks then turned to congress for help, so in 1870-1871 the Enforcement Acts were put in place to combat terrorism with military force.
Ku Klux Klan
southern terrorist organization
T.C. Williams High School football team
inter-racial team
Dr. Martin Luther King
Civil Rights activist