Free at last: 1865-77
Reasons for, and impact of, the Thirteenth Amendment 1865:
Events that led to 13th Amendment 1865:
● Civil War 1861-65, Confederate States (south) vs. Northern States due
economic policies and practices – Northern States wanted to abolish slavery
from US but the South heavily depended on slave labour (farming)
● Emancipation proclamation 1863, by Abraham Lincoln, aimed to inspire and
give hope to Black slaves – “all persons held as slaves… shall be in rebellion
against the United States… and forever free”
13th amendment 1865: although it abolished slavery (more than 100.000 freed
immediately), it did not grant black Americans political (could not vote), social (banned
from schools) or economic (cannot buy land) security
Impacts:
● Economic, slaves did not have money, land and were illiterate so most stayed in
poverty in the south, loss of plantation jobs
● Social, tensions rose due to South bitterness in the loss of the Civil War, black
Americans would continue to fight for their rights – violence against former slaves
the significance of the changed economic position of ex-slaves and the development of
sharecropping:
● Transformed the economy of the South, that depended heavily on slave labour
(farming) that now would need to be paid
Sharecropping: incentivise by plantation workers and Freedmen’s Bureau 1865,
former slaves returning to plantations to work as sharecroppers (tenant farmers), white
landowners provided land, seeds and tools while black tenants provided labour, profits
shared (paid)
- Opinions divided: some liked it, others compared this to slavery and even thought
that some security was gone as now they could be fired
the significance of the social and educational opportunities of freedom and increased
social tensions:
Freedmen’s Bureau 1865, established by congress, provided food, housing, medical
care, education and legal assistance to former slaves
- Increased literacy rates in 30%, founded the Fisk and Howard universities that
still exist to this day
, - White Southerners, as well as President Andrew Johnson, challenged its
legitimacy, sparking racial violence in the South and the ultimate failure of the
Bureau in 1872
the need for a political settlement and President Andrew Johnson's response:
● Tensions of reincorporating the South into the union as they still did not accept
the abolishment of slavery
- Black codes 1865-66: Confederate States ensuring that former slaves
would not gain legal, economic, political or social equality through laws –
white supremacy eg. forbidden of owning land, carrying liquor or arms,
voting or getting education
● President Andrew Johnson (1865) was responsible for dealing with the
reintroduction of the Confederate states = reconstruction confederate style
1865-66 – he sided with the old confederate elite (was a southerner, wanted to
guarantee votes in reelection and believed black Americans were inferior)
Civil Rights Act of 1866: guarantee citizenship protection and equal rights under the
law – congress overrode Johnson's veto
- It undermined black codes while also increasing funding for the Freedmen's
Bureau 1865-72
- served as the foundation for the Civil Rights Act of 1875 and the 14th
amendment 1868
● Congress met to discuss their insatisfactions of the rights of black Americans
with President Johnson
- Presented 14th amendment in 1866, which guaranteed all citizens
equality before the law and struck down black codes – was rejected by old
Confederate States, enraging Republicans due: South not recognising its
defeat in Civil War 1861-65, race riots and terrorist groups (KKK 1865)
being set up to terrorise black Americans
the impact of military rule in the south:
Congress passed the Military Reconstruction Act 1867:
● No southerner state had a legal government
● South could not send representatives to the Congress unless they approved
● South states should be divided into military districts and governed by military
command
● For the south return to the union, they would have to draw a new constitutions
that would: (a) allow blacks to vote, (b) ratify the 14th amendment and (c)
disqualify confederate office holders of political participation
Act was lacking to:
Reasons for, and impact of, the Thirteenth Amendment 1865:
Events that led to 13th Amendment 1865:
● Civil War 1861-65, Confederate States (south) vs. Northern States due
economic policies and practices – Northern States wanted to abolish slavery
from US but the South heavily depended on slave labour (farming)
● Emancipation proclamation 1863, by Abraham Lincoln, aimed to inspire and
give hope to Black slaves – “all persons held as slaves… shall be in rebellion
against the United States… and forever free”
13th amendment 1865: although it abolished slavery (more than 100.000 freed
immediately), it did not grant black Americans political (could not vote), social (banned
from schools) or economic (cannot buy land) security
Impacts:
● Economic, slaves did not have money, land and were illiterate so most stayed in
poverty in the south, loss of plantation jobs
● Social, tensions rose due to South bitterness in the loss of the Civil War, black
Americans would continue to fight for their rights – violence against former slaves
the significance of the changed economic position of ex-slaves and the development of
sharecropping:
● Transformed the economy of the South, that depended heavily on slave labour
(farming) that now would need to be paid
Sharecropping: incentivise by plantation workers and Freedmen’s Bureau 1865,
former slaves returning to plantations to work as sharecroppers (tenant farmers), white
landowners provided land, seeds and tools while black tenants provided labour, profits
shared (paid)
- Opinions divided: some liked it, others compared this to slavery and even thought
that some security was gone as now they could be fired
the significance of the social and educational opportunities of freedom and increased
social tensions:
Freedmen’s Bureau 1865, established by congress, provided food, housing, medical
care, education and legal assistance to former slaves
- Increased literacy rates in 30%, founded the Fisk and Howard universities that
still exist to this day
, - White Southerners, as well as President Andrew Johnson, challenged its
legitimacy, sparking racial violence in the South and the ultimate failure of the
Bureau in 1872
the need for a political settlement and President Andrew Johnson's response:
● Tensions of reincorporating the South into the union as they still did not accept
the abolishment of slavery
- Black codes 1865-66: Confederate States ensuring that former slaves
would not gain legal, economic, political or social equality through laws –
white supremacy eg. forbidden of owning land, carrying liquor or arms,
voting or getting education
● President Andrew Johnson (1865) was responsible for dealing with the
reintroduction of the Confederate states = reconstruction confederate style
1865-66 – he sided with the old confederate elite (was a southerner, wanted to
guarantee votes in reelection and believed black Americans were inferior)
Civil Rights Act of 1866: guarantee citizenship protection and equal rights under the
law – congress overrode Johnson's veto
- It undermined black codes while also increasing funding for the Freedmen's
Bureau 1865-72
- served as the foundation for the Civil Rights Act of 1875 and the 14th
amendment 1868
● Congress met to discuss their insatisfactions of the rights of black Americans
with President Johnson
- Presented 14th amendment in 1866, which guaranteed all citizens
equality before the law and struck down black codes – was rejected by old
Confederate States, enraging Republicans due: South not recognising its
defeat in Civil War 1861-65, race riots and terrorist groups (KKK 1865)
being set up to terrorise black Americans
the impact of military rule in the south:
Congress passed the Military Reconstruction Act 1867:
● No southerner state had a legal government
● South could not send representatives to the Congress unless they approved
● South states should be divided into military districts and governed by military
command
● For the south return to the union, they would have to draw a new constitutions
that would: (a) allow blacks to vote, (b) ratify the 14th amendment and (c)
disqualify confederate office holders of political participation
Act was lacking to:
