RECONSTRUCTION ( ) The Second Civil War

Transcription

1 RECONSTRUCTION ( ) The Second Civil War Enduring Understanding Reconstruction was an era of social, political, and constitutional conflict that had noble intentions but limited successes. Essential Questions 1. What were the social, political, and constitutional foundations and challenges of Reconstruction? 2. What arguments support whether or not Reconstruction was a success or a failure? 3. How are the same challenges of Reconstruction evident in the reconstruction of Iraq and/or Afghanistan? 4. What arguments support whether or not Reconstruction in Iraq and/or Afghanistan has been a success or a failure? OVERVIEW The Civil War is over, but the battle for civil liberties has just begun. After Lincoln s assassination, nervous citizens of a rejoined nation looked to a new president and an overwhelmingly Republican Congress to reconstruct a war-torn country. As terrible as it was, the US Civil War allowed the Constitution to be forever changed for and by the better angels of our nature. Three constitutional amendments--the 13 th, 14 th, and 15 th --helped Lincoln s spirit to live on in hopes of granting everyone the power of citizenship. However, the South s resentment of a Republican controlled Congress, their passing of the so-called Black Codes, and a power struggle between President Johnson and Congress would only set the course for an uneasy peace between a nation divided once again over the issue of state s rights. As Congress enacts a policy of punishing the South for the Civil War, African-Americans struggle to establish new lives. Eventually, the North tires of Reconstruction, and Southern whites regain control over the states. In this Unit Plan, the students will describe, interpret, analyze, and evaluate the Enduring Understanding and the Essential Questions. In addition, the student will be able to accomplish the following CLA tasks: CLA QUESTION #10: Explain how Congress opposed Lincoln's and Johnson's plans for Reconstruction and instead implemented its own plan to rebuild the South. CLA QUESTION #11: Identify and explain how various groups contributed to the rebuilding of Southern society after the war. CLA QUESTION #12: Explain and justify how Southern opposition to Radical Reconstruction, along with economic problems in the North, ended Reconstruction. 1

2 PART I: Reconstruction Glossary A list of the important Reconstruction vocabulary will is provided within this unit plan. A vocabulary quiz will be administered in order to assess student learning. PART II: Pre-Assessment The unit plan will begin with a rather thorough pre-assessment that introduces the characters of the Reconstruction era and addresses the question, Was Reconstruction a success or a failure? The students will read and interpret the Point- Counterpoint chart, a summary, and two quotes concerning the success and failure of Reconstruction. Then the student will choose an answer and justify his/her conclusions concerning the success or failure of Reconstruction. PART III: Reconstruction Newsletter The students will be issued a Reconstruction Newsletter and be assigned a series of article readings from this newsletter. For each article, the student will be required to answer a series of questions that will focus on the unit plan s enduring understanding and essential questions. A final test on the articles will be administered to assess student learning. PART IV: Reconstruction Presidents The students will be evaluating the forces of unity and disunity while observing the film series, The American Presidents and evaluate the Four Reconstruction Presidents : Abraham Lincoln, Andrew Johnson, Ulysses Grant, and Rutherford B. Hayes. After observing the films for each of the presidents, the students will then have the opportunity to evaluate each president s role during Reconstruction. PART V: Historical Connections: Reconstruction in Iraq and Afghanistan Today The students will choose one of the options listed below and conduct a quick research activity that connects with either our reconstruction efforts in Iraq/Afghanistan or the debate concerning the political demand for formal apologies or reparations for the acts of slavery or racism to the descendants of victims living today. 2

3 IMPORTANT GROUPS: Radical Republican Moderate Republican Democrat Carpetbagger Scalawag Ku Klux Klan IMPORTANT PEOPLE: Abraham Lincoln Part I: RECONSTRUCTION Glossary A member of the Republican Party who after the Civil War wanted: -to punish and destroy the political power of former slaveholders -immediate citizenship and voting rights for African Americans -a powerful federal government that would immediately bring these changes A member of the Republican Party who after the Civil War wanted: -to rebuild the nation without punishing the South severely -gradually give African American citizenship and the right to vote -a powerful federal government that would gradually bring these changes A political party very popular in the Southern states who wanted: -a weak federal government with an emphasis on states rights -the issues of citizenship and voting rights to be decided by the individual states. A northerner who moved to the South after the Civil War. A white southerner who joined the Republican Party after the Civil War. A secret organization that used terrorist tactics in an attempt to restore white supremacy in Southern states after the Civil War. President of the United States at the beginning of Reconstruction and a moderate Republican, he wished to make the South's return to the Union as quick and easy as possible. Andrew Johnson Democratic President of the United States who took over after the assassination of Abraham Lincoln; he favored a lenient Reconstruction policy, supported states' rights, and opposed African American equality. Thaddeus Steven Leader of the Radical Republicans in Congress who was devoted to a harsh punishment of the Southern states. Worked towards equality for African Americans. Ulysses S. Grant Civil War hero and Republican President of the United States whose Reconstruction efforts were undermined by corruption within his administration. Rutherford B. Hayes President of the United States whose election brought an end to Reconstruction. 3

