Rebuilding the Nation Guided Reading Activity

1. Rebuilding the Nation Guided Reading Activity The reconstruction of the American south, 1865 - 1877

2. Virginia and the CSA in Ruins Since the capital of Virginia, Richmond, was also the capital of the Confederacy – and because most of the fighting in the Civil War took place in Virginia – rebuilding and reconstruction of the state was a major priority of the Union following the Civil War. All over the former Confederacy, a physical reconstruction was taking place. But even more importantly, Americans attempted to reconstruct our society – this time eliminating slavery and allowing “a new birth of Freedom.”

3. A Southern Democrat in the White House? After Abraham Lincoln was assassinated in April of 1865, the Andrew Johnson – a Southerner and a Democrat – inherited the Presidency. Although he had been loyal to the Union during the Civil War, he did not share many of Lincoln’s views, and the Radical Republicans in Congress had little faith in the new President. Because President Andrew Johnson was originally from Tennessee, he prevented that state from experiencing the humiliation and indignity of military occupation by the Union Army. Many considered this action unjust and inappropriate.

4. Many Southern states remained unreformed following the Civil War. Each of the eight (8) states below passed discriminatory laws against former slaves: VIRGINIA NORTH CAROLINA SOUTH CAROLINA GEORGIA ALABAMA MISSISSIPPI LOUISIANA OKLAHOMA

5. ABRAHAM LINCOLN Lincoln’s Ten Percent Plan is generally considered to be the most lenient plan the South could have had. Lincoln was extraordinarily compassionate, and sought the quickest reunification possible with the Southern Confederate states. Although Southerners did not always trust his intentions and may Radical Republicans thought he was too lenient, the plan may have worked. Sadly, though, Lincoln was assassinated. When he was murdered, his plans for forgiveness and reunification died with him.

6. LINCOLN’S TEN PERCENT PLAN: * Ten Percent of the voters of a state must swear loyalty to the United States. *The new government of the state must outlaw slavery. *Amnesty, or a group pardon for crimes, for most Confederate soldiers. *No Confederate government leaders or military leaders could hold office. Abraham Lincoln’s Ten Percent Plan - 1865

7. THE WADE-DAVIS BILL of 1864 * Fifty (50%) Percent of former Confederate states would have to sign a loyalty oath to the United States. *Anyone who voluntarily fought for the Confederacy would not be allowed to vote for delegates to a state government convention. * Slavery must be outlawed in the new state government. The Wade-Davis Bill – This bill never became law; Lincoln refused to sign the measure.

8. THE FREEDMEN’S BUREAU The first duty of the Freedman’s Bureau was to provide emergency relief to the people displaced by the Civil War – including both recently liberated slaves and Southern whites. Later, the Freedman’s Bureau would set up schools, and help to resolve disputes between whites and African-Americans in Southern states by establishing its own court system. The Freedmen’s Bureau – This agency was established under Lincoln. When President Johnson attempted to veto a renewal of the law, Radical Republicans were outraged.

9. FREEDMAN’S BUREAU SCHOOLS Most Southern towns did not have public schools prior to the Civil War, and what education was available to children took place at home. Following the Civil War, African-Americans who had gained independence sought what they had always been denied – literacy, scholarship, job training, and college educations. So in a very real sense, public schools were established largely thanks to the efforts of freedmen. Freedman’s Bureau Schoolhouses

10. JOHN WILKES BOOTH,an actor, murdered the President while he and his wife watched the play Our American Cousin, a comedy being performed at Ford’s Theatre. When Lincoln died, Andrew Johnson – a Southerner and a Democrat – became President of the United States. The rise of Johnson would lead to a bitter struggle between the President and the Radical Republican Congress for control of the Reconstruction process – a bitter struggle the Radical Republicans would win. The Murder of Abraham Lincoln at Ford’s Theatre – on Good Friday, April 14, 1865

11. Difficulties Facing the South During Reconstruction PHYSICAL DESTRUCTION – the South was devastated during the Civil War, particularly industry and transportation systems. WOUNDED SOLDIERS – many families breadwinners had died during the war, but those who were maimed, amputees, the blind, or crippled had a difficult time working as they had before the war. FREEDMEN – most were without property or job prospect, free though they may be. FINANCIAL RUIN – devastated, unproductive farmland and industry meant widespread poverty in the South.