-
Lincoln sets forth 10 percent Reconstruction plan
The Ten Percent Plan was a quick way for President Lincoln to readmit the former Confederate States. The readmission to the Union for any state was that 10 percent of the white male voters would have to sign an oath and the state would then have to abolish all slavery.
http://www.americaslibrary.gov/assets/jb/civil/jb_civil_lincoln2_1_e.jpg title: http://www.learnnc.org/lp/media/uploads/2009/07/freedmenvotinginneworleans1867.jpg -
Wade-Davis Bill passes Congress but is pocket-vetoed by Lincoln
The Wade-Davis Bill was passed by Congress in order to counter the Ten Percent Plan for reconstruction. It required a majority of white males from old Confererate states to take an oath and guarantee equailty for African Americans.
http://amhist.ist.unomaha.edu/module_files/Wade Davis Bill1.jpg -
Johnson moves to reconstruct the South on his own initiative
In the beginning, while Johnson was only a military governor from Tennessee, he stuck to Lincoln's emancipation policy and carried it into effect. He did not recognize it as black humanity, but instead as trying to destroy the power of the lower class. No one expected him to win over the Presidency, but once Lincoln was assassinated, he automatically assumed the position.
http://www.gutenberg.org/files/22609/22609-h/images/005.jpg -
Congress refuses to seat representatives and senators elected from states reestablished under presidential plan
The House and Senate refused to seat the recently elected southern delegation like Johnson had planned. Instead, they established a joint committee to review the Reconstruction policy, who would set more conditions for readmission to the Union.
http://www.nisk.k12.ny.us/faculty/hirota/10r/congress_vienna_files/image001.jpg -
Johnson vetoes Freedmen's Bureau Bill
The Freedmen's Bureau, an agency established by Congress, was set out to provide free men with food, shelter, and medical aid. It was also passed to help them establish schools and employment.
http://examiningushistory.tripod.com/freedmansbureau.jpg -
Johnson vetoes Civil Rights Act; it passes over his veto
The Civil Rights Act prohibited discrimination of African Americans while on public transportation, giving them some sort of equality. It was one of the last efforts made by the federal government to enforce the civil rights.
http://edgeofthewest.files.wordpress.com/2008/03/090166l.jpg -
Congress passes Fourteenth Amendment
The Fourteenth Amendment provided citizenship to former slaves after the Civil War and protected the rights, by law, for all citizens. Its provisions were used by Radical Republicans to enact a Reconstruction policy of previous Confederate states.
http://kellenebishop.files.wordpress.com/2009/04/14th-amendment1.jpg -
Republicans increase their congressional majority in the fall elections
Republicans favored the Reconstruction policy. They did not want any chance of the South regaining its power. They feared that the South would persuade blacks to help them gain the power that they had before the Civil War.
http://www.gop.com/images/uploads/acm0119.jpg -
First Reconstruction Act is passed over Johnson's veto
The First Reconstruction Act was a bill passed by Radical Republicans in Congress that treated Southern states as if they were divided territories. Overall, the South was divided into five different districts.
http://www.jeffstarkbooks.com/files/reconstruction act.jpg -
Johnson is impeached; he avoids conviction by one vote
Once Johnson was faced with the violation of the Tenure of Office Act, the House voted to impeach and he was put on trial before the Senate. Seven Republican senators broke with the party and agreed to remove him from office. Johnson's defense was centered on the invocation of the Constitution and defend his presendential rights and powers.
http://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/art/resources/graphic/xlarge/38_00447.jpg -
Southern blacks vote and serve in constitutional conventions
After the Civil War, the South had been torn apart. The relationship between whites and blacks was still questionable as well. Whites wanted to stay separate from the blacks, and the blacks just wanted their independence., which included their right to vote and serve in congress.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/fa/The_First_Vote.jpg -
Grant wins presidential election, defeating Horatio Seymour
The money question was a big deal in politics during the election of 1868. The greenbacks nominated Grant for president because he was a supporter, therefore already being popular and easily winning the election with the help of Republican southern states.
http://marksrichardson.files.wordpress.com/2009/10/ulysses_grant_1870-1880.jpg -
Congress passes Fifteenth Amendment, granting African Americans the right to vote
The Fifteenth Amendment prohibited the denial of the right to vote by the federal or state government, basing it off of color and/or race. Its primary cause was to guarantee the right of African Americans to vote in the South.
http://www.laits.utexas.edu/txp_media/html/cons/features/0206_01/slide5.gif -
Congress passes Ku Klux Klan Acts to protect black voting rights in the South
The Ku Klux Klan was a prime example of a secret terrorist society which originated in 1866. Their first goals were to stop reconstruction, pick apart the African Americans, and restore the social order in the South.
http://www.learnnc.org/lp/media/uploads/2009/06/kkk_costumes.jpg -
Grant re-elected president, defeating Horace Greeley, candidate of Liberal Republicans and Democrats
Many did not like the idea of Grants' reelection. Most Republicans stayed with Grant because they didnt like the idea of rebels giving power back to the South. Many Democrats on Greeley's side did not vote because they knew that he had previously been a Republican.
http://blogs.westword.com/demver/HM horacegreely explore PA history.jpg -
Financial panic plunges nation into depression
The money question came forward right after the Civil War. It was debated whether or not greenbacks should stay in circulation or be collected for good. The recession was greatly blamed on the Johnson administration, being Johnsons' idea to produce the greenbacks, replacing the hard money.
http://historymatters.gmu.edu/mpimages/mp105.jpg -
Congress passes Specie Resumption Act
The Specie Resumption Act provided a limited reduction of greenbacks leading to full recovery of specie payments by January 1st of 1879. It was passed by Congress and led by Senator John Sherman of Ohio. Farmers and workers who were already suffering from deflation reacted angrily.
http://www.cartoonstock.com/lowres/csl0761l.jpg -
"Whiskey Ring" scandal exposed
The Whiskey Ring scandal was where group of mostly Republican politicians were able to sell millions of dollars in federal taxes on liquor, involving bribes with tax collectors and storekeepers.
http://www.harpweek.com/Images/SourceImages/CartoonOfTheDay/March/031876m.jpg -
Disputed presidential election resolved in favor of Republican Hayes over Democrat Tilden
At the beginning of the election of 1876, it was clear that Tilden had the majority vote and was most likely to win. Things changed once three southern states were still controlled by the Republicans, South Carolina, Louisiana, and Florida. The outcome was undecided for months, causing a major political crisis. In an attempt to resolve issues, Congress appointed an electoral commission of fifteen members, who decided Hayes would win.
http://img.wonkette.com/assets/resources/2008/02/hayes.jpg -
Compromise of 1877 ends military intervention in the South and causes fall of the last Radical governments
The Compromise of 1877 began during the election of 1876. The Democrats settled with the election of Rutherford B. Hayes, a Republican, in exchange for hte withdrawal of federal troops from the South, ending the Reconstruction.
http://web.mac.com/rolandgarret/iWeb/site/The Rise and Fall of the Civil Rights Movement _files/droppedImage_1.jpg
