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Home , Hiram Rhodes Revels, Redeemers

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Washington, SECTION D.C. 3 Reconstruction VA TEKS 1A, 9A, 9B, 9C, 18A, 18C, 21C, NC 23C, 24B, 28B in the South TN

AR What You Will Learn… SC If YOU were there... AL MS ATLANTIC Main Ideas You live on a farm in the South in the 1870s. Times are hard because TX GA 1. Reconstruction governments LA OCEAN you do not own your farm. Instead, you and your family work in a 30°N helped reform the South. 2. The was orga- landowner’s cotton fields. You never seem to earn enough to buy land 80°W nized as African of your own. Some of your neighbors have decided to give up farming N FL moved into positions of power. E W 3. As Reconstruction ended, the and move to the city. Others are going to work in the textile mills. But Gulf of Mexico rights of you have always been a farmer. S were restricted. 95°W 90°W 85°W 4. Southern business leaders Will you decide to change your way of life? relied on industry to rebuild the South. 25°N

The Big Idea BUILDING BACKGROUND Reconstruction affected politics and As Reconstruction ended, economics in the South. Republican and Democratic politicians fought African Americans faced new hurdles and the South attempted over policies and programs. New state governments began reforms, but to rebuild. later leaders ended many of them. Some parts of the southern economy improved. However, many farmers, like the family above, went through Key Terms and People hard times. Hiram Revels, p. 565 Ku Klux Klan, p. 566 , p. 568 Reconstruction Governments poll tax, p. 568 segregation, p. 569 After Grant became president in 1869, the Republicans seemed , p. 569 stronger than ever. They controlled most southern governments, Plessy v. Ferguson, p. 569 partly because of the support of African American voters. However, ah06se_c16map010aa.ai sharecropping, p. 570 Republican officeholders were unpopular with white southerners. Southern African Americans in Congress, 1870 Middle School -- American History MapQuest.com/HRW F1 proof - 11/09/04 and Approved 11/09/04 Some of these office-holders were northern-born Republicans who Use the graphic organizer online had moved South after the war. Many white southerners called to take notes on the South’s efforts them carpetbaggers. Supposedly, they had rushed South carrying to rebuild and the effects of those all their possessions in bags made from carpeting. Many south- efforts on African Americans. erners resented these northerners, accusing them—often unfairly— of trying to profit from Reconstruction. Because the South needed both physical and economic rebuilding, there were many business opportunities. Northerners who had not been devastated by the war had more money to invest and could therefore profit from these opportunities.

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Washington, African American Representation in the South, 1870 D.C.

VA Member of U.S. Congress Hiram Revels was the State legislator son of former slaves and helped organize African 0 150 300 Miles NC TN American regiments in 0 150 300 Kilometers the Civil War. Revels was AR selected to fill the U.S. SC Senate seat formerly held by , presi- AL MS ATLANTIC dent of the Confederacy. TX GA LA OCEAN 30°N

80°W Blanche K. Bruce N escaped from slavery FL E and began a school W Gulf of Mexico for African Americans S before the Civil War. 95°W geography 90°W 85°W Bruce was the first skills INTERPRETING MAPS African American elected to a full six-year term in 1. Location Which state had the most African American the U.S. Senate. 25°N state legislators? 2. Region Which states had the least African American representation?

Southern Democrats cared even less for 1870, after many debates at the national and white southern Republicans. They referred state levels about his eligibility and citizen- to them as scalawags, or greedy rascals. ship, Revels became the first African Ameri- Democrats believed that these southern- can in the U.S. Senate. He took over the seat ers had betrayed the South by voting for the previously held by Confederate president Republican Party. Many southern Republicans Jefferson Davis. Revels held a moderate view were small farmers who had supported the of the readmission of former Confederates. Union during the war. Others, like Education and employment for African governor James Alcorn, were former members Americans were two of his top priorities. of the Whig Party. They preferred to become Revels helped display the ability of African Republicans rather than join the Democrats. Americans to take part in governing. Unlike Revels, Blanche K. Bruce grew ah06se_c16map010aa.ai African American Leaders up in slavery in Virginia. Bruce became an Southern African Americans in Congress, 1870 FOCUS ON Middle School -- American History African Americans were the largest group of important Republican in Mississippi and Reading MapQuest.com/HRW southern Republican voters. During Recon- served one term as a U.S. senator. He worked ah06se_c16map010aa.aiF1 proof - 11/09/04 Southern AfricanWhat Americans might you in Congress,Approved 1870 11/09/04 struction, more than 600 African Americans to integrate the military while in office. After Middlepredict School would -- American History won election to state legislatures. Some 16 completing his term, he became the first presi- change with MapQuest.com/HRW African Ameri- F1 proof - 11/09/04 of these politicians were elected to Congress. dent of Alcorn University. cans serving as Approved 11/09/04 Other African Americans held local offices in elected represen- counties throughout the South. Reconstructed State Governments tatives? African American politicians came from The new Reconstruction state governments many backgrounds. Hiram Revels was born made policies that increased civil and voting free in and went to college in rights for African Americans. They passed . He became a Methodist minister and laws that ensured African Americans were served as a chaplain in the . In allowed to vote in every community. In