4 IMPORTANT LINGO: Suffrage impeach Share-cropping Tenant farming Military Tribunal Courts The right to vote. The process of accusing a public official of wrongdoing. A system in which landowners give farm workers land, seed, and tools in return for a part of the crops they raise. A system in which farm workers supply their own tools and rent farmland for cash. A kind of a military court designed to try member of enemy forces during wartime or times of rebellion, operating outside the boundaries of regular criminal and civil court cases. The judges are military officers and fulfill the role of jurors. IMPORTANT LEGISLATION (BILLS, LAWS, AND CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS): 13th Amendment An amendment to the U.S. Constitution, adopted in 1865, that abolished slavery and involuntary servitude. 14th Amendment 15th Amendment Wade-Davis Bill The Freedmen's Bureau Black Codes Civil Rights Act of 1866 Reconstruction Act of 1867 Compromise of 1877 An amendment to the U.S. Constitution, adopted in 1868, that makes all persons born or naturalized in the U.S. including former slaves citizens of the country and guarantees equal protection of the laws. An amendment to the U.S. Constitution, adopted in 1870, that prohibits the denial of voting rights to people because of their race or color or because they have previously been slaves. An 1864 bill passed by Congress and vetoed by President Lincoln that would have given Congress control of Reconstruction. An agency set up by the federal government to help former slaves after the Civil War. The discriminatory laws passed throughout the post-civil-war South which severely restricted African Americans' lives prohibiting such activities as traveling without permits, carrying weapons, serving on juries, testifying against whites, and marrying whites. Was passed as a reaction to the Black Codes. Congress passed this act giving African Americans citizenship and forbade states from passing discriminatory laws such as the Black Codes. Law that abolished governments formed in the former Confederate states, divided those states into five military districts, and set up tough requirements for readmission into the Union. The political compromise that gave Republican Rutherford B. Hayes the presidency in exchange for the withdrawal of all Federal troops from the Southern states. This agreement ended Reconstruction. 4

5 RECONSTRUCTION VIA BLOOM S TAXONOMY Instructions Read the Unit Plan s Enduring Understanding at the bottom of this page where you see START. Please Note: start at the bottom of the taxonomy with Remember and work your way up to Create. Create: Develop a theory that will support and defend how your Reconstruction character may appraise the reconstruction efforts in Iraq or Afghanistan. Assess the intentions, successes, and failures of our reconstruction efforts in Iraq or Afghanistan. Focus Question: How have I created new knowledge from what I have learned? Evaluate: Justify why your Reconstruction character s views towards the three conflicts of Reconstruction are the best options for America to consider during Reconstruction. Support your assessment about Reconstruction s intentions, successes, or failures through the perspective of your Reconstruction character. Focus Question: What is my opinion of what I just learned? Analyze: Examine how the views of your Reconstruction character may compare or contrast to other Reconstruction characters views towards the Reconstruction conflicts. Criticize other Reconstruction character s intentions, successes, or failures towards the Reconstruction conflicts. Focus Question: How is this newly learned information similar to (or different from) other information that I have learned? Apply: Interpret how your Reconstruction character may respond or react to the social, political, and constitutional conflicts in your newsletter readings and videos. Focus Question: How can I connect what I am learning in order to learn something that is better/more relevant? Understand: Explain how the social, political, and constitutional conflicts of Reconstruction are located in your newsletter readings and videos. Focus Question: What does the unit plan want me to understand? Remember: Define the social, political, and constitutional conflicts of Reconstruction. Focus Question: What do I need to remember to make sense of this new learning? START-- Reconstruction was an era of social, political, and constitutional conflicts that had noble intentions but limited successes. 5

