SECTION

2 The Fight over

TEKS 1A, 9A, 9C, 21A, 23C Reconstruction
What You Will Learn…
If YOU were there...
Main Ideas A member of Congress, you belong to the same political party
1. Black Codes led to opposition
as the president. But you strongly disagree with his ideas about
to President Johnson’s plan
for Reconstruction. Reconstruction and civil rights for African Americans. Now some of
2. The Fourteenth Amendment
the president’s opponents are trying to remove him from office. You
ensured citizenship for Afri-
can Americans. do not think he is a good president. On the other hand, you think
3. Radical Republicans in
removing him would be bad for the unity of the country.
Congress took charge of
Reconstruction.
4. The Fifteenth Amendment
Will you vote to remove the president?
gave African Americans the
right to vote.

BUILDING BACKGROUND Americans were bitterly divided about

The Big Idea
what should happen in the South during Reconstruction. They dis-
The return to power of the agreed about ending racial inequality and guaranteeing civil rights for
pre-war southern leadership led
Republicans in Congress to take African Americans. These conflicts split political parties. They led to
control of Reconstruction. showdowns between Congress and the president. Political fights even
threatened the president’s job.
Key Terms and People
Black Codes, p. 558
Radical Republicans, p. 559 Opposition to President Johnson
Civil Rights Act of 1866, p. 560 In 1866 Congress continued to debate the rules for restoring the
Fourteenth Amendment, p. 561
Union. Meanwhile, new state legislatures approved by President
Reconstruction Acts, p. 561
impeachment, p. 562
Johnson had already begun passing laws to deny African Americans’
Fifteenth Amendment, p. 563 civil rights. “This is a white man’s government, and intended for white
men only,” declared Governor Benjamin F. Perry of South Carolina.

Black Codes
Soon, every southern state passed Black Codes , or laws that greatly
Use the graphic organizer online to
take notes on how Republicans in limited the freedom of African Americans. They required African
Congress took over Reconstruction Americans to sign work contracts, creating working conditions
and how they changed Reconstruc- similar to those under slavery. In most southern states, any Afri-
tion policies. can Americans who could not prove they were employed could be
arrested. Their punishment might be one year of work without pay.
African Americans were also prevented from owning guns. In addi-
tion, they were not allowed to rent property except in cities.
The Black Codes alarmed many Americans. As one Civil War
veteran asked, “If you call this freedom, what do you call slavery?”

558 Chapter 17
 African Americans organized to oppose the governments. They also believed that African
codes. One group sent a petition to officials Americans should have rights as citizens. They
in South Carolina. hoped that the government would not have
to force the South to follow federal laws.
“We simply ask . . . that the same laws which Radical Republicans , on the other
govern white men shall govern black men . . .
that, in short, we be dealt with as others are—in hand, took a harsher stance. They wanted
equity [equality] and justice. ” the federal government to force change
—Petition from an African American convention held in the South. Like the moderates, they
in South Carolina, quoted in There Is a River: The Black
Struggle for Freedom in America by Vincent Harding thought the Black Codes were cruel and
unjust. The Radicals, however, wanted
Radical Republicans the federal government to be much more
The Black Codes angered many Republicans. involved in Reconstruction. They feared
They thought the South was returning to its that too many southern leaders remained
old ways. Most Republicans were moderates loyal to the former Confederacy and would
who wanted the South to have loyal state not enforce the new laws. Thaddeus Stevens

Primary Source

POLITICAL CARTOON
Supporting Radical Republican Ideas
Republicans were outraged to see former Confeder- was a Confederate admiral who had captured
ates return to power as leaders of the Democratic Party. 62 Union merchant ships during the Civil War.
This 1868 political cartoon shows former Confederates Forrest was a cavalry officer known for brutality
Raphael Semmes and Nathan Bedford Forrest. Semmes who later founded the Ku Klux Klan.

How do the actions

of the people in these
illustrations support the
artist’s point of view?

How do events in
ANALYSIS the background of
skill ANALYZING PRIMARY SOURCES these illustrations
support the artist’s
Why do you think that the men are shown in their
point of view?
Confederate uniforms?

559
 Primary Source
Points of View
Johnson vs. Stevens Thaddeus Stevens believed that
Congress had the power to treat
President Andrew Johnson argued the South as conquered territory.
that the South should not be placed
under military control.
“theTheconquered
future condition of
power depends
“established
Military governments . . .
for an indefinite
on the will of the conqueror.
They must come in as new states
period, would have divided or remain as conquered provinces.
the people into the vanquish- Congress . . . is the only power
ers and the vanquished, and
would have envenomed ”
that can act in the matter .
—Thaddeus Stevens
[made poisonous] hatred
rather than have restored
affection.
”
—Andrew Johnson ANALYSIS
skill IDENTIFYING POINTS OF VIEW
How did Johnson’s and Stevens’s views
on the South differ?