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many places, however, there was still resis- ­economy ­recover from the war. To get the tance by whites. Because former Confeder- money for these projects, the Reconstruc- ates could usually not vote, they struggled to tion governments raised taxes and issued maintain political influence. bonds. Although some people protested Reconstruction governments provided the increased taxes, the improved infra- money for many new programs and organi- structure helped the South to increase its zations in the South. Lawmakers hoped that trade and production ­capabilities. these organizations would help southerners Reading Check Summarizing What reforms adjust to the new economic and social struc- did Reconstruction state governments carry out? ture. They helped to establish some of the first state-funded public school systems in the South. They also built new hospitals, pris- Ku Klux Klan ons, and orphanages and passed laws prohib- As more African Americans took office, resis- iting discrimination against African Ameri- tance to Reconstruction increased among cans. Many of these programs improved the white southerners. Democrats claimed that lives of African Americans and whites in the the Reconstruction governments were cor- South, and gave people economic opportu- rupt, illegal, and unjust. They also disliked nities and access to political offices. However, having federal soldiers stationed in their racism and the dramatically different culture states. Many white southerners disapproved of groups led to conflicting expectations, and of African American officeholders. One Dem- sometimes tensions led to violence. ocrat noted, “‘A white man’s government’ Southern states under Republican con- [is] the most popular rallying cry we have.” trol spent large amounts of money. They In 1866 a group of white southerners in Ten- aided the construction of railroads, bridges,­ nessee created the Ku Klux Klan . This secret and public buildings. These improve- society opposed civil rights, particularly suf- ments were ­intended to help the southern frage, for African Americans. The Klan used

The Ku Klux Klan

Members of the Ku Klux Klan often attacked under cover of darkness to hide their identities. This klans- man, shown on the left, even disguised his horse. Why do you think Klan members disguised themselves?

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violence and terror against African ­Americans. Panic of 1873 The group’s membership grew rapidly as it This severe economic downturn began in spread throughout the South. Klan members September 1873 when Jay Cooke and Com- wore robes and disguises to hide their iden- pany, a major investor in railroads and the tities. They attacked—and even murdered— largest financier of the Union’s Civil War African Americans, white Republican voters, effort, declared bankruptcy. The company and public officials, usually at night. had lied about the value of land along the Local governments did little to stop the side of the Northern Pacific Railroad that violence. Many officials feared the Klan or it owned and was trying to sell. When the were sympathetic to its activities. In 1870 truth leaked out, the company failed. and 1871 the federal government took The failure of such an important busi- action. Congress passed laws that made it a ness sent panic through the stock market, federal crime to interfere with elections or to and investors began selling shares of stock deny citizens equal protection under the law. more rapidly than people wanted to buy Within a few years, the Klan was no them. Companies had to buy their shares ­longer an organized threat. But groups of back from the investors. Soon, 89 of the whites continued to assault African Ameri- nation’s 364 railroads had failed as well. cans and Republicans throughout the 1870s. ­The failure of almost 18,000 other busi­ Reading Check Drawing Conclusions Why nesses followed within two years, leav-­ did southerners join the Ku Klux Klan? ­ing the nation in an economic crisis. By 1876 unemployment had risen to 14 per- cent, with an estimated 2 million people Reconstruction Ends out of work. The high unemployment The violence of the Ku Klux Klan was not the rate set off numerous strikes and pro-­ only challenge to Reconstruction. Repub- tests around the nation, many involving licans slowly lost control of southern state railroad workers. In 1874 the ­Democrats governments to the Democratic Party. The gained control of the House of Representa­ General Amnesty Act of 1872 allowed former tives. Northerners were becoming less con- Confederates, except those who had held cerned about southern racism and more high ranks, to serve in public office. Many concerned about their financial well-being. of these former Confederates, most of whom were Democrats, were soon elected to south- Election of 1876 ern governments. Republicans could tell that northern support The Republican Party also began losing for Reconstruction was fading. Voters’ atten- its power in the North. Although President tion was shifting to economic problems. In Grant was re-elected in 1872, financial and 1874 the Republican Party lost control of political scandals in his administration upset the House of Representatives to the Demo- voters. In his first term, a gold-buying scheme crats. The Republicans in Congress man- in which Grant’s cousin took a leading role aged to pass one last civil rights law. The led to a brief crisis on the stock market called guaranteed African Black Friday. During his second term, his per- Americans equal rights in public places, such sonal secretary was involved in the Whiskey as theaters and public transportation. But Ring scandal, in which whiskey distillers and as Americans became increasingly worried public officials worked together to steal liquor about ­economic problems and government taxes from the federal government. Further- corruption, the Republican Party began to more, people blamed Republican policies for abandon ­Reconstruction. the Panic of 1873.