6 RECONSTRUCTION CAST of CHARACTERS and CHARACTER PROFILES PART II: Pre-Assessment Activity #1 On the following pages you will find a cast of Reconstruction Characters that we will use as a learning vehicle for many of the reading assignments covered in our Reconstruction Newsletter. Now that you have been provided a character by your instructor, your task is to read your character profile and create at least four interview questions based on the information you have read in your character profile. It is important that you create insightful questions as these questions will be used by other students to understand your character during the interview class activity. Task #1: Carefully read your character profile located on the following pages and construct your four interview questions. 1. Lincolnites: Followers of Abraham Lincoln Slogan: With Malice Towards None. President Lincoln had actually tried to start the reconstruction process during the Civil War. Following Union victories at Gettysburg, Vicksburg and Chattanooga, Lincoln hoped that at least some Confederate states might see the handwriting on the wall and be willing to rejoin the Union if generous terms were offered. Thus in December 1863 Lincoln issued a Proclamation of Amnesty and Reconstruction, which stated that those states where 10% of the 1860 electorate would take an oath of loyalty to the Union and agree to emancipation might be readmitted. Lincoln did not back off from his intention to treat the South generously. In his famous Second Inaugural Address, which is inscribed on the wall of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, he closed with the words: With malice toward none; with charity for all; with firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in; to bind up the nation's wounds; to care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow and his orphan...to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations Following Lee s surrender at Appomattox, President Lincoln again outlined a generous plan for reconstruction. Sadly, the President did not live to see his ideas realized. On April 14, 1865, Lincoln went to Ford s theater to attend to play with his wife. John Wilkes Booth, a Virginia actor enraged by the South s defeat, made his way to the presidential box and shot the president in the head. Lincoln was carried across the street and placed in a bedroom, where he died the next morning. Lincoln s assassination dealt a fatal blow to hopes for a more lenient reconstruction effort than what actually occurred. His death also had a chilling effect on potential sympathy for the South. 6

7 2. Radicals: The Radical Republicans Slogan: The South is defeated but they are NOT loyal! Congress refused to recognize Lincoln's plan and countered with the Wade-Davis Bill, a much harsher approach, which the president vetoed with a pocket veto. (A pocket veto occurs when a bill is sent to the president, who does not sign it, but Congress adjourns within the 10-day period allowed for the president to return the bill.) In contrast to the relatively lenient and passive approach of Lincoln and Johnson, the radical Republicans, the liberal wing of the Republican Party, had a much tougher approach. They were idealists, many of them driven by an almost religious fervor. They did not accept the commonly held notion that blacks were inferior and therefore insisted on full political, social and civil rights for the former slaves. In this sense they were true reformers, in many ways far ahead of their time, and they had very different ideas about reconstruction from those of Lincoln and Johnson. (How Lincoln s thinking on reconstruction might have evolved over time can, of course, never be known.) The radicals thought Lincoln was too soft on the South and wanted to revolutionize Southern habits, institutions and manners ; they wanted to see the South rebuilt according to a new order. Northern Republican newspapers such as the New York Tribune agreed. Radicals believed that the South should be treated as conquered provinces, and that the rebel states had committed political suicide. They claimed that no state governments could exist in the South until Congress restored them under any conditions it deemed necessary. 3. Johnsonians: Followers of Andrew Johnson Slogan: Treason must be made odious! Vice President Andrew Johnson succeeded to the presidency upon Lincoln's death. A non-slave-holding Senator from Tennessee who had remained loyal to the north, he ran with Lincoln on the Union Party ticket in Johnson carried a distinct animus toward the wealthy Southern planter class. He apparently intended to carry out Lincoln's generous reconstruction policies, but his motivations were quite different from those of Lincoln. He was prepared to have wealthy Southerners who had betrayed their country by serving the Confederacy dance to his tune. Powerful Republican Senators and Congressmen, thirsty for revenge and wanting a proper transition to freedom for the former slaves, visited with Johnson during the months following Lincoln s death in order to assess his attitudes toward the defeated South. Initially, they came away satisfied that Johnson was on the right track. That assessment, however, would soon change radically. Over the course of the summer of 1865, President Johnson dispensed pardons liberally to many former high-ranking Confederates. Johnson apparently took pleasure at the spectacle of former Southern aristocrats, some of whom had previously scorned him, having to plead their case before him. Consequently, the Radical Republicans became furious with Johnson. In the beginning, Johnson appeared to follow Lincoln s plans for Reconstruction but later told the Radical Republicans he was going to punish the South a policy approved by the Radicals. But now Johnson was going back on his word, thus setting up a political and constitutional showdown between President Johnson and the Republican controlled Congress. 7

