What factors cause the failure of reconstruction?

Collapse of Reconstruction

The Depression of ‘73

•Economy collapses•Support for reconstruction (money) ends

The Klan

• Terrorism become widespread and frequent

• Becomes difficult to stop• Costs a great deal of money• How can freedmen influence laws if they

can’t vote?

• Outraged Southern Whites band together• Terrorists• Intimidate Black voters and politicians

Jim Crow Laws• Also called Black Codes

▫ Who are they for?• Literacy tests at polls• Grandfather Clause

▫ If grandfather couldn’t vote, neither could you

• Meant to keep Freedmen and Women away from polls

• Always under the watchful eye of the Klan

Election of 1877: Redemption

Vs

Rutherford B. Hayes (R) Samuel Tilden (D)

Results of Democracy• Reconstruction becomes

political liability• Freedmen voting rates on

the decline▫ Due to intimidation

• 1876 Election▫ Disputed in 3 states

LA, FL, SC• Tilden gives

election to Hayes

• Hayes agrees to end reconstruction if he becomes President

• Removes troops, programs• Freedmen on their own

• What can you conclude from the data in the map?

Whaa Happens?• Southern Whites organize

“White Leagues”▫ Turns into KKK▫ Intimidate, kill, want to

regain power• North struggles to control

▫ Insurgency▫ Pass anti-KKK law

Too little too late• Northern whites give up

▫ “We did enough, now it’s their turn”

▫ Costs $$$$$▫ US in financial

depression▫ Not so big on the racial

equality stuff yet

• How does this cartoon show the reasons reconstruction collapsed?

“THE UNION AS IT WAS; THIS IS A WHITE MAN’S GOVERNMENT; THE LOST CAUSE; WORSE THAN SLAVERY; WHITE LEAGUE”