Presidential Reconstruction (1865–1867)
- After Lincoln’s assassination in April 1865, President Andrew Johnson implemented a lenient plan that allowed Southern states to rejoin the Union quickly if they ratified the 13th Amendment (abolishing slavery) and swore loyalty to the U.S. government.
- Johnson offered pardons to most Confederate leaders and landowners, allowing prewar elites to regain political power and reestablish white-dominated state governments.
- Many Southern legislatures then passed Black Codes, restrictive laws that limited the freedom and rights of freed African Americans, effectively reimposing slavery in all but name.
Andrew Johnson and the Struggles of Reconstruction (1865–1869)
Presidential Reconstruction
- Johnson’s plan for Reconstruction (1865–1867) offered lenient terms to former Confederate states, allowing them to rejoin the Union quickly with minimal conditions.
- He pardoned many ex-Confederates and allowed Southern states to form new governments that soon passed Black Codes, laws restricting the rights and mobility of freed African Americans.
- His leniency angered Radical Republicans in Congress, who sought to guarantee civil and political rights for freedmen.
Conflict with Congress
- Congress responded with the Civil Rights Act (1866) and the 14th Amendment, granting citizenship and equal protection under the law.
- Johnson vetoed these measures, but Congress overrode his vetoes.
- Tensions culminated in Johnson’s impeachment (1868) after he violated the Tenure of Office Act by removing Secretary of War Edwin Stanton without Senate approval.
- He narrowly avoided removal from office by one Senate vote.
Legacy
- Johnson’s presidency is often viewed as a failure of leadership during a critical turning point in U.S. history.
- His opposition to Radical Reconstruction delayed progress on racial equality and left the South dominated by former Confederates.
- Despite surviving impeachment, his weak presidency paved the way for Ulysses S. Grant’s election (1868) and a more assertive federal Reconstruction policy.
Definition
Black Codes
Laws passed by Southern states after the Civil War to restrict the freedom and labor rights of African Americans.
Definition
Impeachment
The process by which a legislative body formally charges a government official with misconduct; Johnson was the first U.S. president impeached.
Congressional (Radical) Reconstruction (1867–1877)
- Outraged by Johnson’s leniency, Radical Republicans in Congress took control of Reconstruction. Their goal was to reshape Southern society and guarantee civil rights for freedpeople.
- The Reconstruction Acts of 1867 divided the South into five military districts under federal control until new state constitutions were written and approved by Congress.
- Congress passed the 14th Amendment (granting citizenship and equal protection) and the 15th Amendment (granting Black men the right to vote), extending constitutional rights to African Americans.
- Under federal supervision, African Americans began voting and holding public office, with over 600 elected to state legislatures and 16 to Congress during Reconstruction.
Methods of Southern Resistance
- Many white Southerners resisted these changes through violence and intimidation. Groups like the Ku Klux Klan (founded in 1866) used terror to suppress Black political participation and restore white supremacy.
