Chapter 16:
At the close of the Civil War, President Johnson offered a lenient reconstruction plan to the southern states, but congressional Republicans had their own, harsher ideas, which they implemented after an overwhelming win in the 1866 elections. Congressional, or Radical, Reconstruction divided the South into five military districts and set stringent requirements for their readmission to the Union, including passage of the Fourteenth Amendment guaranteeing blacks many rights. Meanwhile, in the South, whites and blacks attempted to create a new social order; this period saw the rise of tenant farming and black codes limiting blacks' freedom. Life after slavery continued to be very difficult for blacks, as they still faced deeply rooted racism and violence, and found that their Republican supporters often dropped their cause when it was politically convenient. To combat this they formed their own self-help, educational, and community institutions and debated the concepts of black separatism and nationalism. Eventually, southern Democrats reasserted control of ("redeemed") their states legislatures and Reconstruction ended with the Compromise of 1877.
|
|
