Chapter 14 Summative Paper Rold, Anna- Hour 2 1. A) Describe the Freedmen’s Bureau, especially what its purpose was. B) Explain how Andrew Johnson became President of the United States. The Freedmen’s Bureau was an organization that was created by congress, and was first established in the year 1865. It was used to help the former slaves who lived in the South after the civil war. They gave african americans items like clothing, food, medical help, etc. It also did things like build public schools for black students. Even though segregation still existed, the kids were getting an education. Another thing that the Freedmen’s Bureau accomplished was giving land to african american farmers. It helped them get a start in their …show more content…
Johnson had granted amnesty to all confederate states, allowing them to establish new governments. 2. A) Describe “Black Codes” in the South, and how Republicans did away with the codes. B) Describe the details of the Reconstruction Act of 1867. Black codes is what the North believed to be just like slavery. They were laws put in place that limited the rights of african americans who once lived in the South. It had all occurred after the 13th amendment was established, outlawing slavery in the U.S.. Now that slavery was gone, black codes tried to make it seem as if african americans would only be used for labor. Some codes even required them to sign a year long labor contract. If they decided to refuse, the would be arrested and have to do unpaid work. It allowed plantation owners to exploit their slaves, and restricted them from ever renting land. During the Reconstruction Act of 1867, ten of the southern states had created new state governments. Still, these states had not agreed with the 14th amendment. It ended up that the south was divided into five separate military districts. Many former confederate leaders had volunteered to participate, but they were all turned down. African americans began to vote in huge numbers, which gave Republicans control over the southern state governments. 3. A) Explain why President Johnson was impeached by the U.S. House of Representatives. B) Explain why he was not convicted by the
Black codes were one of many ways the states got around the federal government's amendments. These codes were laws that applied to African American people in the state. All of these codes were very restrictive and demining. They stopped African Americans from doing a lot of things such as owning or renting a house or apartment in the town of Opelousas. Many other towns had such laws that stopped African americans from living in town, coming into town, and even having meetings in town.
The Freedmen Bureau was the federal institution in control of those terrains given to blacks and now they had to take it back. Under the administration of O. O. Howard the bureau functions were to "establish schools, provide aide to the poor and aged, settle disputes between whites and blacks and among freedpeople, and secure for former slave and white Unionist equal treatment before court," (Foner 483). The Bureau did not have enough agents to put in action the task appointed to it in the south. The Freedmen Bureau was dissolved after five years living the black man on its own.
Congress comes in to play in December 1865. The Congress was made up mostly of Republicans and they refused to let past Confederates to take their seats in Congress at this time. This marked the beginning of Radical Reconstruction or sometimes known as Congressional Reconstruction. The president and the congress did not agree on many issues. Congress overrode President Johnson on the Civil Rights Act of 1866, The Fourteenth Amendment, and the Freedmen’s Bureau Bill. The Fourteenth Amendment spelled out rights of both black and white citizens as equal. It prolonged Federal powers for the enforcement of civil rights. States that approved the Fourteenth Amendment were considered reconstructed, and Tennessee did so. President Johnson advised other southern states to oppose doing this. Congress passed many laws to limit President Johnson’s powers. They passed the Reconstruction Acts of 1867 which set new
Another important characteristic of the Reconstruction after the civil war was the creation of the Freedmen’s Bureau. Its responsibilities according to Foner (2014) were related with social work, “ Bureau agents were supposed to establish schools, provide aid to the poor and aged, settle disputes between whites and blacks and among the freedpeople, and secure for former slaves and white Unionists equal treatment before the courts” (p. 562) . Still, the Bureau lasted only until 1870, but made many achievements helping the black community.
The Radical Republicans, and the rest of Congress, were the ones who passed most of the bills for Reconstruction, because of their ability to override the president with their majority. They expanded the Freedmen's Bureau, which did show some progress in the helping of former slaves and poor white men. The Freedmen’s Bureau set up hospitals, schools, and also gave out supplies. This achieved the enablement of former slaves having the right to free education. Later on, however, the Freedmen’s Bureau became neglected, and was often forgotten or overlooked. The Freedmen’s Bureau is accurately described in this following statement, “This auspicious beginning belied the great disappointments that lay ahead,” (CITE TEXTBOOK).
