Radical Reconstruction

Name: ________________________________________________ Date: _____________________________ Class: ____
Radical Reconstruction
Both Lincoln and Johnson had Congress had passed a civil rights bill and set
foreseen that the Congress would have the up a new Freedmen's Bureau – both designed
right to deny Southern legislators seats in the to prevent racial discrimination by Southern
U.S. Senate or House of Representatives, legislatures. Following this, the Congress
under the clause of the Constitution that says, passed a 14th Amendment to the
"Each house shall be the judge of the ... Constitution, stating that "all persons born or
qualifications of its own members." This naturalized in the United States, and subject
came to pass when, under the leadership of to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the
Thaddeus Stevens, those congressmen called United States and of the State wherein they
"Radical Republicans," who were wary of a reside." This repudiated the Dred Scott
quick and easy "reconstruction," refused to ruling, which had denied slaves their right of
seat newly elected Southern senators and citizenship.
representatives. Within the next few months,
Congress proceeded to work out a plan for 2. Describe the 14th Amendment.
the reconstruction of the South quite ________________________________________________
different from the one Lincoln had started ________________________________________________
and Johnson had continued. ________________________________________________
________________________________________________
1. Who led the Radical Republicans? ________________________________________________
a. Abraham Lincoln ________________________________________________
b. Andrew Johnson ________________________________________________
c. Thaddeus Stevens ________________________________________________
d. Ulysses S. Grant ________________________________________________
________________________________________________
Wide public support gradually ________________________________________________
developed for those members of Congress ________________________________________________
who believed that African Americans should ________________________________________________
be given full citizenship. By July 1866, ________________________________________________
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Name: ________________________________________________ Date: _____________________________ Class: ____
All the Southern state legislatures, reestablish slavery and repudiate the hard-
with the exception of Tennessee, refused to won Union victory in the Civil War. It did not
ratify the amendment, some voting against it help that Johnson, although a Unionist, was a
unanimously. In addition, Southern state Southern Democrat with an addiction to
legislatures passed "codes" to regulate the intemperate rhetoric and an aversion to
African-American freedmen. The codes political compromise. Republicans swept the
differed from state to state, but some congressional elections of 1866. Firmly in
provisions were common. African Americans power, the Radicals imposed their own vision
were required to enter into annual labor of Reconstruction.
contracts, with penalties imposed in case of In the Reconstruction Act of March
violation; dependent children were subject to 1867, Congress, ignoring the governments
compulsory apprenticeship and corporal that had been established in the Southern
punishments by masters; vagrants could be states, divided the South into five military
sold into private service if they could not pay districts, each administered by a Union
severe fines. general. Escape from permanent military
government was open to those states that
3. Describe the “codes” passed by Southern established civil governments, ratified the
state legislatures to regulate the African- 14th Amendment, and adopted African-
American freedmen. American suffrage. Supporters of the
________________________________________________ Confederacy who had not taken oaths of
________________________________________________ loyalty to the United States generally could
________________________________________________ not vote. The 14th Amendment was ratified
________________________________________________ in 1868. The 15th Amendment, passed by
________________________________________________ Congress the following year and ratified in
________________________________________________ 1870 by state legislatures, provided that "The
________________________________________________ right of citizens of the United States to vote
________________________________________________ shall not be denied or abridged by the United
________________________________________________ States or any state on account of race, color,
________________________________________________ or previous condition of servitude."
________________________________________________
________________________________________________ 4. Summarize the Reconstruction Act of
March, 1867.
Many Northerners interpreted the ________________________________________________
Southern response as an attempt to ________________________________________________
Name: ________________________________________________ Date: _____________________________ Class: ____
________________________________________________ American history, impeachment proceedings

________________________________________________ were instituted to remove the president from
________________________________________________ office.
________________________________________________ Johnson's main offense was his
________________________________________________ opposition to punitive congressional policies
________________________________________________ and the violent language he used in criticizing
________________________________________________ them. The most serious legal charge his
________________________________________________ enemies could level against him was that,
________________________________________________ despite the Tenure of Office Act (which
________________________________________________ required Senate approval for the removal of
any officeholder the Senate had previously
5. Describe the 15th Amendment. confirmed), he had removed from his Cabinet
________________________________________________ the secretary of war, a staunch supporter of
________________________________________________ the Congress. When the impeachment trial
________________________________________________ was held in the Senate, it was proved that
________________________________________________ Johnson was technically within his rights in
________________________________________________ removing the Cabinet member. Even more
________________________________________________ important, it was pointed out that a
________________________________________________ dangerous precedent would be set if the
________________________________________________ Congress were to remove a president
________________________________________________ because he disagreed with the majority of its
________________________________________________ members. The final vote was one short of the
________________________________________________ two-thirds required for conviction.
________________________________________________
________________________________________________ 6. Why were impeachment proceedings
instituted to remove President Andrew
The Radical Republicans in Congress Johnson?
were infuriated by President Johnson's ________________________________________________
vetoes (even though they were overridden) ________________________________________________
of legislation protecting newly freed African ________________________________________________
Americans and punishing former Confederate ________________________________________________
leaders by depriving them of the right to hold ________________________________________________
office. Congressional antipathy to Johnson ________________________________________________
was so great that, for the first time in ________________________________________________
Name: ________________________________________________ Date: _____________________________ Class: ____
________________________________________________ 8. Define the term carpetbagger.

________________________________________________ ________________________________________________
________________________________________________ ________________________________________________
________________________________________________ ________________________________________________
________________________________________________ ________________________________________________
________________________________________________
Many Southern whites, their political
Johnson continued in office until his and social dominance threatened, turned to
term expired in 1869, but Congress had illegal means to prevent African Americans
established an ascendancy that would endure from gaining equality. Violence against
for the rest of the century. The Republican African Americans by such extra-legal
victor in the presidential election of 1868, organizations as the Ku Klux Klan became
former Union general Ulysses S. Grant, would more and more frequent. Increasing disorder
enforce the reconstruction policies the led to the passage of Enforcement Acts in
Radicals had initiated. 1870 and 1871, severely punishing those
who attempted to deprive the African-
7. Who won the presidential election of American freedmen of their civil rights.
1868?
________________________________________________ 9. Why were the Enforcement Acts passed in
________________________________________________ 1870 and 1871?
________________________________________________
By June 1868, Congress had ________________________________________________
readmitted the majority of the former ________________________________________________
Confederate states back into the Union. In ________________________________________________
many of these reconstructed states, the ________________________________________________
majority of the governors, representatives, ________________________________________________
and senators were Northern men – so-called ________________________________________________
carpetbaggers – who had gone South after ________________________________________________
the war to make their political fortunes, often ________________________________________________
in alliance with newly freed African ________________________________________________
Americans. In the legislatures of Louisiana ________________________________________________
and South Carolina, African Americans ________________________________________________
actually gained a majority of the seats. ________________________________________________

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Name: ________________________ Date: _ Class:

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________________________________________________ American history, impeachment proceedings

________________________________________________ 8. Define the term carpetbagger.

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