Civil War Landscape and the Reconstruction of the Southern Economy
Terms: freedpeople, reconstruction, sharecropping, debt peonage
1863 Emancipation Proclamation
south’s defeat meant they had to be more like the north culturally and economically
2.6 million men served 1540 yrs old
600,000 died
most destruction in the South
buildings burned, livestock destroyed, railroads mangled
financial collapse
confederate war bonds were bought to supply their armies
south loses and bonds are worthless
freeing of 4 million slaves is most important
causes of the civil war
states rights
southerners demanded gov’t take a role in protecting their slaves
▯wanted more federal power
slavery (main cause)
lincoln wanted to save the union whether it meant freeing the slaves or not
many slaves changed their identities, clothes, living situations
went to look for their families
tried to put off working for white people
they flocked to education, saw it as their way to upward mobility
freedman’s bureau
set up communities: mutual aid society, burial society, churches, neighborhoods
created military/protection services for themselves
slaves assumed they’d get land grants (40 acres and a mule)
he took it back?
southerners hoped their selfworth wouldn’t be gone (they felt better because they were
white) and things wouldn’t change
whites argued slavery was humane and that slaves were happy, a “family”
1/5 slaves physically ran away during the war
slaves were disrespectful and insubordinate to their owners, refused to recognize their
owners
HY 2
slave owners have a disillusionment of the slaves loving them and are shocked when
they realize they don’t
former slaves have nothing
make a living by farming
they have labor but no land
gov’t created contracted labor, difficult to negotiate
slaves didn’t like the unfair contracts former slaves complained and gov’t investigated the situation
Freedmen Bureau got many complaints
▯sharecropping was created
work the land for a share of the crop at the end of the year
Disadvantages:
landlord had to supply them and market the crop
costs from supplies be deducted from share
debt peonage: a slave to your debt
families rarely got ahead and couldn’t buy their own land (can’t move up ladder of
mobility)
more cotton coming into the world market ▯ prices go down
makes south dependent on a cash crop that’s value is declining
guarantees the south will be poor
The politics of Reconstruction
how do you bring back rebellious southern states and cope with emancipation?
functioning biracial democracy
blacks are exercising political power
forced to except federal oversight(the south) and how their constitutions are rewritten
“negro rule” captured sense that whites lived through a terrible social revolution
SC, Lousiana, Mississippi where blacks held political office mainly
no goveners, and one supreme court
birth of a nation movie
actually no negro rule
3 issues having to be dealt with to reconstruct the nation
1)how should the federal govt readmit the southern states into the Union
2)what degree of participation should former confederate officials be able to have in new
govt structures
3)how were the status and rights of the former slaves to be defined
Black Codes policies toward former slaves
laws of how blacks could proceed as free people
had to have passes, children could be forcable apprenticed
north realized there was a problem
terrible brutality in the south occurring
race riots in new Orleans, Memphis
HY 3
Black Codes:
White southerns reluctant to believe slavery is dead
wanted to constrain blacks again
took slave code and only change “slave” to “freedman”
ex: cant travel w/o papers, forcible employed, children taken as apprentices race riots
Memphis 1856, New Orleans
brutal
white killed blacks (especially who served in the army)
also attacked people helping blacks establish lives
congress steps and wipes out Johnsons Plan into Reconstruction
1)Civil Rights Act 1866
repealed black codes
2)Reconstruction Act of 1867
“doover”
wipes out Johnson’s gov’t
won’t reinitiate state until state makes freedom meaningful
▯dissolves reconstruction gov’ts, sought to shape how new govts will look
confed. official cant hold public office
guaranteed freedman’s vote in new constitution
*first time former slaves have the opportunity to participate in political process
biracial effort to make freedom meaningful
new const. promote democracy
1/4 1000 people writing the const. are black
Lousiana=principal of equality (civil, political rights are the same regardless of race)
eliminate property rule for voting
first public schools in the south were created
created mentally ill, blind, orphaned and destitute institutions
no longer branding and whipping for punishment
reduced number of capital crimes
woman could now own property (no write to their own wages until now)
could now divorce (no longer act of the legislature)
14 Amendment
Due Process(cant take away life liberty of property without due process of law)
Equal Protection(goes against black codes)
confed. officials may not hold public office
garuanteed the federal debt of the union
union bonds were supported not south
Federal Citizenship
everyone born in US is a citizen & their state
no state can violate your rights as a federal citizen
southern pop. Count goes up ▯ rep. in congress goes up
an incentive to get blacks to vote ratified in 1868
15 Amendment
blacks can now vote
wont adopt sex as part of amendment
3 reasons why they cant deny the vote
1)doesn’t say you have to guarantee a vote(allows restrictions to be made)
literacy tests
poll tax
grandfather clause
NY & Penn let blacks vote with property, then took it away
Accomplishments of Recon.
