Reconstruction in the South

IDENTIFICATIONS:

• Andrew Johnson- Abraham Lincoln’s VP o Lincoln’s successor when he was assassinated o Got more southern states to join Union- took away the 10% plan which required ten percent of voters to take an oath of loyalty to the US
• Amnesty proclamation o Common Man o Border state unionist democrat o 13th Amendment-abolished slavery o 14th Amendment-anyone born in the US= citizen o 15th Amendment- granted black males the right to vote.
• Reconstruction- plan to re-establish the south and re-admit them into the union o Lincoln- 10% plan o Johnson took away 10% plan o Amendments 13,14, and15
• Black codes- way for the southerners to control the freed slaves o Freedman’s Bureau- congress plan for reconstruction
• Protect the freed slaves, put south under martial law to enforce reconstruction and new amendments
• Johnson vetoed it o Reconstruction acts- set up military to supervise former confederate states
• Until they ratified 14th amendment and came up with a good enough constitution to be readmitted to union
• 2nd act- required military to register voters and supervise elections of delegates to constitutional convention
• 3rd act- spelled out procedures
• Carpetbaggers- term for northerners who came to the South to help freed slaves, better themselves financially, or to influence politics (some became office holders) o Many were blacks/connected with Freedman’s Bureau
• Dawes Severalty Act o Govt plan to hand out allotments to Indians who agreed to become “civilized”- in turn they would become US Citizens o Land couldn’t be disposed of for 25 years o Funds went for education
• American Federation of Labor- came right after the Knights of Labor o Craft union o Wages/safety were their main concern o DID NOT LET WOMEN/IMMIGRANTS JOIN o Were the model for new unions o Encouraged members to vote “intelligently” to advance their interests, though were not involved politics
• “New” Immigrants- Southern/ Eastern Europeans who were coming in to US o people had problems with them because they were crowding cities, crime went up, health went down (Cholera), jobs decreased o Nativism o Second KKK o Let to social reforms/progressive movement o Social Gospel
• Woman Suffrage- 19th Amendment in 1920 o National American Woman Suffrage Association o Idea at the time was that women were morally superior to men, and that if given right to vote, they would push for social reforms to clean up society
• Spanish-American War o Spain during this time had control of Cuba. Exaggerated horror stories of conditions in Cuba were printed in American newspaper, this became known as Yellow Journalism- the act of exaggerating and manipulating details in a story to create hype. The American public during this time was concerned with social reform in America and their way of thinking might have affected their feelings for sympathy for Cubans who were fighting for independence from Spain. After the mysterious explosion of The Maine, a US battleship sent to protect American citizens in the Havana Harbor, the public pushed for war with Spain. Congress recognized Cuban independence in April of 1898 and sent forces to drive the Spanish out of Cuba. After the Teller Amendments, which denied US intentions to add Cuba as a US territory, the Spanish declared war on the US. Thus leading to the Spanish-American War. This war was significant because after a swift US victory against the Spanish, the world recognized the US as a potential super power. Spain surrendered Cuba, Puerto Rico, and Guam. The US now had to deal with issues which world powers concern them with, like developing Colonial Policies for the newly ungoverned territories.
• The Lusitania o Merchant ship carrying US passengers, which was sunk by a German U-boat off the coast of Ireland on May 7, 1915. Germans had warned the US in newspapers that the Lusitania was possibly carrying munitions and that it was a target and that passengers should board at their own risk. However, Americans did not take the threat seriously and refused to surrender their rights to the freedom of the seas even in times of war. It’s sinking captured American’s attention, among with other merchant ships being attacked, to push for war and enlist. The Germans were correct about there being munitions on board however, innocent citizens were killed and that was enough to anger the American public.
• League of Nations o Formed under Wilson’s 14 Points proposition to achieve international peace agreements between nations and avoid future wars. The League served as a General Association of Nations in which nations would meet and settle disputes in person. Germany and Russia were not allowed to join the League, and Woodrow Wilson could not get America’s approval to join. Article 10 stated that no nation could be forced to enter into war in, however nations in would be morally obliged to carry out the decisions of the League of Nations, being the primary reason for Congress to reject The League. President Wilson tried to gain American’s support for the League, contradicting his earlier ideas of Isolationism for America before the war.
SHORT ANSWER:

