RECONSTRUCTION [APUSH Review Unit 5 Topic 10] Period 5: 1844-1877

Summary

This video script from Heimler's History delves into the post-Civil War era, focusing on the Reconstruction period in U.S. history from 1865 to 1877. It outlines the contrasting approaches to Reconstruction, from Abraham Lincoln's lenient Ten-Percent Plan, which required only 10% of a Southern state's 1860 electorate to pledge loyalty to the Union and ratify the 13th Amendment, to the more punitive stance of the Radical Republicans. The script details the legislative battles, including the extension of the Freedman's Bureau, the Civil Rights Act of 1866, and the Fourteenth Amendment, which aimed to secure citizenship and equal protection under the law for all. It also touches on the contentious issue of voting rights, leading to the Fifteenth Amendment and the division within the women's rights movement. The summary concludes with a nod to the tensions between President Andrew Johnson and Congress, culminating in his impeachment trial, and sets the stage for further discussion on the failure of Reconstruction in a subsequent video.

Takeaways

• 📜 The Reconstruction period aimed to reunite the North and South post-Civil War, focusing on the effects of government policy from 1865 to 1877.
• 🤔 The critical post-war question was whether the Confederacy should be treated leniently or as a conquered enemy, influencing the Reconstruction policies.
• 🌱 Abraham Lincoln favored a lenient approach, proposing the Ten-Percent Plan, which required 10% of a Southern state's 1860 electorate to pledge loyalty to the Union and ratify the 13th Amendment to rejoin.
• 🔫 Lincoln's assassination led to Andrew Johnson taking office, who attempted to continue Lincoln's plan but allowed the former slave-owning class to regain power, leading to the oppressive Black Codes.
• 🌐 The Radical Republicans in Congress opposed Johnson's leniency and sought to lead Reconstruction, passing laws to protect and extend rights for black people, including the Freedman’s Bureau and Civil Rights Act of 1866.
• ⚖️ Andrew Johnson's veto of the Civil Rights Act of 1866 led to a Congressional override, highlighting the tension between the president and Congress.
• 🏛 The Fourteenth Amendment was proposed to solidify civil rights, granting citizenship and equal protection under the law to all persons born or naturalized in the U.S.
• 🚫 The Reconstruction Acts of 1867 increased the requirements for Southern states to rejoin the Union, including ratification of the 14th Amendment and universal male suffrage.
• 👥 The women's rights movement was impacted by the Reconstruction amendments, particularly the Fifteenth Amendment, which did not extend voting rights to women, causing a split in the movement.
• 📉 The impeachment of Andrew Johnson, though unsuccessful, effectively ended his influence over Reconstruction policies due to the power struggle with Congress.
• 📉 The failure of Reconstruction is a topic for a subsequent video, emphasizing the complexity and challenges faced during this period of U.S. history.

Q & A

What was the main goal of the Reconstruction process after the Civil War?

The main goal of the Reconstruction process was to knit the two regions of the United States back together, following the end of the Civil War.

What was the fundamental question that needed to be answered after the Civil War?

The fundamental question was whether the Confederacy should be treated with leniency or as a conquered foe, which would determine the nature of the Reconstruction policies.

What was Abraham Lincoln's position on the treatment of the South post-Civil War?

Abraham Lincoln was of the lenient persuasion, believing the South never actually left the Union and that harsh treatment would only renew and exacerbate tensions.

What was the Ten-Percent Plan proposed by Abraham Lincoln for the South's return to the Union?

The Ten-Percent Plan required that 10% of the 1860 electorate in a Southern state pledged loyalty to the Union and that the state legislature ratified the Thirteenth Amendment, which abolished slavery.

How did Andrew Johnson's approach to Reconstruction differ from Lincoln's?

Andrew Johnson attempted to carry out Lincoln's plan but lacked Lincoln's magnanimity, allowing the former slave-owning class to assume power and recreate conditions similar to those before the war, including the passage of restrictive Black Codes.

What was the stance of the Radical Republicans on the South's treatment after the Civil War?

The Radical Republicans believed the South should be punished for causing damage and death through secession, and they wanted Reconstruction to be led by Congress rather than the president.

What were the two pieces of legislation passed by the Radical Republicans to protect the rights of black people in the South?

The two pieces of legislation were an extension of the Freedman’s Bureau and the Civil Rights Act of 1866, which protected the citizenship and equal legal protection of black people.

