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Johnson's Plan
Former confederate states set up governments under President Johson's reconstruction plan. They had elected representatives who were ready to go to congress. When the representatives got to congress, they were rejected by congress and would not be seated. The Radicals were bent on making the confedracy's return as difficult as possible, and wouldn't let Johnsons plan go through -
The Civil Rights Act
The Civil Rights Act gave the government power to deal with state affairs themselves to protect African Americans. -
The Freedman's Bureau
In 1866 a bill was passed that gave the freedman's bureau more power. They were then able to establish a court to try people charged with violating African American rights. -
Black codes
Black Codes are laws that were designed to help control the newly freed African Americans. The laws made African Americans vulnerable to being taken advantage of by white men. African Americans were unable to own or rent farms. African Americans were also vulnerable to being fined by officials for being unemployed. Even though they were harsh, living under Black Codes was better than being slaves. -
The Reconstruction Acts.
The first reconstruction act required that all states who had not ratified the 14th amendment form new governments. Only Tennessee, which had ratified the 14th amendment, kept it's government and rejoined the union. This act divided the 10 defiant states into five military districts. Each would be governed by an army general untill new governments were formed. Former confederate leaders were banned from serving in these new governments. -
Reconstruction Acts continued
This act also guaranteed African American men the right to vote in state elections. The second reconstruction act gave the army power to register voters in each district and to help organize state constitutional conventions. -
The 14th Amendment
The 14th amendment stated that anyone born it the United States was a citizen of the US and the state they live in. This included that they deserve equal rights and treatment as anyone else. If this amendment was disobeyed, the state that disobeyed could lose representation in congress. The amendment also said no state could take an individuals life or freedom, unless it was by law. -
The 15th Amendment
The 15th amendment guaranteed that state and federal governments could note deny the right to vote because of race, color, or previous conditions of servitude. When the amendment was ratified, it was thought that republicans had succeeded in giving African Americans the right to vote.