8 4. Freedmen: Former Slaves Slogan: Freedom burned in the heart long before freedom was born. Many slaves who had been restricted all their lives had no where to go. Although they were elated to be free following the great day of jubilation, this new state of freedom also caused confusion. Some stayed on old plantations, others wandered off in search of lost family. Many slave owners were glad to get rid of burdensome slaves and threw them out just like those Yankee capitalists. Some freedmen celebrated their freedom openly, while others, less trusting, approached their new status with caution. As they quickly learned, there was more to being free than not being owned as a slave. When asked how it felt to be free by a member of a Congressional investigating committee, one former slave said, I don t know. When challenged to explain himself, he said, I ll be free when I can do anything a white man can do. One does not have to be a historian to know that such a degree of freedom was a long time coming. For African Americans, the most important single result of War was freedom. The search for lost families was awe inspiring. Some whites claimed that blacks did not understand freedom and were to be pitied. But Blacks had observed a free society, and they knew it meant an end to injustices against former slaves. Blacks in the South also had a workable society church, family and later schools. A black culture already existed, and could be adapted, albeit with difficulty, to new conditions of freedom. Blacks also took quickly to politics. As Booker Washington put it in his autobiography, Up From Slavery, blacks watched the way their former masters voted and then did the opposite. Remarkably, the former slaves exhibited little overt resentment against their masters, and many adopted a conciliatory attitude. When they got into the legislatures they did not push hard for reform because they recognized the reality of white power 5. Damn Yankees: Northern Citizens Slogan: Let us have peace! The North was split on the question of reconstructing the South. Many Northerners, content to follow the lead of the White House, favored a speedy reconstruction with a minimum of changes in the South. Other Northerners, many of them former abolitionists, had the rights of the freedmen and women in mind. That faction favored a more rigorous, gradual reconstruction process, which would include consideration of the rights of freed African-Americans. In the North, there was little to reconstruct; most of the fighting had occurred in the South. Northerners buried their dead, cared for the wounded and did their best to get on with their lives. 8

9 It is safe to say that the majority of Northerners were happy to see slavery gone, if for no other reason than the fact that the divisiveness of the issue had poisoned the political scene for decades. It cannot be assumed, however, that all Northerners were ready to embrace the full incorporation of blacks into the national fabric. Many Northerners were not happy about prospects of millions of blacks invading the northern job market, perhaps jeopardizing their economic security. Most white northerners wished blacks well, but weren t willing to do much to help them; yet many teachers, including women from New England, went South to help blacks. Other Northerners who went south included the so-called carpetbaggers, men who went south in order to commercially or politically exploit the situation for their own ends. (The epithet comes from the cheap suitcases they carried, which were made of pieces of carpet sewn together.) Although infamous in their time (and after), recent studies have argued that they often did much good by helping to modernize the South and promoting education. 6. The White League: Southern Citizens Slogan: I once loved that flag, but now I hate the very sight of it! Many Southerners were enraged at the outcome of the war. Having suffered and bled and died to get out of the Union, they now found themselves back in it. A woman in Richmond wrote in her diary after the hated Yankees raised the American flag over the former Confederate capitol, I once loved that flag, but now I hate the very sight of it! Southerners recognized that they had to bow to the results of their loss, but did so with underlying hatred. Much ill feeling toward the North existed among the people who had stayed at home, especially in areas invaded by Sherman and others: wives, widows, orphans and those who had endured incredible hardships were particularly horrified to be back under federal control, ruled by their former enemies. Many Southern whites, having convinced themselves in the prewar years that Blacks were incapable of running their own lives, were also unable to understand what freedom meant to Blacks. As one former slave expressed it, Bottom rung on top now, Boss. Many Southern whites were still convinced slavery had been right. In a migration reminiscent of the departure of loyalists after the American Revolution, many southerners emigrated. Some took their slaves and went to Brazil, where the institution still flourished. Others went west to get as far away as possible from those damn Yankees. 9

10 Task #1 Instructions After you have actively read your character profile, create at least four insightful interview questions that other students will use to interview you during our class activity. Remember, the interview questions should touch on what you consider to be important about your character and their views towards Reconstruction. You will be using this interview worksheet during the class activity. Please Note: You will not be allowed to write your answers to your own interview questions on this worksheet to refer to during the interview class activity. You may want to actively read (underline/highlight) your character profile. Character s Name: Interview Question #1: Interview Question #2: Interview Question #3: Interview Question #4: 10

11 Reconstruction Interview Class Activity Task #2 Instructions Use the chart below to record the information that you will discover during the interview activity. Reconstruction Character 1. Abraham Lincoln Response to Interview Question #1 Response to Interview Question #2 2. Radical Republicans 3. Andrew Johnson 4. Freed Slaves 5. Northern Citizens 6. Southern Citizens 11

12 Response to Interview Question #3 Response to Interview Question #4 12

13 Task #3 Instructions Now that you have had the chance to get to know your character as well as the other Reconstruction characters, try to classify which characters may or may not get along. Which characters will see eye-to-eye when it comes to reconstructing the nation? Who will not agree? What forces of unity and disunity will you anticipate to occur during Reconstruction? What would you personally recommend to the people living during this time period concerning reconstruction? Please Note: feel free to use your multiple intelligences for this wrap-up activity. You don t simply have to write a paragraph or two. Instead, you may wish to draw a diagram, chart, or other visual references that may explain your analysis. Use the space below to draw (literally and figuratively) your own conclusions 13

