Unit 1 Notes 4: US Civil War
US Civil War
Prior to the 1860 Election, Southern states threatened to secede (break away from) the United States if Abraham Lincoln (Republican) won the election North= Union, South= Confederacy The US Civil War lasted from 1861-1865 with a Union victory. Death toll was over 600,000. Shortly after the end of the war, Abraham Lincoln was assassinated
Conditions of Victory
Confederate leaders and soldiers were pardoned (forgiven) as long as they swore an oath to the United States Southern states also had to agree to ratify the 13th amendment.
Civil War Amendments
13th Amendment (1865)- Abolished slavery. Many people believe the Emancipation Proclamation (1863) freed all slaves. The Emancipation Proclamation only freed slaves in the Confederacy, it did not address the border states.
Black Codes
In 1865 Southern states passed laws that became known as Black Codes. This forced African Americans into yearly labor contracts. Those who refused could be arrested and forced into involuntary servitude. Required African Americans to get licenses to get non-agriculture jobs
Civil War Amendments
14th Amendment (1868)- Granted citizenship to all African Americans. Equal treatment for all citizens. Said could not deny citizenship or rights because of race.
Civil War Amendments
15th Amendment (1870)- Could not deny the right to vote based on race.
Military Reconstruction Act
The Military Reconstruction Act (1867) ushered in the era known as Reconstruction
Terms of Reconstruction
The former Confederacy, other than Tennessee who had ratified the 14th amendment, was divided into 5 military districts. Each district had a Union general placed in charge with orders to maintain peace and protect the rights of persons and property
Terms of Reconstruction
Each Southern state had to re-write their state constitution to the approval of the US Congress Each constitution needed a law which granted the right to vote to all men regardless of race Each state had to ratify the 14th amendment before they could elect anyone to Congress
African Americans during Reconstruction
Under the protection of reconstruction former slaves thrived Within just a few years hundreds of former slaves became law makers and administrators on all levels of government, helped to write new state constitutions, and several others became members of the House of Representatives and Senate
African Americans during Reconstruction
Another major gain was in education During slavery, African Americans were denied the chance to gain an education By 1876, hundreds of thousands of African Americans were enrolled in schools all across the South
Southern Resistance
Unable to strike in public, thousands of Southern whites joined groups to undermine the new government The largest of these groups was the Ku Klux Klan Klan members targeted African Americans, white Republicans, Northerns living in the South, and teachers in African American schools
End of Reconstruction
The 1877 presidential election was between Republican Rutherford B. Hayes and Democrat Samuel Tilden The election of 1877 ended with 20 electoral votes in dispute. What resulted was the Compromise of 1877 In return for giving Hayes the election, union soldiers would leave the South, ending reconstruction
Effects of the Compromise of 1877
While the South promised to change and vowed to create the New South, much of the South turned back to its pre-Civil War ways Many African Americans were forced into being either tenant farmers (paid rent for land they farmed) or sharecroppers (paid a share of their crop for farming materials). Both left African Americans poor and reliant on white land owners. Additionally, new laws were enacted which restricted the right to vote, access to quality education, and access to many private and public buildings and services
