1.1 Presidential and Congressional Reconstruction

After the Civil War, the U.S. faced the challenge of reuniting the nation. Presidential Reconstruction, led by Lincoln and Johnson, aimed for quick reintegration. However, Radical Republicans in Congress pushed for a more punitive approach to ensure civil rights for freed slaves.

The struggle between Johnson and Congress shaped Reconstruction policies. While some progress was made in education and social welfare, economic reforms fell short. The 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments marked significant legal gains, but their impact was limited by Southern resistance and lack of enforcement.

Presidential vs Congressional Reconstruction

Lincoln and Johnson's Lenient Approach

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• Presidential Reconstruction led by Abraham Lincoln and Andrew Johnson aimed to quickly reintegrate Confederate states back into the Union
• Lincoln's Ten Percent Plan (1863) offered amnesty to Southerners who took an oath of loyalty to the Union
  • Allowed states to establish new governments after 10% of voters took the oath
• Johnson's Reconstruction plan continued Lincoln's policies
  • Granted pardons to ex-Confederates
  • Allowed Southern states to elect new governments without federal oversight

Radical Republicans' Punitive Approach

• Congressional Reconstruction driven by Radical Republicans sought to punish the South and ensure civil rights for freed slaves
• The Wade-Davis Bill (1864) passed by Congress but pocket vetoed by Lincoln
  • Required 50% of a state's white males to take the loyalty oath
  • Limited voting rights to those who had never supported the Confederacy
• The Reconstruction Acts (1867) divided the South into five military districts
  • Required states to ratify the 14th Amendment
  • Granted voting rights to African American men

Reconstruction Policies' Effectiveness

Successes in Education and Social Welfare

• The ###Freedmen's_Bureau_0### (1865) provided food, clothing, medical care, and education to freed slaves and poor whites in the South
  • Helped them transition to freedom
  • Worked to negotiate labor contracts between freed slaves and white landowners, although this often resulted in exploitative sharecropping arrangements
• Establishment of public schools in the South during Reconstruction significantly increased literacy rates among African Americans and poor whites
  • However, many schools remained segregated with funding disparities between white and black schools

Limitations in Economic and Political Reform

• Reconstruction governments in the South, which included African American representatives, passed laws to improve infrastructure, establish public schools, and reform the tax system
  • Despite these efforts, the Southern economy remained heavily dependent on agriculture with limited industrial development
• Failure of Reconstruction governments to redistribute land to freed slaves left many African Americans economically disadvantaged
  • Tied to the plantation system through sharecropping

Johnson vs Congress: Political Struggles

Clashes over Reconstruction Policies

• Johnson, a Southern Democrat, clashed with Radical Republicans in Congress over the scope and severity of Reconstruction policies
• Johnson vetoed the Freedmen's Bureau Bill (1866), arguing it was an unconstitutional expansion of federal power
  • Congress overrode his veto, marking the first time in U.S. history a major bill became law without presidential approval

Impeachment and Power Struggle

• The Tenure of Office Act (1867) prohibited the president from removing certain office holders without Senate approval
  • Aimed at protecting Radical Republican allies in Johnson's administration
• Johnson's attempt to remove Secretary of War Edwin Stanton in violation of the Tenure of Office Act led to his impeachment by the House of Representatives (1868)
  • The Senate ultimately acquitted Johnson by one vote
  • The impeachment trial weakened his presidency and allowed Congress to take control of Reconstruction

13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments' Impact

Abolition of Slavery and Citizenship Rights

• The 13th Amendment (1865) abolished slavery and involuntary servitude in the United States
  • Allowed for involuntary servitude as punishment for a crime, which led to exploitation of African American labor through the convict lease system
• The 14th Amendment (1868) granted citizenship to all persons born in the United States, including former slaves
  • Prohibited states from denying citizens equal protection under the law
  • Overturned the Dred Scott v. Sandford decision, which had held that African Americans were not citizens

Voting Rights and Southern Resistance

• The 15th Amendment (1870) prohibited the denial of voting rights based on race, color, or previous condition of servitude
  • Enfranchised African American men, leading to the election of black representatives to state legislatures and the U.S. Congress during Reconstruction
• Southern states used literacy tests, poll taxes, and other discriminatory measures to suppress African American voting
  • Effectively nullified the amendment's intent for decades
• Despite these amendments representing significant legal gains for African Americans, their impact was limited by:
  • Southern resistance
  • Supreme Court decisions like Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)
  • Lack of federal enforcement after Reconstruction ended (1877)