Congress’s reconstruction plan is very different from Johnson. Johnson’s was a self-
reconstruction, and congress’s was a political reconstruction. This means that congress
hopes that the republican party will gain power in the south and protect black citizens in
the south.
C.
Attack on Johnson
Andrew Johnson is still around. He’s not going to go away without causing more trouble.
He is to remove some of the military leaders in the south. As commander in chief, he is
able to do that. He does this much to the annoyance of congress. Congress then
passes the Ten Year of Office act, saying that the president must have congressional
approve to remove certain military and government personal.
Johnson immediately removes the secretary of war, a radical republican. Johnson
survives impeachment by a single vote. Many republicans think he’s gone way too far
and they try to impeach him, but even though he survives, his political life is essentially
destroyed. He has very little power, and the Democrats refuse to use him as their
nominee for the next election.
D.
Politics after Impeachment
In the next election, the Republicans nominate Ulysses S. Grant. He is a moderate
republican. Under him, congress passes the 15th amendment. This amendment says
that states cannot prevent males from voting based on race.
Congress’s plan is a political plan. It sets up a political solution. Congress is assuming
that african americans by large part will become republicans, and they do. However, it’s
going to take more than that for the republican party to gain power in the south.
V. Congressional Reconstruction in the South
A.
Republican governments
There are very few white republicans in the south. Every state, at the beginning of this
process, elects a republican governor. There are basically three groups in the
republican party in the south: African americans, which are the core of the republican
party in the south. White northerners, who moved south after the civil war that are
republican. They are called carpetbaggers. This is because suitcases at this time were
made of carpet. “Carpetbaggers” is a negative term. The southerns said they’re going to
fill these carpetbags up with money and then return north. Most carpetbaggers were
small business owners or former military personal who went to the south looking for
economic opportunity. Scalawags, white southerns who become republicans. Scalawag
is a negative term meaning “sea cow.” These folks were opposed to succession and
they were non-slave holders. They wanted nothing to do with the civil war.
Some states initially barred confederates from voting. The Republican party in the south
was energized and organized, while the Democratic party was in disarray. This is how
Republicans took control in the south.
