Crash Course US History: Episode 21 - Reconstruction

Overview

• The Civil War ended with the liberation of slaves.
• The aftermath involved integrating former slaves and the rebellious Southern population back into the Union.
• Abraham Lincoln's assassination left Andrew Johnson as President, complicating Reconstruction.
• Andrew Johnson's presidency is often criticized; he was unsympathetic to the rights of black people and favored Southern elites.

Presidential vs. Radical Reconstruction

Presidential Reconstruction (1865-1867)

• Led by Andrew Johnson.
• Southern states established all-white governments resembling the old Confederate systems.
• Freedman's Bureau helped establish schools and universities, but land redistribution failed.
• Sharecropping emerged as a new system, tying workers to land in a quasi-serfdom arrangement.

Radical Reconstruction

• Led by Congressional Republicans who were dissatisfied with Johnson's approach.
• Civil Rights Bill passed, granting citizenship and equality before the law regardless of race.
• 14th Amendment ratified, defining citizenship and ensuring equal protection.
• Reconstruction Act of 1867 divided the South into military districts, requiring new governments and black male participation.

Key Amendments and Laws

• 14th Amendment: Defined citizenship, ensured equal protection, and extended rights across states.
• 15th Amendment: Prohibited voting discrimination based on race.
• Radical Republicans sought to protect African American rights and integrate them into the political process.

Challenges and Backlash

• Southern resistance: Black Codes and violence from groups like the Ku Klux Klan, which aimed to suppress African American rights.
• Economic depression and waning Northern interest in Reconstruction efforts weakened support.

End of Reconstruction

• Compromise of 1877 ended Reconstruction by withdrawing federal troops from the South.
• Democratic "Redeemers" took control, leading to the establishment of Jim Crow laws.

Legacy of Reconstruction

• Short-term political gains for African Americans were overshadowed by long-term setbacks.
• Failed to provide African Americans with economic independence due to lack of land redistribution.
• Reconstruction set the stage for the Civil Rights Movement, sometimes referred to as the "second Reconstruction."

Conclusion

• The period highlighted the complexities of integrating freed slaves into a free market capitalist society.
• Reconstruction's achievements and setbacks continue to influence American society and politics.