What was the significance of the Fourteenth Amendment in relation to Reconstruction?

The Fourteenth Amendment solidified the rights of citizenship and equal protection under the law for all persons born or naturalized in the United States, including former slaves.

What were the Reconstruction Acts of 1867, and how did they impact the South's reentry into the Union?

The Reconstruction Acts of 1867 divided the South into five military districts, enforced federal troop occupation, and increased the requirement for Southern states to rejoin the Union, including ratifying the 14th Amendment and adopting universal male voting rights.

What was the outcome of Andrew Johnson's impeachment trial?

Andrew Johnson survived the impeachment trial by one vote in the Senate, remaining in office but rendered powerless to direct future policies of Reconstruction.

How did the Fifteenth Amendment affect the women's rights movement during Reconstruction?

The Fifteenth Amendment granted voting rights to the newly freed black population but did not recognize the right of women to vote, causing a split in the women's rights movement and leading to the formation of two separate organizations: the National Woman Suffrage Association and the American Woman Suffrage Association.

Outlines

00:00

📜 Reconstruction Era Overview

This paragraph introduces the topic of Reconstruction, which was the period following the Civil War aimed at reuniting the North and South. The main focus is on the effects of government policy during Reconstruction from 1865 to 1877 on society. The discussion sets the stage by asking whether the Confederacy should be treated leniently or as a conquered enemy, which shaped the proposed Reconstruction policies. Abraham Lincoln's lenient approach, known as the Ten-Percent Plan, is outlined, which required 10% of a Southern state's 1860 electorate to pledge loyalty to the Union and ratify the Thirteenth Amendment to rejoin the Union. Lincoln's assassination and Andrew Johnson's continuation of Lincoln's plan, despite his lack of support for emancipation or racial equality, is also covered. Johnson's administration saw the rise of the Black Codes, which restricted the freedom of former slaves. The paragraph concludes with the introduction of the Radical Republicans in Congress, who disagreed with Johnson's leniency and sought to lead the Reconstruction process through legislation, including the extension of the Freedman’s Bureau and the Civil Rights Act of 1866.

05:01

🗳️ Voting Rights and the 15th Amendment

The second paragraph delves into the voting rights aspect of the Reconstruction Amendments, particularly focusing on the Fifteenth Amendment, which granted voting rights to the newly freed black population in the South. However, it did not extend these rights to women, leading to a split in the women's rights movement. Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony, disappointed by the exclusion of women from the franchise, formed the National Woman Suffrage Association, which continued to fight for women's voting rights. In contrast, Lucy Stone and Henry Blackwell, while also disappointed, believed in supporting federal Reconstruction efforts and simultaneously working for women's suffrage at the state level, leading to the creation of the American Woman Suffrage Association. The paragraph humorously addresses the difficulty of differentiating between the two organizations, suggesting a mnemonic based on their stance towards the 15th Amendment.

Keywords

💡Reconstruction

Reconstruction refers to the period in American history following the Civil War, during which the Southern states were reintegrated into the Union. It is central to the video's theme as it discusses the policies and politics that shaped the post-war United States, aiming to 'knit two regions back together again.'

💡Confederacy

The Confederacy was the group of 11 Southern states that seceded from the United States, forming the Confederate States of America, and fought against the Union during the Civil War. In the video, the treatment of the Confederacy post-war is a crucial question that influenced the nature of Reconstruction policies.

💡Ten-Percent Plan

The Ten-Percent Plan, proposed by President Abraham Lincoln, was a lenient Reconstruction policy that required only 10% of a Southern state's 1860 electorate to pledge loyalty to the Union before the state could reestablish its government. It is significant in the video as it illustrates Lincoln's approach to healing the nation with minimal punishment and maximum reconciliation.

💡Thirteenth Amendment

The Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution abolished slavery and involuntary servitude, except as punishment for a crime. It is mentioned in the video as a requirement for Southern states to ratify in order to rejoin the Union under Lincoln's Ten-Percent Plan, symbolizing a fundamental change in the social fabric of the country.

💡Andrew Johnson

Andrew Johnson was the Vice President who became President after the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. His approach to Reconstruction is highlighted in the video as less magnanimous than Lincoln's, with policies that allowed the former slave-owning class to regain power and impose restrictive laws on the newly freed black population.