progressive state consti.
blacks participate in the political process
fed. Govt comes to be seen as guarantor of rights, custodian of freedom
fed. Civil rights begin to be enforced at state level
ppl look at fed. Govt as their gaurentee of their rights
states have to live up to constit.
White violence
Ex. Enforcement acts 18701
KKK Act 1871
attacked teachers, union groups who encouraged blacks to vote, NC 12 murders 700
beatens, rape & arsens
organized by KKK(1866 founded)
meant to limit blacks’ freedom
*terrorism
fed. Gov’t has committee travel to hear the stories of violence from victums
gave names of the attackers
13 volumes of testimony
vast majority of white southerners remained silent about the accusations
these acts proved fed. Gov’t would step in
murder and other criminal acts were now federal crimes
*huge effect
arrested 100s of men
leaders went on trial and received prison time
arrested more than 2000 clansmen
clan is crushed
doesn’t return until 1915
HY 4
Slaughterhouse Cases 1873 only one house to butcher meat
other houses were upset and sued New Orleans
th
“city denied them equal protection under the 14 , right to practice their business without
gov’t interferenth”
S.C. argued 14 only applied to former slaves
made new rules that were very narrow
Colfax Massacre
1873
1000 politically related murders
easter Sunday the whites attacked the court house
blacks defended the court house but were captured
(50 blacks executed)
6085 blacks killed, 3 whites killed
▯ ovt captured the whites and issued indictments
9 men were tried at court and 3 convicted to murder
“marked the end of the carpetbag misrule in the South”
US th Cruikshank
14 didn’t apply to private individuals
these men couldn’t be charged with violating the rights
blacks had to pursue STATE charges not federal
Louisiana refused to try them again
relate blacks to being “children”
Polly Murrey wrote she was never allowed to forget that her grandfather fought in the
Union and was then a teacher in the reconstruction era
WEB Du Bois
says they call blacks children so it justifies depriving them rights
past justifying the present (Jim Crow Era)
Creating a Modern Industrial Economy
machines steel powered
everything processed more quickly
things can be transported farther and quicker
1900 6x as many railroads as 1860
people can travel
move away from animal power…affects farming
manufactured ice made transporting food easier
wheat production ^^
housewives get more hours because technology makes clothing
condenced soup and milk created
nation of producers to a nation of consumers bought stuff instead of working to make their stuff
workers the ability to buy stuff makes the economy grow
railroads allow cities to grow
Birmingham known as “magic city” because of changes in industrial revolution
people live closer together in tenements
many women prostituted (2 minutes)
Gilded Age
creates a lot of wealth for a group of people called tinkerers
no income tax
you kept everything you made
wealth for a few people but the rest not
The Rise of the Corporation
railroads and other changes allow businesses to reach out farther
must be large railroads
information & goods easier transported
push the economy, demand for steel
large scale corporate management
middle management created to work within the railroads
(don’t share with the profit of the railroad, just work for it)
investers don’t do work but get profit
workers make a salary
HY 5
Creating a Modern Industry
From a nation of producers to a nation of consumers…
*Corporations
creates the ways in which a business can collect capital through shareholders
middle management (rise)won’t share in the profits of the railroad, paid by salary
Efficiency in Consumption
department stores rise up
specific (miller) stores ▯ general stores ▯ department stores
more goods quickly sold at a lower profit margin (d. stores)
they establish standardized pricing (no haggling)
predictable prices
new kinds of employment: clerks
they don’t make any profit off the purchases
d. stores more common in cities
no longer know how their products were produced (can cover up sweat shops) rising middle class able to buy these goods
what you purchase shows others your status (cars, clothes)
Mail Order Catalogues
Ex: Sears Roebuck & Co.