• What was the Social Gospel? What problems did it try to solve? o The Social Gospel was concerned with improving society. Before the Social Gospel, many Christians believed that poverty was the result of sin. However, during the progressive movement, this idea was proved to be false. While immigrants crowded the cities and living conditions went down, the crime went up. Overall, immorality was taking over the cities with the saloons and alcohol, bacterial diseases like Cholera became an issue as public health got out of control. In His Steps, a popular novel written around this time by Charles M. Sheldon, demonstrates the Social Gospel by telling the story of a church community and a homeless man. The phrase What Would Jesus Do? Came out of this story as a way to encourage Christians and other American citizens to help out the needy and improve society by starting off at the bottom with the poor living in the slums. Organizations like the YMCA and the Salvation Army were created during this time aimed to aid the poor.
• How did the views of Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. DuBois differ? o Booker T. Washington and WEB DuBois both wanted better treatment for their fellow African-Americans. All over the south they were denied the right to vote as a result of poll taxes or literacy tests, which bypassed the 15th Amendment. The 15th Amendment granted black males the right to vote. Booker T. Washington was labeled as a “reasonable” champion for blacks. He aimed to pacify racist white southerners by asking them to fund vocational schools for blacks and in turn they would not push for full civil rights, including voting and equality. This proposition was known as the Atlanta Compromise, many white southerners supported it and helped fund the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama. However, many African Americans had mixed feelings about it. Though Washington DID want blacks to have the right to vote, he did not feel like the time for it would come so soon. He asked blacks to be patient, and that for the mean time the priority was simply to establish yourself financially and eventually climb the social ladder and with that would come full civil rights. DuBois did not fully support Washington’s plan. He felt that blacks should not settle as second-class citizens, and that full civil rights should not have to wait.
• What were the goals of the Progressive Movement? o The progressive movement took up in the late 1800’s and carried on through WWI in the 1910’s. Originally started with concern for improving living conditions of the poor in the cities through the Social Gospel. The progressive movement pushed for social reforms. Unions like the Knights of Labor, American Federation of Labor, and formed and pushed for 8 hour work days, safety for workers specifically in mines, factories, and railroads, higher wages, and protection of jobs. Women through the progressive movement, proved their worth to society as they concerned themselves with social reforms. In the north, women found new job opportunities in factories and department stores. Some women set up and ran settlement homes in poor areas in cities. They provided social clubs, activities, and housing. Women involved with the progressive moment wanted shorter hours for women, child labor laws, pushed fore tenement house laws, better schools, established libraries, playgrounds etc.… Through their involvement in the community and men’s increase of alcoholism, women were able to achieve the right to vote in the 19th amendment passed in 1920. Public health was also an issue with the Cholera outbreak in the cities due to poor sewage. During the progressive movement amendments were passed to reflect the goals of the movement. Amendment 16= income tax, amendment 17= direct election of senators, amendment 18= prohibition, amendment 19= woman suffrage. These amendments addressed the issues of the government, business/work, moral issue of sin, and women’s rights. These amendments were passed to improve the social conditions of the nation.

ESSAY:

• How did the US change from 1865-1900? (Reconstruction up to Progressive Movement/Spanish- American War) o Reconstruction
• 13th amendment-freed slaves
• 14th amendment- anyone born in the US=citizen
• Civil Rights Act- recognized blacks as US citizens.
• 15th Amendment-blacks could vote
• Reconstruction Act-military force in the south
• The Compromise of 1877-ended reconstruction in the south o Western Expansion
• Gold Rush
• Homestead act
• Railroads o Industrial Revolution
• New technology-RR’s, lights, steel, oil
• Monopolies- Rockefeller: oil, Andrew Carnegie: steel
• Unions-AFL, Knights
• Social Darwinism- William Graham Sumner
• City Bosses
• Sherman Anti-Trust Act o New Immigrants
• Southern and Eastern Europeans
• Crowding into cities
• Poverty increased
• Public health
• Muckrakers
• The Jungle-Upton Sinclair
• Meat Inspection Act
• Pure Food And Drug Administration
• Radical ideas o Progressive Movement
• Social Gospel
• In his steps by Charles M. Sheldon
• Amendments 16, 17, 18, 19
• Plessy v. Ferguson-1896 o Foreign Affairs
• Annexation of Hawaii
• Spanish-American War
• American victory
• Splendid little war
• Monroe doctrine
• The Maine
• Cuban revolution
• America became a potential foreign power o Overall, the changes that took place during this time changed the way government deals with the economy, social issues, and foreign affairs. All new responsibilities of the government. Soon to follow, the government would face bigger challenge- WWI. Where the nation would demonstrate to the world where its stands in leadership.

• Why did America fight in WWI? o Economics
• Loaned money
• Traded with England o Sinking of the Lusitania
• May 1915
• Violated Freedom of the Seas
• American passengers were killed
• Merchant ship
• Germans sunk a total of 7 merchant ships
• U-Boats o Zimmerman Telegram
• From Germany to Mexico
• Intercepted and released to press o Russian Revolution
• Signed treaty with Germany and pulled out of the war-fell to Communism
• War to end all wars
• 14 Points
• Democracy
• League of Nation o Although America wanted to stay out of the war as long as possible, involvement was inevitable. As a nation we tried to stay neutral, however our finances became entangled in the war through loans and exports of materials. Our rights as a neutral country were being violated, by denying freedom of the seas and the sinking of 7 neutral merchant ships carrying American passengers, Americans justified involvement. Fear of communism and making the world safe was a major concern for the American public.