Crash Course U.S. History Episode 21: Reconstruction

Introduction

• Host: John Green
• The Civil War is over; slaves are freed.
• Reconstruction faced significant challenges.

Reconstruction Overview

• U.S. needed to reintegrate former slaves and rebellious populations.
• Challenge compounded by the assassination of Abraham Lincoln.
• Andrew Johnson became President.

Andrew Johnson’s Policies

• Johnson believed the South never had a right to secede.
• Held racist views, opposed black participation in Reconstruction.
• Appointed provisional governors and formed new, all-white governments.
• New governments resembled old Confederate ones.

Changes for Former Slaves

• Establishment of Fiske and Howard universities, and primary/secondary schools.
• Freedman’s Bureau formed to aid former slaves, ceased in 1870.
• Promised land redistribution (General Sherman’s Field Order 15) did not occur.
• Land returned to former Confederate owners.

Sharecropping System

• Replaced slavery; landowners provided housing, tools, and seeds.
• Sharecroppers received a portion of the crop; often led to debt.
• Both blacks and poor whites became sharecroppers.

Congressional Reconstruction

• Republicans dissatisfied with Johnson's policies.
• Radical Republicans sought equal rights and expanded government powers.
• Passed Civil Rights Bill defining citizenship and equality before the law.
• Johnson vetoed, Congress overrode veto with 2/3 majority.
• 14th Amendment passed, defining citizenship and equal protection.

Radical Reconstruction

• Reconstruction Act of 1867 divided South into 5 military districts.
• New governments required to include black men and ratify the 14th Amendment.
• Ulysses S. Grant elected President in 1868.

15th Amendment

• Prohibited states from denying the right to vote based on race.
• Allowed leeway to deny votes on other bases (e.g., literacy).

African American Political Participation

• African Americans began voting and holding office.
• Rise of Republican dominance in Southern politics.
• Notable African American politicians like Pinckney B.S. Pinchback.

End of Reconstruction

• Issues with Republican governments: costs, taxes, white Southern resistance.
• Rise of the Ku Klux Klan as a terrorist organization.
• Increase in violence against African Americans to suppress voting.
• Northern Republicans lost interest due to depression and costs.
• Democrats gained control of Southern governments.

Election of 1876

• Contested election between Samuel Tilden (Democrat) and Rutherford B. Hayes (Republican).
• Electoral votes disputed; 15-man Electoral Commission formed.
• The Bargain of 1877 ended federal intervention in Southern states.

Aftermath

• White Democrats imposed Jim Crow laws, restricting African Americans’ rights.
• Social and economic mobility for African Americans declined.
• Brief period of increased democracy, echoed in Civil Rights Movement.

Final Thoughts

• Reconstruction amendments granted political freedom but not economic independence.
• Free market capitalism and true freedom remain complex issues.
• Thank you for watching Crash Course.