Republican Governments in the South
- Rights expanded, black codes ended, public reform
- Ex-confederates saw these governments as illegitimate
- Scalawags: Southerners that supported reconstruction
- Carpetbaggers: Northerners who moved South
- Northerners moved south to capitalize on reconstruction but it didn’t bring skills or capital to the region
- Graft: gaining money illegally through politics
- Republicans were believed to want to rid the south of its slave owning artisotocracy
- Military in the south is protecting free people from white southern democrats that want to do them harm
- Only seemingly working while the military is down there
African American Communities
- African American churches were created and acted as center of the social life and the pastors were spokespeople for the congregation
- African American colleges: HBCUs are built, 40% of African American children attended school by 1876
Southern Resistance to Reconstruction
- KKK: Secret Society that used terror to push against Black Republican governments and Reconstruction
- Created an agenda to keep AA and R from exercising their civil rights and voting
- Attacked schools, gatherings, and murdered political opponents
- Klan became identical to the Democratic party and dominated politically
- Want to stay in power to “redeem” the south from Republicans and put white southerners in charge
- 1871 KKK acts are outlawed as terror and a federal offense but few convicted
- KKK goes dormant until 1915
The Collapse of Reconstruction
- Election of 1872:
- Grant easily wins because of his good campaign
- Panic of 1873:
- Economic panic started by Jay Cooke and Sons company collapse
- Banks closed as Grant wanted to move away from paper money
- Scandals were associated with Grant’s second term
- Distillery group stole millions of govt funds becayse his secretary of war was roped up with whiskey rings
- Grant not nominated for 3rd term, Dems took control of HoR
Election of 1876
- Hayes vs Tilden
- Democrats won with Hayes
- Republicans called voter fraud and intimidation
- Both sides had their own set of election results
- Compromise of 1877
- Congress appointed a 8+7=15 person team to vote on which set will win
- Hayes said he would help the south and that he would fund improvements
- Secretly agreed to pull out troops from the South
- Reconstruction Ends:
- Federal troops pulled out of the south and the last Republican governments collapsed.