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The Court’s Ruling Why It Matters The Court ruled that the “separate- Plessy was important because it but-equal” law was constitutional. approved the idea of separate-but-equal facilities for people based on race. The The Court’s Reasoning doctrine of separate-but- equal led to The Court stated that the Thirteenth and segregation in trains, buses, schools, Plessy v. Ferguson Fourteenth Amendments did not apply. The restaurants, and many other social (1896) Court decided that the case had nothing to ­institutions. do with the abolition of slavery mentioned The separate-but-equal doctrine led Background of the Case In 1892, in the Thirteenth Amendment. The justices to unequal treatment of minority groups Homer Plessy took a seat in the also ruled that the Fourteenth Amendment for decades. It was finally struck down by “whites only” car of a train in Loui- was not designed to eliminate social bar- another Supreme Court ruling, Brown v. siana. He was arrested, put on trial, riers to equality between the races, only Board of Education, in 1954. and convicted of violating Louisi- political barriers. ana’s segregation law. Plessy argued Justice John Marshall Harlan dis- ANALYSIS Analyzing Information that the Louisiana law violated the agreed with the Court’s ruling. In a skill Thirteenth Amendment and denied dissenting opinion, he wrote that “in 1. Why did the Court reject Plessy’s him the equal protection of the law respect of civil rights, all citizens are arguments? equal before the law.” 2. Why was Plessy v. Ferguson an important Supreme Court case?

Republicans selected governor Redeemers Rutherford B. Hayes as their 1876 presiden- Gradually, Democrats regained control of tial candidate. He believed in ending federal state governments in the South. In each support of the Reconstruction governments. state, they moved quickly to get rid of the The Democrats nominated New York gov- Reconstruction reforms. ernor Samuel J. Tilden. During the election, Democrats who brought their party back Democrats in the South again used violence to power in the South were called Redeemers. at the polls to keep Republican voters away. They came from a variety of backgrounds. The election between Hayes and Tilden For instance, U.S. senator John T. Morgan of was close. Tilden appeared to have won. was a former general in the Confed- Republicans challenged the electoral votes in erate army. Newspaper editor Henry Grady of Oregon and three southern states. A special Georgia was interested in promoting south- commission of members of Congress and ern industry. Supreme Court justices was appointed to Redeemers wanted to reduce the size of settle the issue. state government and limit the rights of Afri- The commission narrowly decided to give can Americans. They lowered state budgets all the disputed votes to Hayes. Hayes thus and got rid of a variety of social programs. The won the presidency by one ­electoral vote. Redeemers cut property taxes and cut public In the Compromise of 1877, the Democrats funding for schools. They also succeeded in agreed to accept Hayes’s victory. In return, limiting African Americans’ civil rights. they wanted all remaining federal troops removed from the South. They also asked African Americans’ Rights for funding for internal improvements and Restricted the appointment of a southern Democrat to Redeemers set up the poll tax in an effort to the president’s cabinet. Shortly after he took deny the vote to African Americans. The poll office in 1877, President Hayes removed the tax was a special tax people had to pay before last of the federal troops from the South. they could vote.