14 PART II: Pre-Assessment Activity #2 Point-Counterpoint: Was Reconstruction a success or a failure? Task #1: Agree-Disagree Read the chart below that summarizes the point-counterpoint as to why Reconstruction was a success or a failure. Reconstruction was a Success Reconstruction was a Failure Introduction: Reconstruction was an attempt to create a social and political revolution despite economic collapse and the opposition of much of the white South. Under these conditions, its accomplishments were extraordinary. Introduction: Federal and state governments failed to secure the rights guaranteed to former slaves by constitutional amendments. 1. African Americans--only a few years after slavery was abolished--were able to participate at all levels of government 2. State governments had some success in solving social problems; for example, they funded public school systems open to all citizens. 3. African Americans established institutions that had been denied them during slavery such as schools, churches, and families. 1. State Republican parties could not preserve black-white voter alliances that would have enabled them to stay in power and continue political change. 2. Although they originally intended to do so, Radical Republican governments were unable or unwilling to allow for land reform or to provide former slaves with the economic resources needed to break the cycle of poverty. 3. Racial bias was a national, not a regional, problem. Racism existed everywhere in the United States-North and South. After the Economic Panic of 1873, northerners were more concerned with their own economic problems than with the problems of former slaves. 4. The breakup of the plantation system led to some redistribution of the land for former slaves to own. 5. Congress passed the 14 th & 15 th Amendments, which helped African Americans to receive full civil rights in the 20 th Century. 4. The Supreme Court concluded that most civil rights were ruled to be state, rather than federal, rights and therefore unprotected by the 14 th Amendments. The 15 th Amendment was determined not to grant voting rights to anyone, but rather to restrict types of voter discrimination. In short, the Supreme Court interpreted these amendments through the letter of the law which allowed the states a loophole to bypass the spirit of the law. 14

15 Point-Counterpoint: Was Reconstruction a success or a failure? (Continued) Reconstruction Was A Success Summary and Primary Quote Despite the loss of ground that followed Reconstruction, African Americans succeeded in carving out a measure of independence within southern society. Reconstruction Was a Failure Summary and Primary Quote At the end of Reconstruction, former slavers found themselves once again in the lowest position in society. Civil Rights leader, W.E.B. DuBois summarized the achievements of the Reconstruction period this way: It was Negro loyalty and the Negro vote alone that restored the South to the Union; established the new democracy, both for the white and black. Abolitionist and former slave, Frederick Douglass concluded: You gave us no acres. You turned us loose to the sky, to the storm, to the whirlwind, and worst of all, you turned us loose to the wrath of our infuriated masters. Task #2: Agree-Disagree After you have read and interpreted each Point-Counterpoint and the summaries above, follow the directions for each step below. 1. Interpret: What does W.E.B. Dubois quote mean to you regarding the success of Reconstruction? Does he have a sense of pride for what the Black race was able to accomplish? Why or why not. 2. Interpret: What does Douglass quote mean to you regarding the lack of success for Reconstruction? Why do you think he feels betrayed? 3. Evaluate and Justify: If you had to choose, which side would you select to conclude that Reconstruction was a success or a failure? Be sure to justify your response by choosing an argument in the Point-Counterpoint chart to defend your conviction. 15

16 PART III: RECONSTRUCTION NEWSLETTER Worksheet #1: Then & Now: Reparations for Slavery? (Newsletter Page 1) Enduring Understanding Reconstruction was an era of social, political, and constitutional conflict that had noble intentions but limited successes. Essential Questions 1. What were the social, political, and constitutional foundations and challenges of Reconstruction? 2. What arguments support whether or not Reconstruction was a success or a failure? 1. What are your thoughts about paying reparations to the descendants of slaves who are living today? Should the state and/or federal government pay for what happened? Why or why not? 2. What are your thoughts about the state and/or federal government issuing a formal apology to the descendants of slaves who are living today? Should the state and/or federal government apologize? Why or why not? 3. What about the victims of the Holocaust, the Japanese-American victims of World War II internment camps, Native Americans, suspected terrorists who were not guilty, etc.? Should they and/or their descendants receive reparations and/or a formal apology? Why or why not? 16

17 PART III: RECONSTRUCTION NEWSLETTER Worksheet #2: The Three Major Problems of Reconstruction: Social, Political, Constitutional (Newsletter Pages 1 & 2) Enduring Understanding Reconstruction was an era of social, political, and constitutional conflict that had noble intentions but limited successes. Essential Questions 1. What were the social, political, and constitutional foundations and challenges of Reconstruction? 2. What arguments support whether or not Reconstruction was a success or a failure? 1. Evaluate: According to your Reconstruction character, what do you believe should be done to solve the social problem? Explain. 2. Evaluate: According to your Reconstruction character, what do you believe should be done to solve the political problem? Explain. 3. Evaluate: According to your Reconstruction character, what do you believe should be done to solve the constitutional problem? Explain. 4. Predict: What obstacles or challenges do you believe will occur during Reconstruction that will hurt its chances of becoming socially, politically, and/or constitutionally successful? Please justify your answer thoroughly. 17

