The Civil War Era in America1850-1877

The Main IdeaBy 1850 the issue of slavery dominated national politics, leading to sectional divisions and, finally, the secession of

the southern states.

Reading Focus

• How did the issue of slavery influence expansion in the 1850s?

• How did other sectional conflicts influence national politics in the 1850s?

• What was Abraham Lincoln’s path to the White House?• How and why did the South secede and form the

Confederacy?

The Nation Splits Apart

Kansas, Expansion, and Slavery• In Kansas, the government left the issue of slavery for the

residents to decide, though there were widely differing opinions.

• During the 1850s, several violent battles took place between pro-slavery and anti-slavery forces, including the Marais des Cygnes Massacre, when a gang of 30 pro-slavery men gunned down 11 anti-slavery settlers and killed five.

• So much violence took place that the area was called “Bleeding Kansas,” and the North and South realized that Kansas would play a leading role in deciding the slavery issue in America.

• Victory in the Mexican War raised an important question about U.S. expansion. As new states formed and joined the Union, would they allow slavery?

• In Congress, only perfect balance between slave and anti-slave states meant equal representation for both sides.

The Compromise of 1850• Adding California to the Union as an anti-slavery state would shift the

balance of power in Congress toward the North.

• In January 1850 Kentucky Senator Henry Clay introduced a plan to preserve the balance of power, sparking long debates.

• After months of debate, Congress passed the Compromise of 1850, which admitted California as a free state, set the Texas-New Mexico border, outlawed slave commerce in the nation’s capital, and made slavery a popular sovereignty issue in Utah and New Mexico.

• Uncle Tom’s Cabin, an anti-slavery book by Harriet Beecher Stowe, became a huge success despite Southern outrage.

--One provision, the Fugitive Slave Act, made it a crime to aid runaway slaves and allowed the arrest of escaped slaves. Many northerners actively broke this law, which angered slave owners.

The Kansas-Nebraska Act• A proposed railroad to link California with the rest of the nation

caused conflict.– Illinois senator Stephen A. Douglas thought that a northern

route would make Chicago an urban center.– He proposed organizing the western lands into two territories,

Nebraska, and Kansas.– To win southern support, he suggested dropping the Missouri

Compromise’s ban on slavery, in favor of popular sovereignty, where residents vote to decide on the issue.

• In May 1854 the Kansas-Nebraska Act became law, which outraged northerners, weakened the Democrats, and destroyed the Whig Party.

• Soon after, northern Whigs joined the Free-Soil Party and other anti-slavery parties to found the Republican Party.

Sectional Conflicts in Kansas

• In Lawrence, Kansas, a sheriff's posse attacked anti-slavery newspapers and burned buildings in what is known as the Sack of Lawrence.– In response, John Brown, an abolitionist, and others killed five pro-

slavery settlers on Pottawatomie Creek in Kansas.• Before Kansas could apply for statehood, voters had to approve a

constitution to allow or ban slavery.– To win votes, both sides raised money and organized to bring in more

settlers.– Fraud and violence marked early elections. Armed pro-slavery

Missourians crossed into Kansas to vote.– By 1856 Kansas had two governments— one for slavery and one

against. • In 1857 a pro-slavery convention tried to push through a pro-slavery Kansas

constitution, the Lecompton constitution, which allowed slavery and excluded freed slaves from the Bill of Rights. It was not ratified.

• Kansas was eventually admitted as a free state, which deepened sectional divisions.

Dred Scott Decision• Buchanan had

pledged not to interfere with slavery where it existed—would do nothing.

• Dred Scott, a slave who lived on free soil, sued for freedom.

• The Court ruled that the 5th Amendment protected slave owners’ rights—US Government could not interfere.

Events Spark National Political Conflict Election of 1856

• The nation was divided on presidential candidates.

• Democrats nominated James Buchanan, a former senator.

• The New Republican and American Parties nominated others.

• Democrats won by characterizing Republicans as extremists on slavery.

John Brown’s Raid • Abolitionist John

Brown planned a raid on the U.S. arsenal to get guns for a slave revolt.

• U.S. Marines stormed the arsenal and captured Brown and his followers.

• They were tried for treason and executed, though many northerners thought Brown was a hero.

Lincoln’s Upbringing

1. Lincoln was born in 1809 in a one-room cabin near Louisville, Kentucky.

2. Lincoln’s family was very poor, held no slaves, and opposed slavery. They moved to the Indiana Territory in 1816.

3. In 1831 he got a job on a riverboat from Indiana to New Orleans, and there had his first contact with slavery at a New Orleans slave auction.