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Some states also targeted African Ameri- teenth Amendment. He then appealed to can voters by requiring them to pass a lit-­ the U.S. Supreme Court. The Supreme Court eracy test. A so-called ruled against Plessy in Plessy v. Ferguson. written into law affected men whose fathers Segregation was allowed, said the Court, or grandfathers could vote before 1867. In if “separate-but-equal” facilities were those cases, a voter did not have to pay a poll provided. Among the justices, only John tax or pass a . As a result, almost Marshall Harlan disagreed with the Court’s every white man could escape the voting decision. He explained his disagreement in restrictions. a dissenting opinion: Redeemer governments also introduced “In the eye of the law, there is in the country no legal segregation , the forced separation of superior, dominant [controlling], ruling class of whites and African Americans in public citizens … Our constitution is color-blind, and places. Jim Crow laws —laws that enforced neither knows nor tolerates classes among segregation—became common in southern citizens. In respect of civil rights, all citizens are states in the 1880s. equal before the law.” African Americans challenged Jim Crow —John Marshall Harlan, quoted in Plessy v. Ferguson: A Brief History with Documents, edited by Brook Thomas laws in court. In 1883, however, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the Civil Rights Despite Harlan’s view, segregation became Act of 1875 was unconstitutional. The Court widespread across the country. African Ameri- also ruled that the Fourteenth Amendment cans were forced to use separate public schools, applied only to the actions of state govern- libraries, and parks. When they existed, these ments. This ruling allowed private individu- facilities were usually of poorer quality than als and businesses to practice segregation. those created for whites. In practice, these so- called separate-but-equal facilities were sepa- Plessy v. Ferguson rate and unequal. Neither Congress nor the In 1896 the U.S. Supreme Court returned president would make significant actions to to the issue of segregation. When Homer overturn the doctrine until the 1900s. Plessy, an African American, refused to leave the whites-only Louisiana train car Farming in the South he was riding on, he was arrested and Few African Americans in the South could accused of breaking a state law requir- afford to buy or even rent farms. Moving West ing separate cars for blacks and whites. also was costly. Many African Americans there- Plessy sued the railroad company and lost. fore remained on plantations. Others tried to His lawyers argued that the law violated make a living in the cities. his right to equal treatment under the Four-

Hopes Raised and Denied

Slavery Freedom Rights Denied • No rights • Slavery banned • Sharecropping system • Forced labor • Free to work for wages put in place • No freedom of movement • Could move and live • Ability to vote and hold office without permission anywhere restricted • Family members sold away • Many families reunited • White leadership regained from one another control of southern state • Could serve in political office governments • No representation in government

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The

African Americans who stayed on plan- ­pressure from banks and others to keep rais- tations often became part of a system known ing cotton.

as sharecropping , or sharing the crop. Land- owners provided the land, tools, and sup- Reading Check Finding Main Ideas How plies, and sharecroppers provided the labor. were African Americans’ rights restricted? At harvest time, the sharecropper usually had to give most of the crop to the land- Rebuilding Industry owner. Whatever remained belonged to the The southern economy suffered through cycles sharecropper. Many sharecroppers hoped to of good and bad years as cotton prices went up save enough money from selling their share and down. Some business leaders hoped indus- of the crops to one day be able to buy a farm. try would strengthen the southern economy Unfortunately, only a few ever succeeded. and create a New South. Instead, most sharecroppers lived in a cycle of debt. When they needed food, cloth- Southern Industry ing, or supplies, most families had to buy Henry Grady, an Atlanta newspaper editor, goods on credit because they had little cash. was a leader of the New South movement. When sharecroppers sold their crops, they “The new South presents . . . a diversified [var- hoped to be able to pay off these debts. How- ied] industry that meets the complex needs of ever, bad weather, poor harvests, or low crop this complex age,” he wrote. Grady and his prices often made this dream impossible. supporters felt that with its cheap and abun- Sharecroppers usually grew cotton, one dant labor, the South could build factories of the South’s most important cash crops. and provide a workforce for them. When too many farmers planted cotton, The most successful industrial develop- however, the supply became excessive. As a ment in the South involved textile production. result, the price per bale of cotton dropped. Businesspeople built textile mills in many Many farmers understood the drawbacks small towns to produce cotton fabric. Many of planting cotton. However, farmers felt

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disease. Fast-moving machinery caused “The New injuries and even deaths. Despite the long South...is hours and dangerous working conditions, wages remained low. However, mill work stirred with did offer an alternative to farming.

the breath Reading Check Finding Main Ideas What did of a new life.” southern business leaders hope industry would do? —Henry Grady Reconstruction in the North

Atlanta rebuilt quickly after the war, Although most federal Reconstruction poli- becoming a leading railroad and industrial cies were designed to reform the South, they center. Newspaper editor Henry Grady gave affected groups in the North as well. There stirring speeches about the need for industry were many groups who worked to advance in the South. He became one of the best- their own rights and interests during this time. known spokesmen of the “New South.”

