The Collapse of Reconstruction
- Some bitter southern whites relied on violence to keep African Americans from participating in politics.
- The Ku Klux Klan ( KKK ) Was founded as a social club for Confederate veterans.
- Soon the Klan turned into a violent organization.
The Collapse of Reconstruction, II
NC Senator John Stephens
- Stephens a white Republican states that 300 A. A. voters had supported him and he would not abandon them.
- Stephens was assassinated by the KKK in 1870.
Ulysses S Grant
- Grant becomes Secretary of War in Andrew Johnson’s cabinet, a position he resigns from.
- He runs as Republican and wins easily ( 214 - 80 electoral votes ) with virtually no experience
- Grant establishes the Department of Justice, the National Weather Service and our first national park; Yellowstone.
- Grant wins a second term (286 - 66 electoral votes) in 1872
- HOWEVER - trusting Grant did not manage his people which resulted in scandal and corruption
Enforcement and Amnesty Acts
- Grant passes Enforcement Acts in 1870 and 1871
- These were to give Federal support in Southern elections and Federal troops to curb Klan activity
- The Supreme Court declared the 1871 unconstitutional
- Klan violence eventually dies down as white supremacy is restored in the south.
- Amnest Act of 1872 restores voting rights to 150,000 former Confederates
- Congress allows Freedmen’s Bureau to expire
The Collapse of Reconstruction: Causes
- Ineffective Leadership which led to…
- Scandals
- Economic panic
- Lack of Judicial Support
Republican Scandals
Scandals and corruption damaged Grant’s administration
- Credit Mobilier Scandal: Railroad officials impoverished the railroad, then bribed members of Congress to block any investigation
- “Whiskey Ring”: Internal revenue collectors accepted bribes from Whiskey distillers whow anted to avoid paying taxes on their product.
Economic Turmoil
Panic of 1873
- The country has expanded after the Civil War.
- Investors took on more debt than they could afford
- Jay Cooke, a railroad investor, could not cover his costs or pay his debt
- Cooke’s banking firm went bankrupt
- Smaller banks closed, stock market collapsed, 89 railroads went broke
- 5 year depression was triggered, most blame Republicans
RESULT - This distracted many northerners from the task of Reconstruction 1873 - Slaughterhouse cases - Most Civil Rights were ruled to be state rather than federal rights and therefore unprotected by the 14th ammendment
1876 - US vs Crukshank - The 14th Amendment was ruled not to grant the federal government power to punish whites who opposed blacks - violence increased
1876 - U.S v Reese - The 15th Amendment was determined not to grant voting rights to anyone but rather to restrict types of voter discrimination - This allowed states to use poll taxes and literacy tests to discourage efforts to gain full equality
Election of 1876
Tilden v. Hayes
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Tilden won the popular vote, but needed one more electoral vote to win the presidency.
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A deal was made called the Compromise of 1877.
Democrats Get
- Withdraw remaining federal troops from the South, thus ending Reconstruction.
- Name a Southerner to his cabinet.
- Support federal spending on internal improvements in the South
Republicans Get
- Hayes becomes President.
Democrats now have home rule-The ability to run state governments without federal intervention
Democrats “Redeem” the South
- Rescue the south from what they viewed as a decade of mismanagement by northerners, republicans, and African Americans.
- The withdrawal of federal troops enabled white southerners to eliminate any political advances A.A. had made during Reconstruction By 1900, their civil rights had been sharply limited.
Results of Reconstruction
- Union is restored.
- African Americans gain citizenship and voting rights
- Souths economy and infrastructure are improved
- Southern states est. public school system.
- K.K.K. & other groups terrorize A.A.
- Sharecropping system takes hold in the South