1. Lincoln moved to New Salem, Illinois, and ran for state legislature.2. He won a seat in the Illinois General Assembly and studied law at home.3. He married Mary Todd, the daughter of a Kentucky slaveholder.4. In 1846 he was elected to Congress, and proposed the radical idea of “compensated

emancipation,” or paying slave owners to free their slaves.5. Lincoln campaigned for successful Whig Party presidential candidate Zachary Taylor,

and was upset that he was not given the position he was promised.6. He resigned from Congress in 1849 and went home to Illinois to practice law.

However, the Kansas-Nebraska Act, which allowed all residents to vote on slavery, sparked him to reenter politics as a Republican.

Abraham Lincoln Rises

Lincoln’s Early Political Career

Debates and ElectionThe Lincoln-Douglas Debates

• Lincoln defeated Stephen A. Douglas in a series of debates during the 1858 Illinois Senate race.– In the debates, he called the

U.S. “a house divided against itself” on the issue of slavery.

– National news attention led to the publishing of the Lincoln-Douglas debates in papers across the U.S.

• During the debates:– Lincoln challenged Douglas on

popular sovereignty.– In the Freeport Doctrine,

Douglas said people could stop slavery by refusing to pass laws allowing it.

– Lincoln called slavery immoral but denied proposing racial equality.

The Election of 1860• Two years later, Lincoln and

Douglas ran against each other for president, facing hard battles.

• The Democrats were divided and split completely, as southern Democrats walked out of the nominating convention.

• The remaining Democrats nominated Douglas, and southern Democrats elected John Breckenridge.

• Southern moderates started their own party, the Constitutional Union Party.

• The Republicans chose Lincoln because his abolitionist views were strong but moderate.

• Lincoln won the election in the North and became president.

Southern Secession: Causes and Effects

Causes of Secession• The Compromise of 1850• The Kansas-Nebraska Act• The Lincoln-Douglas Debates• The Election of 1860

Effects of Secession

• South Carolina fears a northern-controlled government will act against slavery and withdraws from the Union.

• Several states follow, forming the Confederate States of America.

• A week after Lincoln’s election, the South Carolina legislature called a convention to consider leaving the Union.

• They decided for it, and the rest of the Lower South quickly followed, including Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, and Texas.

• Four other states—Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Arkansas—also threatened to secede.

• Though many southerners and even up to 40 percent of delegates opposed secession, the decision was made by radicals at the convention.

• Northern reactions to secession varied, with some happy to lose the slave states and others worried about the long-term effects.

The Civil War1860-1865

The Civil War• The Main Idea

The Civil War broke out following a Confederate attack on Fort Sumter, leading to widespread fighting, heavy casualties,

and the eventual defeat of the Confederacy.

• Reading Focus

• How did the Civil War begin, and what were some early battles?

• What was life like during the Civil War?• How did continued fighting turn the tide of the war?• What happened in the final phase of the war?

The Confederacy is Born• In February 1861, representatives of the seven seceded states

met in Montgomery, Alabama, to form a new nation. They wrote a constitution that allowed slavery and guaranteed slave holder’s rights.

• They chose Jefferson Davis, a former U.S. Senator from Mississippi, as president.

• They created an association of the states called the Confederate States of America, or the Confederacy, which, problematically, lacked national currency and official headquarters.

• The House and Senate sought ways to avoid war, including appointing special committees to suggest possible solutions.

• One plan, the Crittenden Compromise, proposed new constitutional amendments, including allowing slavery in some parts of America and compensating slave holders for escaped slaves.

• The negotiations failed, as Lincoln’s presidency was a main reason for secession. Lincoln privately opposed any extension of slavery, though he promised in his inaugural speech not to interfere with slavery where it already existed.

The Civil War…Strengths and Weaknesses

Strengths Weaknesses

Union:1. Large Population2. Industry and Manufacturing3. Agriculture4. Naval Power5. Established System of Government6. Weapons, Food, and Supplies

Union:1. No unifying cause to fight for2. Inexperienced Military Leaders3. Had to invade the South4. Opposition to the War

