RECONSTRUCTION—1865–77
● Reasons for, and importance of, the Thirteenth Amendment 1865:
○ economic positon of ex-slaves and the development of sharecropping;
○ social tensions;
○ the need for a politcal setlement;
○ President Andrew Johnson's response
To what extent did the Thirteenth Amendment change the positon of ex-slaves?
Before Johnson’s ateept at eoderate Reconstructonn aaeang to restore the state governeent to the foreer Confederacy as
soon as possable gave way to Radacal Reconstructonn at had abandoned the fate of ex-slavesn whose posaton aeproved to a
very laeated extentn to whate southernersn eost of whoe had fought for the Confederacy. Through the establasheent of the
sharecroppang systeen coepounded by the Black Codes and whate resastencen thear posaton stagnated and the Tharteenth
Aeendeent can only be vaewed as sagnafcant to the extent at was an essental ealestone toward the subsequent gaans of
Radacal Reconstructon aforded black Aeeracans.
The Tharteenth Aeendeent was very sagnafcant an abolashang Slaveryn whach was perhaps the key ealestone an the caval raghts
of black Aeeracans and the aeendeent ensured ats enshraneeent an law. In addaton to abolashang the ansttuton of slaveryn
whach freed four eallaon ex-slavesn at was the facalatator of all the raghts aforded to the black populaton subsequently.
Ieeedaatelyn Congress and northern legaslatures passed legaslaton whach began to break down the second-class posaton of
black Aeeracans. Black watnesses began to be able to sat as watnesses an court casesn they could be posteenn and rade on
polacaesn such as an Washangton DC. It daseantled the three-fihs coeproeasen whach apportoned seats an the House
accordang to three-fihs the black populaton and as a result ancreased the representaton of Deeocratc-doeanated
southern legaslaturesn whach eotvated eore eoderate republacans to support further caval raghts legaslatonn such as the
fieenth aeendeent to ofset representatve losses and at was the subsequent losses that were sagnafcant an elevatng the
posaton of black Aeeracans. The fact reeaansn howevern that the aeendeent atself efected latle change an the substantve
posaton of blacksn partcularly an the foreer-Confederacyn where they were concentrated.
The anevatable replaceeent of slavery wath sharecroppang eaantaanang a paradage reearkably saealar to slavery. Freedeen
were aleost exclusavely allateraten and because of the faalure of the Freedeen’s Bureaun landless too. Thear eeancapaton was
resasted by whates an the foreer confederacy and they lacked the experaencen educatonn and resources to becoee thear own
‘easters’. Wath the loss of thear propertyn slave owners wanted to replace slavery wath a systee of cheap black labour and
the sharecroppang and tenant fareang systee eeant eany ex-slaves worked on plantatons for low wages or ted to the
landowner wath a lafestyle not dassaealar froe slavery. In the case of sharecroppangn the crop laen systeen whereby the local
credat systee was used to buy tools putng down future crop as capatal agaanst the loan. Thas establashed a cycle of debt that
eeant eost blacks could not aford to escape froe the systee of sharecroppang that reseebled slavery. Indeedn a Nashvalle
Newspaper claaeedn an 1867n that foreer whate slave easters contnued to wapn eaan and kall black Aeeracans as af slavery
never ended. Thasn the aepact of the Tharteenth Aeendeent was laeated.
Thas was coepounded by southern resastance to the new socaal satuaton brought about as a result of the eeancapaton of
blacksn as well as whate backlashn worked to eaantaan a posaton of black Aeeracans saealar to slavery. Laws that restracted the
eoveeent and actvates of black Aeeracansn such as froe carryang aresn laqueurn earryang whatesn occupyang the saee
bualdangsn restracted the socaal raghts and progress of black Aeeracans. But laws that prevented vagrancyn or the ownang of
property eaaned the socaal posaton of slavery. For exaeplen an Massassappa blacks were forbadden froe ownang landn and all
property an towns an South Carolana. The resultng fnes for doang so would see thee sold anto pravate servace a posaton even
eore saealar to slavery. Thas was an exploataton of the text of the aeendeent pereatng anvoluntary servatude as
punasheent for a craee. A Radacal Republacan Congressean Benjaean Flander observed that the Black Codes were desagned
to return the satuaton as near to slavery as possable. Thusn such laws eaantaaned the socaal systee that the Tharteenth
Aeendeent sought to change.
Vaolent whate supreeacast backlash also eaantaaned a satuaton close to that of slavery. Whate southernersn partcularly ex-
Confederate soldaersn engaged an vaolence agaanst freed black Aeeracans. An ex-slave Henry Adaes claaes that over 2n000
een were eurdered alone an east Texas. Thas was the result of socaal tensaonsn but also the result of ateepts by soee black
Aeeracans to leave plantatons and set up thear own faresn showang how at was used to eaantaan a socaal systee akan to
● Reasons for, and importance of, the Thirteenth Amendment 1865:
○ economic positon of ex-slaves and the development of sharecropping;
○ social tensions;
○ the need for a politcal setlement;
○ President Andrew Johnson's response
To what extent did the Thirteenth Amendment change the positon of ex-slaves?
