Nisaiah Abrams
Prof. Kamaris
US Hist 174-09
6 March 2018
1. Using the Lincoln, Johnson, and Grant Administrations as a guide, summarize the
successes and failures of reconstruction in the south after the Civil War.
Reconstruction in the South
Reconstruction in the South was very difficult for the United States to achieve. There were varying ideas about what should happen and how it should happen. The Abolitionists believed that the progress of freedom for the African-American should happen as quickly as possible. Lincoln, however, wanted to keep peace throughout the country and was a little too lenient with the Rebels. He could have been a stronger Republican president.
One of the policies he tried to implement during this time was his Proclamation of Amnesty and Reconstruction. In this policy his aim was to fully pardon the rebels and give them back their property without giving them back their slaves. As stated in The American Promise, they would also have political rights within the nation once again but, only if they “renounce session and accept emancipation” (Roark et.al 461). Only after ten percent of the state’s voting population (white males) had taken an oath of allegiance to the United States then, they would be allowed to reorganize a state government and once again be part of the Union.
This policy was a little too weak on the rebels. Only ten percent of the population means 90% of the white males are in opposition to reinstating the state into the Union. This mean that failure is highly possible and the states will most likely be unwilling to agree on any policies in the government. The Abolitionist showed their frustration with these terms with one man na1med Welldon Phillips saying, “is willing that the negro should be free but seeks nothing else for him” (qtd. in Roark et.al 461).
After the assassination of Lincoln, Pres. Johnson came into the White House. If the Abolitionists thought Lincoln was weak then, they have not seen Johnson. He hated the Southern Aristocracy being the son of poor Southern parents. He made his own plan for Reconstruction, without the advice of Congress, in the months following the assassination and executed his plan. He wanted to spite the Southern Aristocracy by not reinstating slavery but, he also did not want to give blacks the rights that the whites had.
Johnson “Pardoned ex-Confederates and return their land (away from Freedmen) Undermining earlier gains made at the end of war. (Freedman’s Bureau, Sherman, etc.)” (Class Notes, Reconstruction). The land that was designated by General Sherman and had a community of Freedmen (former slaves who were freed) was given back to the ex-Confederates and this upset the Freedmen who had settled on them. It was shocking because Johnson hated planters but, he gave them their land back. The White Southerners believed that they had some power over Johnson because of this which, they did. This started Black Codes.
Black Codes or Jim Crow Laws were rules in the South that kept the Black Man down. The point of these laws was to suppress the black people and keep them under the White Man. It was a major setback of the Reconstruction. One such law refused the ownership of guns by blacks. Another law was that blacks could not made obscene gestures to whites. This was enacted in Mississippi. Johnson, expectedly, refused to stop these from happening. He believed that whites should have the power in the South. Luckily, the Civil Rights Act of 1866 made Black Codes illegal. This furthered Reconstruction in the South. The right of black people were then considered equal to those of whites.
In 1869 Grant became president and he was a great Civil War general. Fighting for the rights of the slaves during the war did not help much in the political world. He wanted to help former slaves but, the people that he had in his ear were not well qualified. They were people that he was friends with in the war. Republicans in the South were basically non-existent as the power of Southern Democrats rose and Reconstruction fell apart.
Grant was a very naive president. He did not notice the corruption of the people he was involved with. He is similar to President Trump today who has corruption left and right but, the difference is nothing is tied to Grant personally. Republicans in the South were growing increasingly frustrated with his ignorance but, somehow he got reelected. In 1873, there was an economic depression that left a million people out of work.
White supremacy was on a rise during the years of Grant’s presidency. Southern Democrats were coming up in a new form. The Redeemers were born. This new party were angry Democrats who wanted the South to remain in the power of the white race and who wanted to expel the Republicans. They forced the white Southerners into the Democratic party and left the blacks in the majority in the Republican party. Since blacks were a minority in most Southern states, it was a ploy to remove whites from the Republican party.
For the most part the Reconstruction of the South after the Civil war went well. Black men got the right to vote and they were able to have equal rights as whites. There were major issues and racism still prevailed in the South. All in all, black people were better off after the war than, before. They would continue to become more and more equal as the years went on.
2. Discuss the plight of the Plains Indians. Be sure to include way of life, relationship with the U.S. Government, leaders, and final outcome of their way of life.