Confederate:1. Multiple Causes to Fight for2. Best and Brightest Military Leaders3. Strong Militia and Military tradition

in the South4. Defending their own Soil

Confederate:1. Lack industrial production2. Limited population—could not arm

slaves3. No help from abroad—Europe was

anti-slavery

THE CIVIL WAR…Early Battles

Ft. Sumter—4/12-13/18611. Buchanan down-sized the US

Army right up to the end of his Presidency

2. No troops were sent to hold Southern forts

3. SC militia opened fire on the fort before Lincoln could rescue it

4. Major Anderson surrendered the fort to save his troops

Ft. Donelson—2/18621. Confederate fort that controlled

the Tennessee and Cumberland Rivers

2. Taken by US forces commanded by Gen. Grant

3. Makes it difficult for CSA to hold onto Tennessee

4. Grant emerges as a hero

1st Battle of Bull Run—7/21/18611. 1st Major Battle of the Civil War2. Spectators followed both armies

to watch the battle3. Neither army was experienced4. CSA forces were able to gain an

advantage—Stonewall Jackson5. US forces retreated in chaos

The Battle of Shiloh—4/6-7/18621. US forces (Grant) were pushing

CSA forces out of TN and into MS

2. CSA forces met them near Corinth, MS

3. Costly US victory—24,000 total casualties—Grant is re-assigned

4. CSA loses Gen. A.S. Johnston

Battle of Shiloh—Day One

Battle of Shiloh—Day Two

The Civil War…The Peninsula and AntietamGeneral McClellan

1. Given command of the US Army in the east in 1861 after Bull Run2. Skilled at developing soldiers—training and organizing3. Politically ambitious—hoped to be the President some day4. Braggart—Self-centered—Did not take orders very well5. Feared risking his forces in major battles—paranoid

The Peninsula Campaign—Northern Virginia—3-6/18621. McClellan faced a reorganized CSA Army led by Robert E. Lee2. Lee used McClellan’s paranoia against him and kept him away from

the CSA capitol at Richmond—Gen. Magruder (CSA)3. McClellan’s mismanagement turned a series of potential victories into

a series of disappointing draws and losses4. Lincoln fires McClellan—is forced to re-appoint him after Gen. Pope

failed at 2nd Bull Run

The Battle of Antietam—9/17/1862—Bloodiest Day in American History1. Lee’s CSA forces invaded Maryland2. McClellan’s US forces met them at Sharpsburg, MD—Antietam Creek3. McClellan failed to capitalize on a series of opportunities to destroy

Lee’s Army—Lincoln fired him for good

The Civil War…After Antietam

The Impacts:1. Emancipation Proclamation

a. Kept Britain out of the warb. Allowed for Blacks to enlistc. Took effect on 1/1/1863

2. Burnside replaces McClellana. Vowed to attack Lee as soon as possibleb. McClellan announced his plans to run for President

3. Confederate Draft ordereda. Exempted anyone with 20+ slaves—unpopularb. Needed troops—extended all enlistments

The Civil War…After Antietam (Continued)

Fredericksburg—12/13/1862:1. Burnside planned to move south and overwhelm Lee

2. Union forces traveled slowlya. Lee was able to secure excellent defensive positionsb. Burnsides force was so large it took too long to

attack

3. Burnside ordered 13 frontal assaults up Marye’s Heights outside Fredericksburg, Va.a. 13,000 Union casualtiesb. 4,000 CSA casualties

4. Burnside resigned and was replaced by Gen. Hooker

The Battle of Fredericksburg

The Civil War…After Antietam (Continued)Chancellorsville—5/2-6/1863

1. Hooker hoped to trap Leea. Drew him away from Richmond—NW Va.b. Outnumber Lee 100,000 to 42,000

2. Gen. J.E.B. Stuart’s Cavalry warned Lee of Hooker’s plansa. The “eyes and ears” of Lee’s Armyb. Gives time to plan/position

3. Hooker disregarded reports of Lee’s movementsa. CSA battle plan had been foundb. Relied on his own “genius”

4. Lee’s Masterpiece was costly—Stonewall Jackson was killeda. Split his forces and attacked from 2 sides—won easilyb. US—17,000 casualties, CSA—13,000 casualties

The Battle of Chancellorsville

The Civil War…Gettysburg• Lee invaded the Union

1. Had to take advantage of morale in the South2. Needed to win the war as soon as possible3. Would be a chance to re-supply his army4. Must take pressure off the CSA forces in the west5. Invaded Maryland and Pennsylvania (June 1863)

• Union strategy was working in the West1. Grant had been re-instated2. Lincoln’s staff decided in 1862 that taking the Mississippi

would cripple the South—transportation/trade/industry3. Grant’s forces pushed South from Tennessee4. Admiral Farragut pushed North from New Orleans5. By Summer 1863, only Vicksburg, MS, was in CSA control

