Reconstruction Amendments

Examples of Reconstruction Amendments in the following topics:

• Legally Free, Socially Bound

  • Though the Reconstruction Amendments guaranteed them equal rights, African-Americans experienced widespread discrimination after the War.
  • Together these amendments were known as the Reconstruction Amendments.
  • After the end of Reconstruction in 1877, African-American Southerners fared less well.
  • While legally the Reconstruction Amendments had granted African Americans certain legal rights, in social practice they remained second-class citizens and were subject to discrimination and violence.
  • Hayes withdrew Union troops from the South in 1877, white Democratic southerners acted quickly to reverse the groundbreaking advances of Reconstruction.

• The Reconstruction Amendments

  • They were termed the "Reconstruction Amendments" and were spearheaded by the Radical Republicans in Congress.
  • The Thirteenth Amendment to the U.S.
  • The Fourteenth Amendment, adopted on July 9, 1868, was the second of three Reconstruction Amendments.
  • The Fifteenth Amendment to the U.S.
  • It was ratified on February 3, 1870, as the third and last of the Reconstruction Amendments.

• Johnson's Battle with Congress

  • The Radical Reconstruction era was a period when the Radical Republicans held control of Congress and directed Reconstruction efforts.
  • Johnson ignored this, and openly encouraged southern states to refuse the ratification of the 14th Amendment.
  • The Reconstruction Amendments, the 13th, 14th and 15th amendments, were adopted between 1865 and 1870.
  • The 13th Amendment, which abolished slavery, was ratified in 1865.
  • Following Reconstruction, many blacks became active in voting and political life.

• Conclusion: The Effects of Reconstruction

  • The interpretation of Reconstruction has been a topic of controversy.
  • Nearly all historians hold that Reconstruction ended in failure but for different reasons.
  • The following list describes some schools of thought regarding Reconstruction:
  • The "Reconstruction Amendments" passed by Congress between 1865 and 1870 abolished slavery, gave black Americans equal protection under the law, and granted suffrage to black men.
  • Reconstruction was never forgotten among the black community and remained a source of inspiration.

• Reconstruction in the South

  • Reconstruction from 1865-1877 was characterized by the conflicting views of President Johnson and Congress over Reconstruction policy.
  • Grant supported Radical Reconstruction, using both the U.S.
  • Johnson ignored the policy mandate, and he openly encouraged Southern states to deny ratification of the Fourteenth Amendment.
  • Three Constitutional amendments, known as the Reconstruction Amendments, were adopted.
  • The Thirteenth Amendment abolishing slavery was ratified in 1865.

• The Triumph of Congressional Reconstruction

  • Radical Reconstruction was a period of the Reconstruction Era during which the Radical Republicans held control of Reconstruction policies.
  • Radical Reconstruction was a period following the Civil War during which radical Republicans controlled Reconstruction policies, though they often clashed with President Johnson over pieces of legislation.
  • In particular, Johnson encouraged southern states to refuse to ratify the 14th Amendment.
  • The "Reconstruction Amendments" (13th, 14th, and 15th) were adopted in the period from 1865-1870.
  • The 13th Amendment abolishing slavery was ratified in 1865.

• The Radical Record

  • Historians generally refer to this period as "Radical Reconstruction."
  • Johnson, however, was content with allowing former Confederate states into the Union as long as their state governments adopted the Thirteenth Amendment abolishing slavery.
  • They rejected Johnson's moderate Reconstruction efforts, and organized the Joint Committee on Reconstruction, a 15-member panel to devise more stringent Reconstruction requirements for the Southern states to be restored to the Union.
  • The Radical Republicans also passed the Reconstruction Amendments, which were directed at ending slavery and providing full citizenship to freedmen.
  • For instance, the Fourteenth Amendment, whose principal drafter was John Bingham, was designed to put the key provisions of the Civil Rights Act into the Constitution.

• Lincoln's Plan and Congress's Response

  • Lincoln's plan successfully began the Reconstruction process of ratifying the Thirteenth Amendment in all states.
  • The Radical Republican vision for Reconstruction, also called "Radical Reconstruction," was further bolstered in the 1866 election, when more Republicans took office in Congress.
  • During this era, Congress passed three important Reconstruction amendments.
  • The Thirteenth Amendment abolishing slavery was ratified in 1865.
  • Congress also passed the Reconstruction Acts.

• The Battle over Reconstruction

  • 'Reconstruction' was a set of federal policies that addressed the status of the former Confederate states after the Civil War.
  • Reconstruction policies were implemented when the Union Army controlled Confederate states.
  • They also tried to pass the Fourteenth Amendment, which granted citizenship to all persons born in the United States and required the states to respect the rights of all U.S. citizens.
  • The military commander in charge of each district was to ensure that the state fulfilled the requirements of Reconstruction by ratifying the Fourteenth Amendment and by providing voting rights without a race qualification.
  • Tennessee was not included in the districts because it had ratified the Fourteenth Amendment in 1866 and was quickly readmitted to the Union.

• The Bourbons and the Redeemers

  • Redeemers were the southern wing of Bourbon Democrats—the conservative, pro-business wing of the Democratic Party during Reconstruction.
  • During Reconstruction, the South was occupied by federal forces, and Southern state governments were dominated by Republicans.
  • The Thirteenth Amendment (banning slavery), Fourteenth Amendment (guaranteeing the civil rights of former slaves and ensuring equal protection of the laws), and Fifteenth Amendment (prohibiting the denial of the right to vote on grounds of race, color, or previous condition of servitude) enshrined such political rights in the Constitution.
  • Numerous educated blacks returned to the South to work for Reconstruction, and some blacks attained positions of political power under these conditions.
  • Outline the various forms of political reaction to Reconstruction in the South