Reconstruction

SS5H2 The student will analyze the effects of Reconstruction on American life.
a. Describe the purpose of the 13th, 14th and 15th Amendments
b. Explain the work of the Freedman's Bureau.
c. Explain how slavery was replaced by sharecropping and how African-Americans were prevented from exercising their newly won rights; include a discussion of Jim Crow Laws and customs.

Effects of the War on the North

The Union had improved railways and transportation between cities. They had been built for the war effort, but after the war these transportation routes improved business in the north.
Many factories were built to supply the war effort, were then changed into productive businesses boosting the economy in the North.
Hundreds of thousands of men died in the war, affecting nearly every family in some way.
The people in the north were angry with the south because the war had cost so much and so many men had died.

Effects of the War on the South

Slavery was ended.
The Confederate States of America was disbanded and the southern states reentered the United States of America.
Most of the war was fought in the southern states and many farms, towns, railways and businesses were destroyed as a result.
The plantations that were not destroyed struggled because the slaves who did the work on the plantations were free to leave.
The slaves were freed, but had no place to go and no way to make money without either trying to claim some of the destroyed land or working for their former owners.
Hundreds of thousands of men died in the war, affecting nearly every family in some way.
The people in the south were still angry with the Union, because they felt their freedom to govern themselves was being taken away. They were also very upset that former slaves were being given equal rights .

Reconstruction

The Reconstruction Era, was the time just after the Civil War ended when the United States was trying to recover from war and learn how to get along again. Slaves were free, but what could they do? The 13th-15th amendments were passed to help them gain their rights, but then the Jim Crow laws came about, which kept many blacks from being able to use those rights until the Civil Rights movement in the 1950's and 1960's.

Freedmen's Bureau

The Freedmen's Bureau was an organization that was created after the American Civil War to help freed slaves. The Bureau helped former slaves find lost family members, gain land, get an education, get health care and provide legal help in regards to work contracts with white land owners. You can learn more about the Freedman's Bureau here. I also highly recommend the book "40 Acres and Maybe a Mule," which is the story of several freed slaves and their quest for land ownership. They have several encounters with the Freedmen's Bureau. You may read this book in your reading class.

Sharecropping Replaces Slavery

Slaves became free after the Civil War, however, what could they do? Many of them began working for the plantation owners again, this time not as slaves. These former slaves still had a very tough life. Sharecroppers often had to give 50% of their profit from farming to the landowner. Each year, sharecroppers would make just enough money to survive, but not enough to get ahead. You can get a more advanced description of sharecropping here. I also highly recommend you read the book "Roll of Thunder , Here My Cry," by Mildred Taylor. This would be a great book to read with you mom or dad.

Amendment Process

What if the law needs changed? Simple. The lawmakers can propose a change or amendment. What is not so simple is convincing enough people that it needs to change. More than 11,000 amendments have been proposed, but only 27 of those new amendments passed. Ten of those amendments (Bill of Rights) were approved at the same time. Only 17 new amendments have passed since the Bill of Rights was approved in 1791. So how can a new amendment get passed:
Step 1: A congressman must propose that a new amendment needs to be passed (often times at the request of their constituents or the people they represent).
Step 2: Two thirds of the U.S. House of Representatives and two thirds of the U.S. Senate must pass the amendment.
Step 3: Three fourths of the states must ratify (approve) the new amendment.

13th-15th Amendments

The 13th amendment made slavery illegal. This is different from the emancipation proclamation because it is an official law created and approved by congress and not just issued by the president. To find out more about the emancipation proclamation and the 13th amendment click here.
The 14th amendment ensures that all people born in the United States are citizens and have equal rights. Essentially, it gave equal rights to former slaves.
The 15th amendment gave all men the right to vote. Freed slaves could now vote for their leaders. However, in many places they were still prevented from voting by literacy tests (they had to be able to read) and poll taxes (they had to have money to vote). Most former slaves couldn't read and had very little money, so in many cases they were still kept from voting. You can click here to find out more about how the Jim Crow Laws kept blacks from voting and to see if you would have been able to vote.
You can learn more about all of the amendments here.

Jim Crow Laws

The Jim Crow laws were laws which began at the end of Reconstruction (1870's) and kept blacks from using the rights guaranteed by the 13th-15th amendments. The phrase most commonly associated with the Jim Crow Laws is "separate but equal." People said they were still giving blacks "equal" rights, but they were just giving them those rights while keeping them separate from whites. They were not treated equally.

Visit the PBS site to learn more about Jim Crow.
Learn some more specifics about the Jim Crow laws at this university website.
Here is another great site recommended by some 5th grade students working on a Black History Month research project. Thanks for the recommendation Ms. Sutton's class! This is a great site.