18 PART III: RECONSTRUCTION NEWSLETTER Worksheet #3: The Three Major Problems of Reconstruction: Social, Political, Constitutional (Newsletter Pages 1 & 2) Enduring Understanding Reconstruction was an era of social, political, and constitutional conflict that had noble intentions but limited successes. Essential Questions 1. What were the social, political, and constitutional foundations and challenges of Reconstruction? 2. What arguments support whether or not Reconstruction was a success or a failure? 1. Justify: Some of the white citizens in the South decided to enact a series of Black Codes that were passed by southern states in an effort to control the economic and social lives of the newly freed slaves. How could you argue that these Black Codes are just another form of slavery? 2. Empathize: The Black citizens of the South relied heavily on the foundation of the family to survive both before and after the Civil War. Why do you think this was so? Why was family so important to them during this era? What would have happened to the former slaves if they were not able to rely on the family to survive? Why? 3. Speculate: Considering what you know at this point about Reconstruction, would Reconstruction have operated more successfully had Lincoln lived to see it throughout his second term in office? Do you think he would have been elected for a third term? Explain. 18

19 PART III: RECONSTRUCTION NEWSLETTER Worksheet #4: Lincoln s Plan/Congress Plan/Johnson s Plan for Reconstruction (Newsletter Page 3) Enduring Understanding Reconstruction was an era of social, political, and constitutional conflict that had noble intentions but limited successes. Essential Questions 1. What were the social, political, and constitutional foundations and challenges of Reconstruction? 2. What arguments support whether or not Reconstruction was a success or a failure? 1. Interpret: According to your Reconstruction character, do you agree or disagree with Lincoln s plan for Reconstruction? Please be sure to justify your response with at least two examples. 2. CLA QUESTION #10: Explain how Congress opposed Lincoln's and Johnson's plans for Reconstruction and instead implemented its own plan to rebuild the South. 3. Interpret: According to your Reconstruction character, do you agree or disagree with Johnson s plan for Reconstruction? Please be sure to justify your response with at least two examples. 4. Evaluate: Rank the three plans (Lincoln s, Radicals, and Johnson s) in order of your preference according to your Reconstruction character. Whose plan do you support the most? Whose plan do you support the least?

20 PART III: RECONSTRUCTION NEWSLETTER Worksheet #5: The Plot Thickens: The Federal Government s Solution to the Social Problem and The Constitutional and Political Problems Between Johnson and Congress (Newsletter Page 4) Enduring Understanding Reconstruction was an era of social, political, and constitutional conflict that had noble intentions but limited successes. Essential Questions 1. What were the social, political, and constitutional foundations and challenges of Reconstruction? 2. What arguments support whether or not Reconstruction was a success or a failure? INSTRUCTIONS: Read The Federal Government s Solution to the Social Problem and respond to the following questions below. 1. CLA QUESTION #11: Identify and explain how various groups contributed to the rebuilding of Southern society after the war. The Freedmen s Bureau was an organization established to help former slaves. To what extent would your character agree or disagree with the following goals of the Freedmen s Bureau: a. Relief work for both blacks and whites in war-stricken areas; b. Regulation of black labor under the new conditions; c. Administration of justice in cases concerning blacks; d. Management of abandoned and confiscated property; and e. Support of education for blacks. Choose at least two of the 5 goals of the Freedmen s Bureau listed above and justify why or how these goals help to contribute to the rebuilding of Southern society after the war. 2. Evaluate: To what extent would your Reconstruction character agree or disagree with the intentions and actions of the Freedmen s Bureau? Be sure to justify your response with concrete details. 20

21 3. Read The Constitutional and Political Problems Between Johnson and Congress. Your task is to read and respond to the four prompts below that outline President Johnson s reconstruction policies below. Would your character agree or disagree with Johnson s policies? Why or why not? Be sure to justify each of your responses. Please Note: If your character is President Johnson or if you are unsure how your character may respond, then simply respond to the prompts with your own personal opinions. Each state would have to withdraw its right of secession. a. Agree or Disagree? b. Explanation: Each state would have to swear their allegiance to the Union. a. Agree or Disagree? b. Explanation: The federal government would cancel the Confederate war debts in return for the acceptance of these terms. a. Agree or Disagree? b. Explanation: Each state would have to ratify the 13 th Amendment (abolishing slavery) in order to join the Union. a. Agree or Disagree? b. Explanation: 21