The Civil War…GettysburgNew Union Commander was George G. Meade1. Defensive strategist2. Reorganized the Union Army—no political aspirations3. Was not fond of Lincoln’s constant requests for action4. Relied on the skill of his commanders in the field—had no

problem sharing glory/credit/blame

Lee was not at full strength—despite having more men than ever5. Had approx. 80,000 troops in Pennsylvania6. First major campaign without Stonewall Jackson7. Stuart strayed out of contact range—wanted to make a big

media splash in Pennsylvania8. Forces were in and out of contact with each other—led to

missed opportunities

The Civil War…Gettysburg1st Day of Battle—July 1, 1863—Good Ground

• US Cavalry (Gen. John Buford) shadowed Lee’s Army• CSA forces were spread out—foraging for supplies

1. Lost contact with Lee2. Headed for Gettysburg—US warehouse—to get shoes/uniforms3. Moved South toward the town

• Buford’s troopers and the local militia made a stand1. Held off main body of Lee’s army at Oak Hill and Seminary Ridge2. Kept the CSA occupied until Meade’s army could arrive and take the

hills surrounding the area3. Lee had ordered his forces not to attack until they were at full strength4. Lee had no idea what he faced—Stuart was no longer in contact

• Meade deployed his forces to the hills north (Culp’s Hill) and south (Big Round Top and Little Round Top)

The Civil War…Gettysburg—Day 1 Map

The Civil War…GettysburgThe Second Day—July 2, 1863—Hold to the Last

• Lee planned to assault both ends, to draw strength from one end of Meade’s army to the other and vice versa

1. Gen. Ewell was in charge of Stonewall’s old army and delayed the attacks the day before and the day at Culp’s Hill

2. Gen. Hood was placed with Gen. Longstreet’s army and was ordered to take the Round Tops that afternoon

3. Longstreet asked Lee to redeploy the army away from Gettysburg, but Lee chose to stay and fight

• Union bravery on Little Round Top turned the tide of battle1. Gen. Warren ordered the 20th Maine up to defend Little Round

Top2. Col. Chamberlain (20th Maine) held and counterattacked

despite being outnumbered and out of ammunition—defeated the CSA forces

3. Constant attack by the CSA led to immense casualties

The Civil War…Gettysburg—Day 2 Map

20th Maine on Little Round Top

The Civil War…GettysburgThe 3rd Day—July 3, 1863—Pickett’s Charge

• Lee believed he could break the Union line in the center1. Felt they had come close again the day before2. The US was reinforcing on both ends3. Had not brought up all his artillery in the fight so far—could pound the

US center and assault there4. Longstreet urged Lee to re-deploy to the South—around the US left

• Pickett’s Charge1. Gen. George Pickett was ordered to lead a charge directly into the US

center—12,000+ men marched across 2 miles of open field2. Artillery was unable to soften up the US—Pickett’s Charge was

destroyed3. Lee met his retreating army and told them “It is all my fault.”—took full

responsibility for the defeat• CSA is never again able to go on an offensive campaign—too few

soldiers

The Civil War…Gettysburg—Day 3 Map

The Civil War…After Gettysburg

• The Bloodiest Battle in American History1. One Minnesota regiment received 87% casualties (dead/wounded/

missing)2. Several CSA regiments received 100%3. Number of casualties was overwhelming

a. US—24,000b. CSA—28,000 (included 52 generals)

4. Little town of Gettysburg was covered with wounded and dead

• Meade does not follow-up the battle by attacking Lee as he retreated

1. Had to deal with so many casualties—couldn’t move2. Army was worn out—no rest for 6 days3. Lincoln was furious—informed Meade that he would likely be replaced4. Lee prepared for a US attack as he withdrew—amazed it never came

The Civil War…After Gettysburg

• Impacts of Gettysburg1. The CSA lost its ability to go on the offensive2. War became a war of “Attrition”—who would run out of soldiers first3. Doubled in importance when Vicksburg fell on July 4, 1863

a. Grant finally broke the CSA forces at Vicksburg and took the Mississippib. Puts Grant into the national consciousness—Lincoln moves him East

• New Union Strategy (1864)1. In the winter of 1863-64 Lincoln and his advisors change their focus2. Grant was moved East to destroy Lee’s Army3. Farragut increased harassment of CSA ports/shipping4. Sherman was to destroy the CSA ability/will to continue the war5. Needed to win as much as possible before the election of 1864

The Civil War…1864-65• Sherman’s March to the Sea—Gen. William T. Sherman intended to destroy the