💡Black Codes

Black Codes were a series of laws passed by Southern states following the Civil War to restrict the freedom of African Americans and compel them to work for low wages. The video discusses these laws as an example of the repressive conditions that emerged despite the formal end of slavery.

💡Radical Republicans

Radical Republicans were a faction within the Republican Party who advocated for harsher Reconstruction policies towards the South. They are featured in the video as the driving force behind legislation aimed at protecting the rights of black people and preventing a resurgence of Southern power.

💡Freedman’s Bureau

The Freedman’s Bureau was an agency established by Congress to aid freed slaves and poor whites in the South during Reconstruction. It is mentioned in the video as an extension of support for newly freed black people, illustrating the efforts by Radical Republicans to provide social and economic assistance.

💡Civil Rights Act of 1866

The Civil Rights Act of 1866 was a federal law that sought to protect the citizenship rights of African Americans. The video describes it as one of the legislative measures passed by the Radical Republicans to ensure equal protection under the law for black citizens, despite President Johnson's veto.

💡Fourteenth Amendment

The Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution granted citizenship to anyone born or naturalized in the United States and guaranteed equal protection under the law. In the video, it is depicted as a constitutional safeguard proposed by the Republicans to solidify the rights established by the Civil Rights Act of 1866.

💡Reconstruction Acts of 1867

The Reconstruction Acts of 1867 were a series of laws that outlined the process for the readmission of Southern states to the Union. The video highlights these acts as pivotal in increasing the requirements for Southern states to rejoin, including the ratification of the Fourteenth Amendment and the establishment of universal male voting rights.

💡Impeachment

Impeachment is the process by which a legislative body levels charges against a high official of government. In the context of the video, it details the impeachment trial of President Andrew Johnson, which, although unsuccessful in removing him from office, effectively ended his influence over Reconstruction policies.

💡Women’s Rights Movement

The Women’s Rights Movement advocated for the rights of women, including the right to vote. The video discusses the impact of the Fifteenth Amendment, which granted voting rights to black men but not to women, causing a rift in the women's rights movement and leading to the formation of two different associations with differing approaches to suffrage.

💡Fifteenth Amendment

The Fifteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution prohibited the denial of the right to vote based on race, color, or previous condition of servitude. However, as discussed in the video, it did not extend voting rights to women, which was a point of contention that split the women's rights movement into two factions.

💡National Woman Suffrage Association

The National Woman Suffrage Association was formed by Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony, advocating for women's suffrage. The video mentions this organization as one that opposed the Fifteenth Amendment due to its exclusion of women's voting rights and continued to fight for the franchise for women.

💡American Woman Suffrage Association

The American Woman Suffrage Association was another organization formed in response to the Fifteenth Amendment, advocating for women's suffrage on a state level while supporting federal Reconstruction efforts. The video contrasts this group's approach with that of the National Woman Suffrage Association, highlighting the strategic differences within the women's rights movement.

Highlights

Explain the effects of government policy during Reconstruction on society from 1865 to 1877

Abraham Lincoln's lenient approach to Reconstruction, believing the South never legally left the Union

Lincoln's Ten-Percent Plan required 10% of 1860 electorate to pledge loyalty and ratification of the 13th Amendment for Southern states to rejoin the Union

Lincoln's assassination and Andrew Johnson's continuation of his Reconstruction plan

Johnson's lack of sympathy for emancipation and racial equality, allowing Southern elites to regain power

Passing of Black Codes in Southern states to restrict freed slaves' freedom and force low-wage labor

Radical Republicans' opposition to Johnson's leniency and desire for Congress-led Reconstruction

Legislation by Radical Republicans to extend rights for blacks and suppress Southern resurgence - Freedman's Bureau extension and Civil Rights Act of 1866

Andrew Johnson's veto of the Civil Rights Act and Freedman's Bureau bill, overridden by Congress

Proposed Fourteenth Amendment to solidify rights for former slaves and ensure equal protection under state laws

Reconstruction Acts of 1867 passed over Johnson's veto to enforce laws in South and increase requirements for Southern states to rejoin Union

Reconstruction Acts required Southern states to ratify 14th Amendment and provide universal male suffrage, including for black men

Andrew Johnson's impeachment by Congressional Republicans, resulting in a trial but failure to remove him by one vote