22 PART III: RECONSTRUCTION NEWSLETTER Worksheet #6: The Constitutional Struggle with the President Heats Up!!! & The Radicals Take Charge Politically (Newsletter Page 5) Enduring Understanding Reconstruction was an era of social, political, and constitutional conflict that had noble intentions but limited successes. Essential Questions 1. What were the social, political, and constitutional foundations and challenges of Reconstruction? 2. What arguments support whether or not Reconstruction was a success or a failure? 1. Interpret: Besides the fact that Johnson thought that HE should be in charge of Reconstruction and NOT Congress, why do you think Johnson vetoed the Civil Rights Act of 1866? (Hint: think about what Democrats believed in during this time period.) 2. Understand: How did Johnson s veto of this bill actually determine the constitutional question about Reconstruction? (Hint: how did his veto actually backfire?) 3. Understand: What were the purposes of the Civil Rights Act of 1866 and the 14 th Amendment? 4. Understand: What was significant about the 1866 election? How would this election help the Radicals? 22

23 5. CLA QUESTION #10: Explain how Congress opposed Lincoln's and Johnson's plans for Reconstruction and instead implemented its own plan to rebuild the South by completing the tasks below. The Reconstruction Act of 1867 called for the southern states to meet newer and harsher demands. Provide a reaction from your Reconstruction character for each of the provisions of the act in the space below. Be sure to explain why you would approve or disprove each of the provisions of this Act. The Reconstruction Act of 1867: a. Divided the southern states into 5 MILITARY districts: b. Civilian courts are abolished and replaced by tribunal courts: c. New state constitutions were adopted giving blacks the right to vote: d. States could be readmitted into the Union only if they would ratify the 14 th Amendment: 6. Evaluate: To what extent would your Reconstruction character agree or disagree with the intentions and actions of the Reconstruction Act of 1867? Be sure to justify your response with concrete details. 23

24 PART III: RECONSTRUCTION NEWSLETTER Worksheet #7: Should President Johnson Be Removed From Office? & Grant Takes Command Again (Newsletter Page 6) Enduring Understanding Reconstruction was an era of social, political, and constitutional conflict that had noble intentions but limited successes. Essential Questions 1. What were the social, political, and constitutional foundations and challenges of Reconstruction? 2. What arguments support whether or not Reconstruction was a success or a failure? 1. Evaluate: In your opinion, do you believe that the Tenure of Office Act was legal and therefore, should President Johnson have had to stand trial? Explain your answer. 2. Speculate: Whether the Radical Republicans believed that the Tenure of Office Act was legal or not, why do you believe they went through this whole elaborate process to get rid of President Johnson? 3. Understand: How did the Republicans come to realize the importance of allowing Black citizens the right to vote after Grant s election to the White House in 1868? What did this prompt the Republicans to do next? 4. Cause and Effect: Explain the relationship with the KKK and the Enforcement Act of (What does one have to do with the other?) 24

25 PART III: RECONSTRUCTION NEWSLETTER Worksheet #8: Reconstruction Social Success & The Beginning of the End of Reconstruction (Newsletter Pages 6 & 7) Enduring Understanding Reconstruction was an era of social, political, and constitutional conflict that had noble intentions but limited successes. Essential Questions 1. What were the social, political, and constitutional foundations and challenges of Reconstruction? 2. What arguments support whether or not Reconstruction was a success or a failure? CLA QUESTION #12: Explain and justify how Southern opposition to Radical Reconstruction, along with economic problems in the North, ended Reconstruction by responding to the questions below. 1. Interpret & Apply: After reading both articles, write down at least 3 examples of how African Americans were able to achieve some success in the first column and how the South was able to oppose this success in the second column. PLEASE USE SPECIFIC EXAMPLES FROM BOTH ARTICLES IN BOTH COLUMNS!!! Reconstruction Social Success: Coming of Age for African Americans The Beginning of the End of Reconstruction: Opposition & Violence Reflect and Evaluate: Through the perspective of your Reconstruction character, write a reaction to at least two of any of the successes and/or oppositions that you noted in the chart above. 25

26 PART III: RECONSTRUCTION NEWSLETTER Worksheet #9: The Centennial Election and The Unfinished Revolution (Newsletter Page 8) Enduring Understanding Reconstruction was an era of social, political, and constitutional conflict that had noble intentions but limited successes. Essential Questions 1. What were the social, political, and constitutional foundations and challenges of Reconstruction? 2. What arguments support whether or not Reconstruction was a success or a failure? CLA QUESTION #12: Explain and justify how Southern opposition to Radical Reconstruction, along with economic problems in the North, ended Reconstruction by responding to the questions below. 1. Understand: Respond to the outcome of the Bargain of 1877 through the perspective of your Reconstruction character. Is life going to be better or worse for your character as a result of this so-called bargain? Who will be affected? How? Why? Please explain below. 2. Evaluate: Some people believe that Reconstruction was a success because it was an era that advanced the social rights of many African Americans. Others believe that Reconstruction failed to establish political and economic freedom and as a result, unemployment, poverty, and crime have helped to stereotypically deny the Black culture from advancing in our society. To what extent have we made progress as a nation who believes that everyone should be treated equally? a. Justify: Was Reconstruction a success or a failure? Justify your response. b. Reflect: Has your evaluation changed in comparison to our second pre-assessment activity located on worksheet pages 12 & 13 since we first began this unit plan? Explain. 26