They helped provide education for the freed African Americans. According to the Virginia Historical Society, they say, “they used their authority over former confederate properties to provide buildings for schools.” The Freedman’s Bureau wanted to make sure that African Americans had a proper education because they were deprived of education while they were growing up. The Virginia Historical Society says, “the Freedman’s Bureau, missionary associations, and African Americans themselves funded the schools; many of the mostly white, female teachers came from the south with the missionary associations.” The Bureau wanted this to be successful and with the help of the missionary associations and the African Americas to fund the schools, it would make it a reality. The Freedman’s Bureau did everything that they could to make sure the African
2) Freedman’s Bureau: Congress created this in March of 1865 in order to provide help for thousands of poor black and white southerners uprooted by the fighting. They were educated in Freedman Schools, housed, and fed. “Plenty to eat, nothing to do” (pg. 404)
At the end of the Civil War slavery was outlawed by the 13th Amendment to the Constitution and the blacks was finally free. In the South there was a sense of anger and shame in losing the war. The Reconstruction era was put into effect by Congress in 1866 and lasted until 1877. Reconstruction was aimed at reorganizing the Southern states after the Civil War. The reconstruction plan granted the means for readmitting the southern states into the Union, and tried to come up with the methods by which whites and blacks could live together in a non-slave society. However during reconstruction the United States government took actions to protect freedman and with each action the south countered with actions that would try to eradicate the laws put in place by the winning northern forces for example, the infamous Jim Crow Laws. The law segregated the whites and the blacks, thus can be commonly heard as “separate is not equal.” The Reconstruction was still seen as a success towards the United States as a whole in many ways as it unified the nations.
“The Freedmen's Bureau” was created and placed under military supervision because Congress saw a need to defend Black settlers from racist White
Lyndon Baines Johnson (LBJ), was one of the most memorable as well as divided politicians in US history. With a humble past of teaching at segregated schools for 3 years, he had all the heart of someone to end slavery. But upon becoming a Senator, this seemed to change. During his Senate years, time and time again showed his dislike for Civil Rights. When President, he was a whirlwind of a worker to push this bill through. What changed, what didn’t, along with what drove him to do this.
Regardless of the many disparagements, the Freedmen's Bureau helped African-Americans achieve the rights that they were deprived of during slavery. The Freedmen's Bureau aided the African-American group of people in establishing schools and churches. Underneath slavery, African-Americans had been deprived of the right to education and religion. The Freemen's Bureau kept an eye on the civil authorities just in cases it involved African-Americans, moreover, the Freedmen's Bureau directed its own court of law during the time it was illegal for a black to testify in courts in the South. The labor structure of the South had to be completely restructured after the war, with that the ex-slave owners tried to fool its former slaves into signing contracts with the same terms as the slavery system. The Freedmen's Bureau represented the African-Americans in convey unbiased contracts for labor and property. Liberty presented African-Americans the opportunities to start a family, moreover, the Freedmen's Bureau aide African-Americans in locating their lost relatives and arbitrated local
The reconstruction, which lasted from 1865 - 1877, had some feats but largely was a failure at accomplishing its goals. It succeeded in readmitting the Southern states to the union, but failed in integrating them fully; the Nation still remained divided by political lines. It helped to rebuild a war ravaged South until the North lost interest in the South and it gave former slaves and people of color more rights and political representation than they ever had before, but the South passed various codes, tests, and laws to limit the black resurgence and keep the old power structure. By 1870 the reconstruction successfully readmitted all the southern states that seceded under Andrew Johnson's plan, however all the states restored their conservative governments within 9 years of readmission (reconstruction map) because of Andrew Johnson's leniency to the South. After the division of the South into military districts in 1867, the governments established were under control of the radical Republicans and gave blacks the power to vote and participate in the government.
1: Black Codes: A body of laws, statutes, and rules enacted by southern states immediately after the Civil War to regain control over the freed slaves, maintain white supremacy, and ensure the continued supply of cheap labor.
During the time of Reconstruction, the federal government did little to help the people of America as a whole, they concentrated on bettering African American lives and “reconstructing” the South. The focus during this time period was to protect the rights of African Americans, which had long and hard been fought for. The federal government made it their priority to ensure equal rights among all black people. Also, the readmission of the Confederate states was essential to the federal
The Black Codes was masked slavery. Other than some new, small leniencies, Mississippi succeeded in making laws that that still controlled African Americans. These Sections were created for the South to bend the rules by exploiting children. These laws were aimed at minors under the age of 18 that were orphans or whose parents were unable to financially provide for them. At this point, the child would be placed back in the “care” of their former master or mistress. These codes stated that the best interest of the minor was to be protected, that they were to be fed, clothed, treated humanely; taught to read if under the age of fifteen and to receive medical attention when sick. In return, the minor, or apprentice would be bounded by indenture until the age of eighteen for a female and twenty one for a male. It was also acceptable for the former owner to chastise under what was allowed for punishment by the common law. If the child were to escape, it was permitted to place the child in jail if refused to return. That only discharge from a master/mistress would be possible if the courts believed the apprentice had a good cause to quit. Those are just few examples to begin with. These codes essentially worked to separate the races in all aspects of life from children to adults, such as marriage, which would result in life in prison if wedded to a white person. They also were not allowed to own any type of weapon unless they served in the United States military, and were to be fined and possibly imprisoned to even drinking liquor to a level of intoxication. Over all, these are just a few of the examples that were laws to “freed” men to be kept