Impeachment process rendering Johnson powerless to direct future Reconstruction policies

Women's rights movement's response to the Fifteenth Amendment granting voting rights to black men but not women

Formation of National Woman Suffrage Association by Stanton and Anthony to continue fighting for women's suffrage

Formation of American Woman Suffrage Association by Lucy Stone and Henry Blackwell to support Reconstruction while working for state-level women's suffrage

Differing views on the 15th Amendment among women's rights groups, with some opposing and others supporting it

Transcripts

Hey there and welcome back to Heimler’s  History. We’ve been going through Unit  

5 of the AP U.S. History curriculum and in  the last video we ended with the surrender  

of the South to the North which brought the  Civil War to an end. And in this video we’re  

going to look at the process of knitting two  regions back together again, a process which  

was known as Reconstruction. So if you’re ready  to get them brain cows milked, let’s get to it.

So we’re basically aiming at one thing  in this video and it is as follows:  

Explain the effects of government policy during  Reconstruction on society from 1865 to 1877.

Now in order to understand those effects,  we need to set the stage first. Now the  

most crucial question to be answered  after the Civil War was over was this:  

should the Confederacy be treated with leniency  or as a conquered foe? And how different policy  

makers answered that question determined the  kinds of Reconstruction policies they proposed.

Now Abraham Lincoln was of the lenient persuasion.  His position is that the South never actually  

left the Union because it was legally impossible  for them to do so. He could see that to treat  

the Southerners harshly would only renew and  exacerbate the tension that led to secession in  

the first place. Therefore, Lincoln’s plan for  Reconstruction, also known as the Ten-Percent  

Plan, established a minimum test of political  loyalty for southern states to return to the  

Union. So under this plan, if a Southern  state was going to return to the Union,  

they had to agree to the following terms.  First, they could reestablish their state  

governments if 10% of the 1860 electorate  pledged loyalty to the Union. Second,  

the state legislature had to ratify the  Thirteenth Amendment which abolished slavery.

And that’s it. That kind of  plan put the barrier for reentry  

very low and allowed the South to save face  and retain whatever honor they had left.  

It was an astonishing offer. And Lincoln had  been working on this plan for years before the  

war was over because he was not interested  in healing the wound lightly that led to  

separation in the first place. He fought for  the Union and wanted to make sure that it was  

never again rent asunder. But unfortunately,  a few weeks before the war officially ended  

and Lincoln would have been able to enact this  gracious plan of reunion, a man by the name of  

John Wilkes Booth walked into Lincoln’s box  at the Ford Theater and assassinated him.

Now, Lincoln’s vice president, Andrew Johnson,  became the president, and to his credit,  

he attempted to carry out Lincoln’s  plan for Reconstruction. However,  

Johnson was not the magnanimous leader  that Lincoln was and in fact can be  

squarely classified in the turd category. He was  a southerner from Tennessee who had really had no  

sympathy for emancipation or for the equality  of the black and white races. He was irascible  

and unbending in this respect. And while he  carried out Lincoln’s plan for reuniting the  

North and the South, he stood by while the former  slave-owning class assumed power and recreated  

conditions in the South which were largely the  same as they were before the war. Case in point,  

many states passed a series of restrictive  laws known as Black Codes which restricted  

the freedom of southern black folks  and forced them to work for low wages.

Now there was a group of folks in Congress  known as the Radical Republicans, and they  

appreciated neither Johnson’s leniency nor  his complicity in resegregating the South.  

To the Radical Republicans the South’s secession  had caused untold damage and death and therefore  

they needed to pay. Now that the South was  defeated, the Radical Republicans wanted to  

kick them, insult their mothers,  and then deliberately hurt their  

feelings. More to the point, because  they hated Johnson and his policies,  

they wanted the process of Reconstruction to  be led not by the president, but by Congress.

So the Radical Republicans were concerned to  pass legislation that upheld and extended rights  

for black people in the South while simultaneously  suppressing any attempt at Southern resurgence. To  

this end, they passed two pieces of legislation.  First was an extension of the Freedman’s Bureau,  

which was an agency set up to help newly freed  black people to get on their feet. The second  

was the Civil Rights Act of 1866 which protected  citizenship of black folks and gave them equal  

protection under the laws. Now to me, those  sound like good laws and uphold the outcome and  

intention of the Civil War. But apparently they  did not in fact seem good to Andrew Johnson who  

summarily vetoed both pieces of legislation.  Enraged by this, the Radical Republicans  

in Congress mustered a two-thirds majority to  override Johnson’s veto and got the laws passed.

