5.11 - Failure of Reconstruction

The End of Reconstruction

Overview

• During Grant’s second term, it became clear that Reconstruction was ending. Radical Republicanism was waning, and Southern conservatives, or "redeemers," were taking control of state governments, emphasizing states’ rights, reduced taxes, and White supremacy.

White Supremacy and the Ku Klux Klan

• The Ku Klux Klan, founded in 1867 by Nathaniel Bedford Forrest, aimed to intimidate African Americans and White reformers through violence, including burning Black-owned buildings and murdering freedmen to prevent them from voting.

• In response, Congress passed the Force Acts of 1870 and 1871 to stop Klan violence and protect civil rights.

Black Codes

• Southern legislatures adopted Black Codes to restrict African Americans’ rights and movements, including prohibiting them from renting land, testifying against Whites in court, and forcing them into labor contracts under conditions resembling slavery.

Sharecropping

• Sharecropping emerged as a compromise between landowners and freedpeople, where landlords provided seed and supplies in exchange for a share of the harvest. This system often kept African Americans in a cycle of debt and dependency.

Political Developments

Amnesty Act of 1872:

• Congress passed the Amnesty Act, removing restrictions on ex-Confederates (except top leaders), allowing Southern conservatives to vote for Democrats and regain control of state governments.

Election of 1876:

• By 1876, Democrats had regained power in most Southern states. The presidential election saw Rutherford B. Hayes (Republican) against Samuel J. Tilden (Democrat). Tilden won the popular vote, but the results in three Southern states were contested.