allows African Americans to show their status
won’t be rejected by local merchants (“nigger” grade goods)
enables groups to participate in the world whether whites want them to or not
brands available wherever you live
huge market but no demand? Create demand. Ex: Oats
▯invent breakfast cereal
Horizontal Integration control prices charged for products
best way to do this was to control your competition
▯buy them, agree to fix prices (not illegal):pricefixing, divide market into segments
monopolies
“cut prices and scoop market” Carnegie
Vertical Intergrationcontrol cost of producing your good
integrating every stage of production
Ex. carnegie steel company(owned raw materials, owned shipping companies, owned
the mines, owned the plants that turned it into steel)
gave him an advantage over his competitors
Boom & Bust Cycle
Factories
all steps in one building
subdivided every task in making a product into the smallest part as possible
made every job easy, no skilled labor needed
able to utilize all forms of power (water, steam, electricity)
Heroic Individualism
heratio alger tales
series of stories telling stories about poor, young orphans who make good wealth and
success
theme was anyone could become a millionaire if they had luck and good work ethic
:if you behaved right and worked hard, it would be rewarded
destiny in your hands, your fault if you don’t utilize it (not involved with the system or
obsticles)
continued illusion that society worked fairly
1890s proves it can’t be true
many people still live dangerous, repetitive jobs but would get ahead
can make it somewhere, different states, jobs, etc. many second chances
far less likely that Americans would question the system Social Darwinism: society was survival of the fittest, competition was beneficial because
it weeded out the weak, justified why some people worked better, allowed people not to
pay attention to the people who didn’t do well (it was their fault), didn’t want charity
because they’re driving the system down
Homestead Act of 1862
offered land to individuals if they farmed on it for 5 years
gain ownership of the land
anybody could get 160 acres of gov’t land
48 million acres of land (CaliOhio) go from public to private lands
$1.25 for an acre additionally
make land more productive then anymore
production triples, prices decrease
good crop didn’t guarantee good income, weather & insects was an issue too
locusts swarms would eat crops, plants, trees, wood, fences
very lonely, miles between neighbors
enormous production, but many other problems to come
HY 6
farmers going into debt, falling farm prices
didn’t want immigrants that were different
Bureau immigration of naturalization (department of homeland security)
brought money ▯brought labor ▯ now afraid of them (compromise security)
passed Peace Meal Restrictions
ex: diseases, mentally ill, criminal, illiterate
immigrants pushed out of their homes and come to US for a second chance
NY 1890, more irish than in dubland, etc.