So as you can clearly see, things are a little  tense between the president and Congress. Now,  

because the Republicans feared the  overturning of the Civil Rights Act,  

they went ahead and proposed a constitutional  amendment to solidify these rights, and that’s  

how you get the Fourteenth Amendment.  Essentially it said that all persons  

who were born or naturalized in the United  States were citizens of the United States,  

and that every citizen enjoyed equal  protection of the laws on the state level.

And the final contest between these two foes  involved the Reconstruction Acts of 1867. Again,  

these were passed into law over Johnson’s  veto, and it was these laws in particular  

that would ultimately pressage the failure  of Reconstruction. The first thing these acts  

did was to assure that all the laws being  passed would be enforced in the South. To  

that end, Republicans divided the South into five  districts and put them under military occupation  

with federal troops. The second thing these acts  did was to increase the requirement for southern  

states to rejoin the Union. Now the states  would also have to ratify the 14th amendment  

and add to their state constitution a  provision for universal male voting rights,  

and when I say universal, I mean white AND black  men would get the franchise. Now that provision  

would ruffle American women who also demanded  voting rights, but we’ll get to that in a moment.

Now, let’s talk about the crowning achievement  of this nasty conflict between Andrew Johnson  

and the Radical Republicans, namely,  the impeachment of Andrew Johnson. Now,  

stop for a second. Any time I mention impeachment  I feel I need to explain what it means,  

because in everyday conversation, when people talk  about impeachment of a president, what they mean  

is the REMOVAL of a president. That’s not  what impeachment means. Impeachment is the  

TRIAL which determines if a president should be  removed from office, not the removal itself. So  

Bill Clinton was impeached, and remained the  president after. Donald Trump was impeached,  

and remained president afterward. Okay,  so back to Andrew Johnson’s impeachment.

Congressional Republicans really wanted Johnson  out of office. And so to jingle the bait in  

front of his face, Congress passed the Tenure  of Office Act of 1867 which made it illegal  

for the president to fire a member of his cabinet  without congressional approval. Johnson was like,  

ain’t nobody tell me what to do. And went ahead  and fired a member of his cabinet. As a result,  

Congress brought a full-fledged  impeachment trial against Johnson,  

and after a three month trial, the Senate  failed to oust him by one vote. Even so,  

this process basically rendered Johnson powerless  to direct any future policies of Reconstruction.

Now, we’re going to talk about the end, and more  to the point, the failure, of Reconstruction in  

the next video. But for now, we need to talk  about the women’s rights movement in relation  

to Reconstruction. Now, I already told you about  the 13th Amendment which abolished slavery. I  

already told you about the 14th Amendment which  granted citizenship to everyone born in America  

AND that each citizen would enjoy equal protection  of the laws. And I have one more Reconstruction  

amendment to tell you about, namely, the  Fifteenth Amendment. This amendment granted  

voting rights to the newly freed  black population of the South.

But women’s rights advocates like Elizabeth  Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony got a  

little saucy about this amendment because it  emphatically did NOT recognize the right of  

women to vote. And debates over this amendment  split the movement into two groups. Stanton and  

Anthony formed the National Woman Suffrage  Association which continued to fight for the  

franchise to be extended to women. Others  like Lucy Stone and Henry Blackwell shared  

the disappointment over the 15th amendment’s  wording, but argued that it was important to  

support Reconstruction efforts federally while  working for women’s suffrage on the state level.  

The organization they formed to work for these  goals was the American Woman Suffrage Association.

And it’s like when they named these associations  they were just TRYING to make it hard for high  

schoolers to remember for their exams. National  Woman Suffrage Association. American Woman  

Suffrage Association. You’re KILLING me. Well, if  you’re having trouble remembering the difference  

between these two, try this. When you ask whether  each of these groups likes the 15th Amendment,  

these guys say NA, and these guys say EEYY.  That’s probably not helpful at all. Sorry.

Thank you for watching. There are more  videos here on Unit five if you need  

an A in your class and a five on your exam  in May. And if you found this video helpful  

and want me to keep making them, then  subscribe and let me know. Heimler out.