CSA war effort1. Goal was to destroy CSA food supply/disrupt trade/break communications2. His Army was judged by foreign observers to be the greatest fighting force on

the planet3. Became infamous in the south for destroying so many towns/plantations and

allowing Atlanta to burn to the ground4. Taking Atlanta & “Marching through Georgia” ensured Lincoln’s re-election5. Continued on through the Carolinas

• Lee vs. Grant1. Grant was not intimidated by Lee—admired and respected him, but had a job

to do2. Lee was doing whatever he could to keep his army intact—was fighting as long

as his men followed him3. Grant continued to attack Lee in order to deplete CSA forces and supplies4. Some of the bloodiest fighting of the war resulted in the fall of Richmond (April

1865) and Lee’s Surrender at Appomattox Courthouse, VA later that month—ends the war

5. Grant’s terms of surrender were the first step in healing the nation—Rebels were not held as P.O.W.’s—were disbanded and sent home

The Civil War…ImpactsImpacts of the Civil War

• The Lost Generation—More American casualties than all other US wars combined

• Ended Secession as a threat1. No longer an option2. US is seen as a single unit—fewer sectional rivalries

• Ended Slavery in America• Increased the power of the Federal Government• Poverty in the South—still an impact today• Westward Migration—displaced citizens, former slaves, soldiers

1. Slavery was no longer holding America back2. Chance for many to start a new life

• Industrial Boom in America—1865-19751. Civil War established major industries—Steel, RR, Timber, Manufacturing2. World trade was possible again—no blockade

• New generation of leaders—impacts all parts of American Life

The Main Idea

Conflicting plans for dealing with the post-Civil War South had long-lasting effects on government and the economy.

Reading Focus• What were the differing plans for presidential

Reconstruction?• What was congressional Reconstruction?• What happened when Radical Republicans took charge

of Reconstruction?• Why did Reconstruction end, and what were its effects on

American history?

Reconstruction

• Lincoln’s Plan1. In late 1863 Lincoln issued a Proclamation of Amnesty and Reconstruction,

offering forgiveness to all southerners who pledged loyalty to the Union and supported emancipation.

2. Lincoln’s Ten-Percent Plan stated that once 10 percent of a southern state’s voters took the oath, they could organize a new state government, which had to ban slavery.

1. Some Congress members thought re-admitting states to the Union was only a power of Congress; some thought the South never officially left the union.

2. Others thought southern states should go through the same admission process for statehood as territories.

Presidential Reconstruction

• Lincoln’s Plan Sparks Debate in Congress

• Congress Responds, Tragedy Strikes

1. Congress’ own plan, the Wade-Davis Bill, required a majority of a state’s white men to pledge the oath, not just 10 percent. It was vetoed by Lincoln.

2. Lincoln was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth in 1865, and didn’t live long enough to carry out his Reconstruction plans for the South.

Johnson’s Plan

The Reconstruction Plan:• Added wealthy southern men to the list

of those who needed to be pardoned by government

• Did not, according to Charles Sumner, Thaddeus Stevens, and other powerful members in Congress, provide any role in government for freedmen, or those freed from slavery

• Was welcomed by white southerners, who could form state governments on their own terms

Reactions in the South:• Former Confederates took state

offices and were sent to Congress.• The Black Codes were formed,

keeping freedmen in a dependent position and providing cheap farm labor.

• Private groups formed like the Ku Klux Klan, who enforced the Black Codes and terrorized African Americans and their supporters.

• After Lincoln’s death, Vice President Andrew Johnson became president.

• Though he was a Democrat, Republicans thought he would work with them because he didn’t seem as forgiving as Lincoln.

• As a Tennessean from a poor family, Johnson didn’t dislike the South, just wealthy planters.

• Johnson’s plan was similar to Lincoln’s, with a few changes.

Congress Takes Control

Supported the Freedmen’s Bureau, an organization Congress created in 1865 to help former slaves and poor whites in the South.

It allowed the bureau to build more schools and provide other aid.

Civil Rights Act of 1866

– gave African Americans

citizenship

– guaranteed them the same

legal rights as white Americans

• Most northerners supported Johnson’s plan, until the Black Codes and the return of former Confederates to power upset them.

• That strengthened Radical Republicans, who wanted a stronger Reconstruction program to reshape southern society politically and economically, and to help freedmen gain equality.

• After Congress reconvened in 1866, moderate Republicans, who controlled both the House and the Senate, proposed two bills.

• Both bills passed in Congress, but Johnson’s veto led moderate Republicans to help Radical Republicans take over Reconstruction.