Ellis Island
frightening experience for immigrants, unless first class
sent back immigrants if they didn’t meet standards
hospital on ellis island for curable immigrants
not many were sent home
Immigrant Neighborhoods
sectors of NY based on culture
ex. Little Italy
tenement houses
very small, built to maximize living space, crowded, no privacy, no indoor plumbing,
dirty
people throw trash out on the street, including dead animals
trolley system & other transportation were sharing the street
coal dust & soot fill the air, water polluted by factories
had to buy food everyday ▯diseases spread quickly
1/5 babies died in their first year of life
▯shift towards man working for the family and wife managing the household
“stay at home moms”
middle class families try to reduce the number of children because they are an expense
they value different things
leisure place: the stoop on the tenements
thin walls, everyone knew each others business, closeknit community
factories are dead end, unskilled
“scientific management”in you looked at every job in a factory, took it apart, you could
figure out how a person could make the job more efficient
▯assembly line
cut pay if they think they are making too much
no fulfillment
union movement fixed these horrible job conditions
triangle shirt waist fire
workers couldn’t get out because their managers locked them in the building
146 women died jumping out of the building
key terms:
piece rates
work culture: made their job the best they could ex. corsets
commercial entertainments and leisure
company allowed workers to entertain themselves on the job
ex. Man reading newspaper in cigar factory
workers decide what the reasonable speed and quantity was
they helped new workers, gave each other their products on rough days
8 hours for work, 8 hours for sleep, 8 hours for leisurely activities
saloons (males spaces like social clubs)served lunch
vodville: variety shows on the stage
HY 6 Friday 2:00 gorgas library extra credit plight of the poor 2 page paper
people made their work more enjoyable
leisure time
changes acceptability of sexual connection
“exchange” for dates
ex. Coney Island, Angel Island wages being cut because Asian men would come over and work for less
whites concerned they were bringing in an inferior race
gov’t passed restrictions on immigration
first restrictions targeted Asians
exclusion acts formed, hard for them to create families in the new world (no wives, hard
to bring in women to prove she wasn’t a prostitute)
san Francisco fire ▯ all birth records burned so no way to prove if they were born in US
“paper brothers” “paper sons” = a way for Asians to bring in others to US
interrogation at Angel Island to see if they were truly related
detained in the detention center as long as years
(nice place, lived in dorms with people close to their race)
corruption in gov’t, people give jobs to people they like
business were so big they were harming their customers
americans wanted to reform the mess
ex. Child labor, pollution, hobos, bad pay, bad working conditions
▯organized labor union movement
workers had to take what their employers gave them or they’d be fired
▯violence between worker and management
concerned this will be how things are(lower class POV)
(middle class POV) see worker strikes/movements/and unions as a socialist revolution
as the beginning of class warfare leading to potential revolution
1930’s when strikes become successful
no maximum hours or minimum wages
men always made more than women
lint heads looked down on by middle class and women who didn’t work
thought they didn’t deserve respect because they had to work
steel industry: young children
farmers lives also difficult
prices fallen consistently, debt from investing in modern machinery and buying more
land, hard time paying off debts
dividing market ▯ set freight rates ▯ “price fixing” which undermines competition
made farmers upset
problems with money supply
gold standard: enough money around as there is gold around=finite money supply
paper money, need more▯print more
gov’t began to print paper money (greenbacks)▯buy back green backs
get together and form organizationsgranges to fix the issue(local farmers)
put their money together and order wholesale
hoped to ease economic issues
created social events, had speakers, dances
granges were segregated but they saw common interests turn this into a political movement(black white and industrial workers create a
threatening movement)
▯form the populous party
call for a mandated 8 hour work day
direct election of senators(allowed special interests)
govt gives farmers a slip of paper credit to pay for things they needed(give them a form
of money)
allow silver to be money as well, coinage of silver
aren’t succesful because white democrats in power saw a : biracial coalition
didn’t want that and worked to disenfranchise poor whites and blacks
HY 7
Workers: Wanted fed. Gov’t to take over the railroads and other private corporations
Elite: didn’t want their private companies taken from them
were upset that an interracial political movement was happening (1890s) b/w black and
white workers with common goals
1860s70s time of “opportunity”
white southerners chose to reflect their beliefs about racial difference and protect their
high level position
▯reform movement
segregation was a way to keep the chaos in control and keep white supremacy
honestly believed whites were a superior race to blacks
their beliefs were supported by “scientific” views on races being more superior than
others
interracial breeding ▯ cant tell who is white or black
who is selfevidentally superior?
would know who was inferior by the drinking fountain they used, balcony in theatre,
resturaunt food from back door and eat outside, whites can drink coca cola from the
fountain blacks drink it outside, laundry and other stores only allow blacks at some
segregation maps out rac
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