of Pennsylvania and Charles Sumner of Mas- Fourteenth Amendment

sachusetts were the leaders of the Radical
Urged on by the Radicals in 1866, Congress
Republicans.
proposed a new bill. It would give the Freed-
A harsh critic of President Johnson,
men’s Bureau more powers. The law would
Stevens was known for his honesty and sharp
allow the Freedmen’s Bureau to use military
tongue. He wanted economic and political
courts to try people accused of violating Afri-
justice for both African Americans and poor
can Americans’ rights. The bill’s supporters
white southerners. Sumner had been a strong
hoped that these courts would be fairer than
opponent of slavery before the Civil War.
local courts in the South.
He continued to argue tirelessly for African
Americans’ civil rights, including the right to Johnson versus Congress
vote and the right to fair laws. Surprising many members of Congress,
Both Stevens and Sumner believed Johnson vetoed the Freedmen’s Bureau Bill.
that President Johnson’s Reconstruction plan He insisted that Congress could not pass any
was a failure. Although the Radicals did not new laws until the southern states were repre-
control Congress, they began to gain support sented in Congress. Johnson also argued that
among moderates when President Johnson the Freedmen’s Bureau was unconstitutional.
ignored criticism of the Black Codes. Stevens Republicans responded with the Civil
believed the federal government could not Rights Act of 1866. This act provided African
allow racial inequality to survive. Americans with the same legal rights as white
A cademic Americans. President Johnson once again
Reading Check Comparing and Contrasting
V ocabulary used his veto power. He argued that the act
How were Radical Republicans and moderate gave too much power to the federal govern-
principle basic
belief, rule, or law Republicans similar and different? ment. He also rejected the principle of equal

560 Chapter 17
rights for African Americans. Congress, how- Reading Check Summarizing What issue did
ever, overrode Johnson’s veto. the Fourteenth Amendment address, and how did
Many Republicans worried about what it affect the congressional elections of 1866?
would happen when the southern states were
readmitted. Fearing that the Civil Rights Act
might be overturned, the Republicans pro- Congress Takes Control of
posed the Fourteenth Amendment in the Reconstruction
summer of 1866. The Fourteenth Amend-
The 1866 elections gave the Republican Party
ment included the following provisions.
a commanding two-thirds majority in both
1. It defined all people born or naturalized the House and the Senate. This majority gave
within the United States, except Native the Republicans the power to override any
Americans, as citizens. presidential veto. In addition, the Republi-
2. It guaranteed citizens the equal protec- cans became united as the moderates joined
tion of the laws. with the Radicals. Together, they called for a
3. It said that states could not “deprive any new form of Reconstruction.
person of life, liberty, or property, with-
out due process of law.” Reconstruction Acts
4. It banned many former Confederate offi- In March 1867, Congress passed the first
cials from holding state or federal offices. of several Reconstruction Acts . These laws
5. It made state laws subject to federal
divided the South into five districts. A U.S.
court review.
military commander controlled each district.
6. It gave Congress the power to pass any
laws needed to enforce it.

1866 Elections
President Johnson and most Democrats Reconstruction Military Districts
opposed the Fourteenth Amendment. As
a result, civil rights for African Americans Military District 1 Military District 4
became a key issue in the 1866 congressio- Military District 2 Military District 5
nal elections. To help the Democrats, John- Military District 3
1868 Date former
son traveled around the country defending 0 150 300 Miles Confederate state
was readmitted
his Reconstruction plan. Johnson’s speaking 0 150 300 Kilometers to Union

tour was a disaster. It did little to win votes

VA
for the Democratic Party. Johnson even got 1870
into arguments with people in the audiences TN
NC
1868
of some of his speaking engagements. 1866
Disputed AR SC
Two major riots in the South also hurt 1868 1868
AL GA
MS 1870
Johnson’s campaign. On May 1, 1866, a 1870 1868
80°W
TX
dispute in Memphis, Tennessee, took place 1870 LA 30°N
1868
between local police and black Union
FL
soldiers. The dispute turned into a three-day 90°W
N
1868
E

wave of violence against African Americans.

W

Gulf of Mexico S
geography
About three months later, another riot took
skills  INTERPRETING MAPS
place during a political demonstration in
1. Region Which district consisted of only one state?
New Orleans. During that dispute, 34 Afri- 2. Human-Environment Interaction Do you see any
can Americans and three white Republicans reason why Military District 5 might be more difficult for
20°N
were killed. federal troops to control than the other districts?