Why might Grady point to Atlanta as a model Women and Northern African for economic change? Americans The passed many federal laws that required Southern states to allow people from rural areas came to work in African American men to vote. They based the mills, but African Americans were not their cause on the ideal of equality found in allowed to work in most of them. the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. Women’s suffragists began Southern Mill Life using these same arguments to support their Work in the cotton mills appealed to farm own suffrage. Wyoming and Utah granted families who had trouble making ends meet. women the vote in 1869, but their motiva- As one mill worker explained, “It was a neces- tions were not just to ensure equal rights for sity to move and get a job, rather than depend ­women. Wyoming leaders hoped to attract on the farm.” Recruiters sent out by the mills more women residents, while Utahans promised good wages and steady work. hoped to counteract the rising number of Entire families often worked in the same non-Mormon voters. cotton mill. Mills employed large numbers of African Americans in the North faced women and children. Many children started less social discrimination than they did in working at about the age of 12. Some children the South but still faced racism and segrega- started working at an even earlier age. Wom- tion. In response, some state governments en did most of the spinning and were valued passed laws that made segregation illegal. workers. However, few women had the oppor- Some integrated their school systems. Still, tunity to advance within the company. most states upheld the principle of separate- Many mill workers were proud of the skills but-equal facilities. they used, but they did not enjoy their work. One unhappy worker described it as “the A Changing Economy same thing over and over again . . . The more During the war and Reconstruction, the you do, the more they want done.” Workers economy of the North and the West grew often labored 12 hours a day, six days a week. rapidly. Manufacturing, commerce, and Cotton dust and lint filled the air, causing rail transportation generated tremendous asthma and an illness known as brown-lung

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of labor unions increased, and they began to push for policies that protected workers. Reformers pressed for eight-hour-workday and fair-pay laws. In addition, the increase in commercial and trading businesses led to a shift in the make up of the working class. It now included a majority of professionals and white-collar workers. Eventually the focus of the Republican Party began to move away from civil rights for African Americans and toward reducing government corruption. The acceptance of the Compromise of 1877 signaled the end of the Republican focus on reforming racial politics in the South.

As the economy fortunes. Large companies grew by buying Reading Check Comparing and Contrasting grew, unions smaller companies, and railroads made huge such as the How was Reconstruction in the North similar to ­United Mine profits transporting goods and people. Tax and different from Reconstruction in the South? Workers of revenue increased as well, and governments America grew in were able to provide more services and make membership and influence. more investments. SUMMARY AND PREVIEW In this section Between 1865 and 1873, almost 3 ­million you learned about the end of Recon- immigrants arrived in the . struction. In the next chapter you will They provided a new pool of labor for the learn about America’s continued westward growing industrial economy. The number expansion.

Section 3 Assessment ONLINE QUIZ Reviewing Ideas, Terms, and People c. Identify How were women affected by 1. a. Identify Who were some prominent African ­Reconstruction? What political effects did American leaders during Reconstruction? Why was women have? the election of Hiram Rhodes Revels significant? Critical Thinking b. Evaluate What do you think was the most 5. Identifying Causes and Effects Review your notes important change made by Reconstruction state on Reconstruction governments. Then copy the governments? Explain your answer. ­graphic organizer below and use it to show why 2. a. Recall For what reasons did some local govern- Reconstruction ended, as well as the results of its end. ments not stop the Ku Klux Klan? b. Draw Conclusions How did the Ku Klux Klan’s Causes Effect/Cause Effects use of terror interfere with elections in the South? End of 3. a. Summarize What was the Compromise of 1877? Reconstruction b. Evaluate How did Plessy v. Ferguson affect life in the United States? Focus on Writing c. Explain What was the relationship between Jim Crow laws and segregation? 6. Relating Historical Change to Individual 4. a. Identify Who was Henry Grady, and why was he Choice Despite the difficulties of Reconstruction, important? the Freedmen’s Bureau and plans to bring industry b. Predict What are some possible results of the to the “New South” did create new jobs. What might rise of the “New South”? How did life change with have led people to leave their jobs for new ones? the increase in industry?

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