The Plains Indians
The Native Americans or, Indians as they were called, had a hard time being respected by the United States Government. The Plains Indians were free spirited and lived off of the land. They had tribes, each with their own traditions. Some of the tribes were more geared toward war and others were nomadic. Some settled on river banks and fished. Others planted and hunted bison.
The United States was very inconsiderate of the Native Americans and their way of life. What the US wanted was the land in the West and the Indians were seen as a problem that had to be solved. The US put the Natives on reservations in the early 1860’s which, were land alloted for their use. So, the US took the land that was rightfully the Natives and then told them that they would relocate them to reservations. The Natives were not happy with this and would not give up without a fight.
This new land was bearen and the Natives could not grow crops like in the Plains. Starvation was a prevalent problem on the reservations as well as disease. “Between 1780 and 1870, the population of Plains tribes declined by half” (Roark et.al 491). The tribes who harvested died from disease and the tribes further west who were nomadic survive better. They rode horses and were great marksmen.
The culture of the Native Americans on the reservations was disappearing due to colonial like suppression by the whites. The religions of the Natives was banned and the children were sent to schools which basically re-educated them with white culture. The military, in some cases, kidnapped the children whose parents refused to send them away to the schools. These schools were like prisons. The childrens’ hair was cut off and kerosene was used to kill any lice. In addition to this they were given American clothing and new American names.
In the 1880’s the idea of land allotment for the Natives became more common. The point of it was to permeate white culture through ownership of private property. This was known as the Dawes Allotment Act. If a Native took the allotment of 160 acres of reservation land, they received US Citizenship. Those that were eligible were married men, children, and unmarried men and women. This was a way to make more reservation land available to the US and it worked.
One of the Native leaders was named Plenty Coup and led the Crow tribe. He allied with the US in his opinion to “save our beautiful country for us” (qtd. In Roark et.al 498). Sitting Bull was the leader of the Lakota and opposed the US policies and treatment of the Natives. He even joined in the newly formed Ghost Dance. This dance was supposed to bring destruction to the white people. Red Cloud was a leader of the Oglala Sioux and “vows to fight all invaders” in response to learning that the Bozeman trail was being fortified to protect settlers (Class Notes, Plains Indians).
War between the United States and the Native tribes broke out over the theft of the land. Natives refused to stay on reservations because of the harsh conditions and fought back. Some tribes banded with other tribes and others had helped the US fight against enemy tribes. One particular battle was very bloody. The Battle of Wounded Knee was a massacre that killed about 200 Natives following the murder of Sitting Bull by a fellow Native.
The gold and silver rush brought many people into the region west. Henry Comstock discovered the best silver ore on the continent. Many immigrants came to get rich as well as Native Americans, African Americans, and other North Americans. Settlers moved in to get a cut on the gold and silver monopoly. $300 million came from the Virginia City, Nevada area as a result of this.
The result of the Plains Indian War was that the Natives land was exploited for material gain. The settlers moved into the west and made American communities. The Native culture was somewhat white washed as a result of the re-education of Native children. Warrior and innocent Natives died as a result of the bloody war just because they were defending what was rightfully theirs. The whites took everything from the Natives and gave them inhospitable land to live on in return.
The Americans paint the picture of the Natives as barbaric, uncivilized people who worship useless objects. The reality is that the intelligence and resourcefulness of the Natives surpasses that of the Americans. US culture cannot wrap it’s head around the idea of sharing land that was meant to be free. If there is not a profit the US cannot see a use for it. The United States terrorized yet, another group of people and forced them to be just like Americans.
The culture of the Natives is not completely gone today. They have their own schools and communities. They still tell stories by word-of-mouth and embrace their own culture. It is a beautiful way to live and they are still happy to keep their traditions alive. Unfortunately, this ugly mark in history will always be a reminder of how greed and racial superiority takes lives and destroys entire cultures. Hopefully, the US has learned from it’s old ways and the county is better off now than it was 150 years ago.
Works Cited
Class Notes, Plains Indians
Class Notes, Reconstruction
Roark, James L., et.al. The American Promise: A Concise History Volume 2: From 1865 Sixth Edition. bedford/st. martin’s, 2017.