27 PART IV: EVALUATE THE RECONSTRUCTION PRESIDENTS Forces of Unity and Disunity 6.14: Students understand the tensions between the forces of unity and those of disunity in various times in their local community, in the United States, and in various locations world-wide. Enduring Understanding Reconstruction was an era of social, political, and constitutional conflict that had noble intentions but limited successes. Essential Questions 1. What were the social, political, and constitutional foundations and challenges of Reconstruction? 2. What arguments support whether or not Reconstruction was a success or a failure? Instructions: Read and complete each of the steps below. 1. Below are the Reconstruction Presidents and a brief overview of their Reconstruction Policies: Abraham Lincoln: Created his Amnesty and Reconciliation plan, which called for the requirement of only 10% of the registered voters of the southern states to swear their allegiance to the federal government in order to be re-admitted in to the Union. Andrew Johnson: Stated he would originally carry out Lincoln s plan, then led the Radicals to believe that he would punish the South. Johnson would then move for a more lenient plan to reconstruct the South, because of his Democratic ideologies, which angered the Republican-controlled Congress. Ulysses Grant: Campaigned on the slogan, Let Us Have Peace, and tried to follow this practice but had to step in and support the Enforcement Act of 1870 by sending federal troops to the South in order to punish those (i.e. KKK) who did not allow Blacks to vote. Rutherford B. Hayes: Won the controversial election of 1876 and ended up giving up Republican control in the southern state governments in exchange for Republican control of the White House. This administration saw the end of Reconstruction. 2. Before we watch the film series, you will need to create your personal policy towards Reconstruction. Do you agree with Lincoln, Congress, Johnson, or do you have your own personal philosophy? Please explain your Reconstruction policy below. How would you enforce this policy? 27

28 3. During each episode you will have the chance to understand the tensions between the forces of unity and those of disunity, and compare the policies of the Reconstruction Presidents to your preferred policy. In the chart below, provide an example of how each president: Tried to unite the country during Reconstruction; Confronted issues/people that divided the country during Reconstruction; Compares to your personal Reconstruction policy that you noted on the previous page. (Do you agree or disagree?) President Lincoln Example of Unity (How did he try to keep the country united?) Example of Disunity (What forces of disunity did he face?) Reconstruction Policy (Do you agree with his Reconstruction policy? Why or why not?) Johnson Grant Hayes 4. Then evaluate each president s efforts to reconstruct the nation. Please be sure to indicate if they did a good, average, or poor job with Reconstruction and provide a brief explanation as to why you thought the President should receive this evaluation. Then rank the Reconstruction Presidents with a 1 being the best and a 4 being the worst. President Lincoln Rating (good, average, poor) Explanation Rank Johnson Grant Hayes 28

29 Part V: THEN and NOW Making the Connection Between American Reconstruction and Reconstruction in Afghanistan Overview Below is an outline that categorizes the main ideas/events that occurred during American Reconstruction into four major groups: Building Security; Building Infrastructure; Building the Legitimate Economy; and Rebuilding the Government. Task Your task is to make a connection with any of the subjects listed below the main ideas/events of American Reconstruction with a subject related to reconstruction in Afghanistan. Main Idea/Event: Building Security Forces/Maintaining Order Subjects: The three plans for Reconstruction: Lincoln Johnson Congress; The Reconstruction Act of 1867; The Enforcement Act of 1870; The Black Codes; The Federal Government versus the KKK. Main Idea/Event: Building Infrastructure, Services/Providing Services for the People Subjects: The Freedmen s Bureau; Education; Share cropping; Tenant farming; Reuniting families; Rebuilding the South; Carpetbaggers and Scalawags; Main Idea/Event: Building the Legitimate Economy/Providing Jobs Subjects: The Freedmen s Bureau; The three plans for Reconstruction: Lincoln Johnson Congress; The war debt; Economic Panic of 1873; Carpetbaggers; Political corruption. Main Idea/Event: Rebuilding the Government Subjects: The three plans for Reconstruction: Lincoln Johnson Congress; The Freedmen s Bureau; Due Process and the 14 th Amendment; Suffrage and the 15 th Amendment; Education and social services; The role of the federal government; States rights; Political corruption; White man s government; New presidents = new policies; The role of the media. 29