reconstruction 561
 The military would remain in control of the has an equal right to justice, honesty, and fair
South until the southern states rejoined the play with every other man; and the law should
Union. To be readmitted, a state had to write secure him those rights. ”
–Thaddeus Stevens, quoted in Sources of the
a new state constitution supporting the Four- American Republic, edited by Marvin Meyers et al.
teenth Amendment. Finally, the state had to
give African American men the right to vote.
President on Trial
Thaddeus Stevens was one of the new
President Johnson strongly disagreed with
Reconstruction Acts’ most enthusiastic
Stevens. He argued that African Ameri-
supporters. He spoke in Congress to defend
cans did not deserve the same treatment as
the acts.
white people. The Reconstruction Acts, he
“ Have not loyal blacks quite as good a right to said, used “powers not granted to the fed-
choose rulers and make laws as rebel whites? eral government or any one of its branches.”
Every man, no matter what his race or color . . . Knowing that Johnson did not support its
Reconstruction policies, Congress passed a
law limiting his power. This law pre-
The Reconstruction Amendments vented the president from remov-
ing cabinet officials without Senate
approval. Johnson quickly broke
the law by firing Edwin Stanton, the
secretary of war.
For the first time in United States
history, the House of Representatives
responded by voting to impeach the
president. Impeachment is the pro-
cess used by a legislative body to bring
charges of wrongdoing against a pub-
lic official. The next step, under Arti-
cle I of the Constitution, was a trial in
the Senate. A two-thirds majority was
required to find Johnson guilty and
remove him from office.
Although Johnson was unpop-
ular with Republicans, some of
them believed he was being judged
Thirteenth Amendment (1865) unfairly. Others did not trust the
Banned slavery throughout the United States president pro tempore of the Sen-
ate, Benjamin Wade. He would
become president if Johnson were
Fourteenth Amendment (1868) removed from office. By a single
Overturned the Dred Scott case by granting vote, Senate Republicans failed to
citizenship to all people born in the United This Reconstruction-era
convict Johnson. Even so, the trial
States (except for Native Americans) painting shows African
weakened his power as president.
American men voting after
passage of the Fifteenth
Amendment.
Election of 1868
Fifteenth Amendment (1870)
Johnson did not run for another
Gave African American men the right to vote What right did the Fifteenth
term in 1868. The Democrats chose
Amendment protect?

562 Chapter 17
former New York governor Horatio Seymour into effect in 1870 as one of the last Recon-
as their presidential candidate. The Repub- struction laws passed at the federal level.
The Impact
licans chose Ulysses S. Grant. As a war hero, The Fifteenth Amendment did not please Today
Grant appealed to many northern voters. He every reformer, however. Many women were The Voting
had no political experience but supported the angry because the amendment did not also Rights Act of
congressional Reconstruction plan. He ran grant them the right to vote. 1965 enforces
and expands the
under the slogan “Let Us Have Peace.” voting protections
Shortly after Grant was nominated, Reading Check Finding Main Ideas How did
of the Fifteenth
Congress readmitted seven southern states— Radical Republicans take control of Reconstruction? Amendment.
Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana,
North Carolina, and South Carolina. (Tennessee SUMMARY AND PREVIEW In this section
had already been readmitted in 1866.) Under you learned that Congress took control of
the terms of readmission, these seven states Reconstruction and took steps to protect
approved the Fourteenth Amendment. They the rights of African Americans. In the next
also agreed to let African American men vote. section you will learn about increasing
However, white southerners used violence to try opposition to Reconstruction.
to keep African Americans away from the polls.
Despite such tactics, hundreds of thou-
Section 2 Assessment ONLINE QUIZ
sands of African Americans voted for Grant
and the “party of Lincoln.” The New Orleans Reviewing Ideas, Terms, and People
Tribune reported that many former slaves “see 1. a. Describe What were Black Codes?
clearly enough that the Republican party [is] b. Make Inferences Why did Republicans think Johnson’s
their political life boat.” African American Reconstruction plan was a failure?
votes helped Grant to win a narrow victory. 2. a. Recall What was the Civil Rights Act of 1866?
b. Summarize Why was the Fourteenth Amendment
Reading Check Analyzing To what voters did important? How did it affect life in the United States?
Grant appeal in the presidential election of 1868? 3. a. Recall Why was President Johnson impeached?
b. Evaluate Which element of the Reconstruction Acts do
you believe was most important? Why?
Fifteenth Amendment 4. a. Recall What does the Fifteenth Amendment state?
How did it affect life in the United States?
After Grant’s victory, Congressional Republi- b. Elaborate Do you think that women should have been
cans wanted to protect their Reconstruction included in the Fifteenth Amendment? Explain.
plan. They worried that the southern states
Critical Thinking
might try to keep black voters from the polls
5. Identify Review your notes on the issues that led Repub-
in future elections. Also, some Radical Repub-
licans to take over Reconstruction. Then copy the graphic
licans argued that it was not fair that many organizer below and use it to identify the main provisions
northern states still had laws preventing Afri- of the Fourteenth Amendment and their effects.
can Americans from voting. After all, every
Provisions Effects
southern state was required to grant suffrage
to African American men.
In 1869 Congress proposed the Fifteenth
Amendment, which gave African American
Focus on Writing
men the right to vote. Abolitionist William
Lloyd Garrison praised what he saw as “this 6. Recognizing Cause-and-Effect Relationships As you
wonderful, quiet, sudden transformation of four have read in this section, social and political unrest contin-
millions of human beings from . . . the auction ued long after the war ended. How could this unrest cause
block to the ballot-box.” The amendment went people to leave their jobs? What new jobs might they find?

reconstruction 563