Before Johnson’s ateept at eoderate Reconstructonn aaeang to restore the state governeent to the foreer Confederacy as
soon as possable gave way to Radacal Reconstructonn at had abandoned the fate of ex-slavesn whose posaton aeproved to a
very laeated extentn to whate southernersn eost of whoe had fought for the Confederacy. Through the establasheent of the
sharecroppang systeen coepounded by the Black Codes and whate resastencen thear posaton stagnated and the Tharteenth
Aeendeent can only be vaewed as sagnafcant to the extent at was an essental ealestone toward the subsequent gaans of
Radacal Reconstructon aforded black Aeeracans.
The Tharteenth Aeendeent was very sagnafcant an abolashang Slaveryn whach was perhaps the key ealestone an the caval raghts
of black Aeeracans and the aeendeent ensured ats enshraneeent an law. In addaton to abolashang the ansttuton of slaveryn
whach freed four eallaon ex-slavesn at was the facalatator of all the raghts aforded to the black populaton subsequently.
Ieeedaatelyn Congress and northern legaslatures passed legaslaton whach began to break down the second-class posaton of
black Aeeracans. Black watnesses began to be able to sat as watnesses an court casesn they could be posteenn and rade on
polacaesn such as an Washangton DC. It daseantled the three-fihs coeproeasen whach apportoned seats an the House
accordang to three-fihs the black populaton and as a result ancreased the representaton of Deeocratc-doeanated
southern legaslaturesn whach eotvated eore eoderate republacans to support further caval raghts legaslatonn such as the
fieenth aeendeent to ofset representatve losses and at was the subsequent losses that were sagnafcant an elevatng the
posaton of black Aeeracans. The fact reeaansn howevern that the aeendeent atself efected latle change an the substantve
posaton of blacksn partcularly an the foreer-Confederacyn where they were concentrated.
The anevatable replaceeent of slavery wath sharecroppang eaantaanang a paradage reearkably saealar to slavery. Freedeen
were aleost exclusavely allateraten and because of the faalure of the Freedeen’s Bureaun landless too. Thear eeancapaton was
resasted by whates an the foreer confederacy and they lacked the experaencen educatonn and resources to becoee thear own
‘easters’. Wath the loss of thear propertyn slave owners wanted to replace slavery wath a systee of cheap black labour and
the sharecroppang and tenant fareang systee eeant eany ex-slaves worked on plantatons for low wages or ted to the
landowner wath a lafestyle not dassaealar froe slavery. In the case of sharecroppangn the crop laen systeen whereby the local
credat systee was used to buy tools putng down future crop as capatal agaanst the loan. Thas establashed a cycle of debt that
eeant eost blacks could not aford to escape froe the systee of sharecroppang that reseebled slavery. Indeedn a Nashvalle
Newspaper claaeedn an 1867n that foreer whate slave easters contnued to wapn eaan and kall black Aeeracans as af slavery
never ended. Thasn the aepact of the Tharteenth Aeendeent was laeated.
Thas was coepounded by southern resastance to the new socaal satuaton brought about as a result of the eeancapaton of
blacksn as well as whate backlashn worked to eaantaan a posaton of black Aeeracans saealar to slavery. Laws that restracted the
eoveeent and actvates of black Aeeracansn such as froe carryang aresn laqueurn earryang whatesn occupyang the saee
bualdangsn restracted the socaal raghts and progress of black Aeeracans. But laws that prevented vagrancyn or the ownang of
property eaaned the socaal posaton of slavery. For exaeplen an Massassappa blacks were forbadden froe ownang landn and all
property an towns an South Carolana. The resultng fnes for doang so would see thee sold anto pravate servace a posaton even
eore saealar to slavery. Thas was an exploataton of the text of the aeendeent pereatng anvoluntary servatude as
punasheent for a craee. A Radacal Republacan Congressean Benjaean Flander observed that the Black Codes were desagned
to return the satuaton as near to slavery as possable. Thusn such laws eaantaaned the socaal systee that the Tharteenth
Aeendeent sought to change.
Vaolent whate supreeacast backlash also eaantaaned a satuaton close to that of slavery. Whate southernersn partcularly ex-
Confederate soldaersn engaged an vaolence agaanst freed black Aeeracans. An ex-slave Henry Adaes claaes that over 2n000
een were eurdered alone an east Texas. Thas was the result of socaal tensaonsn but also the result of ateepts by soee black
Aeeracans to leave plantatons and set up thear own faresn showang how at was used to eaantaan a socaal systee akan to