• To protect the Civil Rights Act of 1866, Congress passed the Fourteenth Amendment, requiring states to grant citizenship to everyone born or naturalized in the United States and promising “equal protection of the laws.”

• In the 1866 congressional elections, Radicals gained enough votes to take over Reconstruction, and passed four Reconstruction Acts

• The acts set three conditions for readmission.– Ratify the Fourteenth Amendment– Write new state constitutions that guaranteed freedmen the right to

vote– Form new governments to be elected by all male citizens

• Congress also passed the Tenure of Office Act in 1867, requiring the Senate’s permission to remove any official it appointed.

• When Johnson tested the act by firing Secretary of War Edwin Stanton, who supported Radical Republicans, the House voted to impeach him.

• The Senate lacked one vote for the two-thirds majority they needed to remove Johnson from office.

Radical Reconstruction

Republicans in Charge

3. Northerners who came south to join in the region’s rebirth were called carpetbaggers.

4. They also came from varied backgrounds, including politicians, teachers, Freedmen’s Bureau officers and former soldiers.

5. Some were African Americans.

• Republicans chose Civil War war hero Ulysses S. Grant as their candidate in the 1868 presidential election.

• About half a million African American votes gave Grant the victory.• Congress passed the Fifteenth Amendment, protecting African

American male voting rights.• As Congress took control of Reconstruction, discrimination slowed and

the Black Codes were repealed.

1. White southerners who supported Reconstruction were called scalawags/scoundrels, by ex-Confederates.

2. This varied group included farmers who wanted the wealthy class’s power, those ruined by the war, and business leaders who wanted to stop the South’s dependence on agriculture.

• Freedom meant African Americans could search for long-lost relatives, own land, and have jobs of their choice.

• Many freedmen moved to urban areas, mainly in the South, but were met with prejudice and low pay.

• Some went West, becoming business owners, miners, soldiers, or cowboys.

• Freed slaves eagerly sought education. The Freedmen’s Bureau started more than 4,000 schools.

• African Americans also established churches, created trade associations, fire companies, employment agencies, and mutual aid societies.

Freedom Brings Changes

Economic Changes• For many freedmen, owning land meant freedom, but even those with

money found landowners unwilling to sell to them and give them economic independence.

• A new labor system gradually arose.

• It was hard for tenant farmers and sharecroppers to rise out of poverty.• While the rural South suffered economic hardship, southern cities grew

rapidly as railroads linked North and South.• Southern business leaders and northern investors joined to build mills

and other ventures, but this did not help freedmen or poor southerners.

2. Tenant farmers rented their land from landowners and could grow any crop. Many grew food crops, not cotton, to provide both food and income.

1. Sharecroppers received a share of their employers’ crops. The employer provided land, shelter, seeds, animals, and tools. The sharecropper provided labor.

Reconstruction EndsViolence

• Violence plagued the South during Reconstruction.

• The KKK and similar groups terrorized minorities.

• Terrorists targeted African American leaders and people of both races with burnings and violence.

• They beat Freedmen’s Bureau teachers and murdered public officials, many of whom resigned.

• When state governments couldn’t control violence, Congress passed Enforcement Acts that set penalties for trying to prevent a qualified citizen from voting.

• The Acts also gave the army and federal courts the power to punish Klan members.

Discontent

• Eventually, most people were unhappy with Reconstruction.

• The army still had to keep the peace in the South, and the Republican government seemed ineffective.

• African Americans were unhappy about their poverty and lack of land reform and all were discouraged by the South’s poor economy.

• Some said Reconstruction governments were corrupt.

• These conditions strengthened the Liberal Republicans, who broke party and helped Democrats win back Congress in 1872.

• By the mid-1870s it was clear that Reconstruction was ending.• Its fiercest leaders, Thaddeus Stevens and Charles Sumner, had died.• Supreme Court decisions, such as the Slaughterhouse Cases, in which the

Court said that most civil rights were under state control and not protected by the Fourteenth Amendment, weakened its protections.

• As support for Reconstruction declined, southern Democratic leaders and supporters grew bolder.

• Lawlessness and violence against Republican candidates increased, and some were murdered.

• When Mississippi’s governor asked Ulysses S. Grant for help in 1875, he refused.

• In the 1876 presidential election, Rutherford B. Hayes was given the presidency when Republicans promised to withdraw federal troops from the South, causing the collapse of Republican state governments.

• Some called the post-Reconstruction South “the New South.”

The Impacts of Reconstruction