Reconstruction in Georgia
- Describe some of the problems Georgia faced after the Civil War.
They had no political leadership. They were economically devastated. They had lost a lot of men during the war and many were womded and unable to work. The South also had to find out what should be done to fit the needs of the newly freed slaves. - What was accomplished in the 1865 constitutional convention?
Created a state constitution that repealed the Ordinance of Secession, abolished slavery, and repudiated the Confederate debt. Major alterations included a prohibition of interracial marriage and a limit on the term of governorship to two two-year terms. - What was unique about the 1865 vote?
It had a very low voter turnout - What does “repudiated” mean?
to reject as having no authority or binding force - Who did the Georgia legislatures select in early 1866 as their representatives in congress and why was this a problem?
Alexander Stephens and Herschel Johnson. Both were leaders in the Confederacy. Alexander Stephens was the vice president in the confederacy and Herschel Johnson was a senator. Both were tied to the confederacy and therefore it was difficult for the Northern politicians to accept them as part of the Union. - What does “agrarian” mean?
Having to do with agriculture or farming. - What were some of the problems that faced Georgia’s agricultural industry after the war?
The plantations had been dependent on the slave labor to produce large amounts of crop. However, since the slaves were no longer forced to work on the farms, they were not able to produce the large amount of crops. Many of the Southerners had died in the war as well so there was even fewer people to work the fields. The plantation owners had invested a lot of money in the war effort and thus could not afford the labor force needed to harvest the food. A large amount of the former slaves had moved to the cities and fell ill to many different diseases. Thus the labor force was in even shorter supply.
Click on “Sherman’s Field Order No.15”
- Describe these orders.
Sherman, after reaching the sea, ordered that a large strip of land that was previously owned by plantation owners where were by in far not present, redistributed the land to the former slaves. - What does “egalitarian” mean?
of, relating to, or believing in the principle that all people are equal and deserve equal rights and opportunities.
- Who overturned this directive?
President Johnson overturned the order. - Who got the land after the directive was overturned?
The land was returned to the land owners that had previously owned it.
Go back to “Reconstruction in Georgia”
- What way did the Freedmen’s Bureau impact employment for former slaves?
The Freedmen’s Bureau became active in mediating between the former slave owners and former slaves for fair wages. - How did the freed slave population change in their domestic lives?
Women and children returned to the home and lived typical domestic lives. The children often took advantage of educational opportunities that had previously not been afforded to them. - What does “burgeoning” mean?
begin to grow or increase rapidly; flourish. - What does “askance” mean?
with an attitude or look of suspicion or disapproval. - Describe some of the rights gained by freed blacks during presidential reconstruction.
They had access to the courts in being able to make and enforce contracts, to sue and to be sued. They also gained property rights, which meant they could buy, sell, inherit, and lease both land and personal property. They were not to be subjected to any punishment or penalty that did not apply to whites as well. Their marriages and children were legitimized. - Describe some of the rights not gained by freed blacks during presidential reconstruction.
They had no right to serve as jurors or to vote, and they could not testify against whites in court. - What does “portentous” mean?
giving a sign or warning that something usually bad or unpleasant is going to happen
The End of Presidential Reconstruction
- What was the opinion of the Radical Republicans regarding Johnsons’ plan?
Johnson had exceeded his power in restoring the former Confederate states, all of which but Tennessee they considered unworthy of restoration. - What were the two pieces of legislation that were being discussed by the Joint Committee on reconstruction?
One—the proposed Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution—in its most concise form made the freed slaves citizens. But it also contained numerous other provisions. These included office-holding disabilities and disenfranchisement for many white southerners, along with incentives for states either to grant black voting rights or proportionally lose representation in Congress. The other bill, the First Reconstruction Act, called for placing the South under military occupation. - Define “assailed”
To attack violently, as with blows or military force; assault. - What was the platform of the National Union Convention in Philadelphia?
The convention assailed the Fourteenth Amendment and the Reconstruction Act and championed Johnson's policies, hoping to turn the Radicals out of Congress in 1866 and return Johnson to office in 1868. - What was the platform of the Southern Loyalist Convention in Philadelphia?
Supported the Fourteenth Amendment and argued for the continuation of Reconstruction in the South. - What was a common issue that both conventions agreed upon?
Both conventions did agree on one issue: neither favored black suffrage.
Congressional Reconstruction 1867-1868
- What does “unanimously” mean?
of one mind; in complete agreement; agreed. - What did the Georgia legislature reject after the election in Nov. 1866?
Fourteenth Amendment - What did the First Reconstruction Act do?
Georgia, together with Alabama and Florida, became part of the Third Military District, supervised by General John Pope. - What reasons does the New Georgia En. Suggest for General Popes move from Milledgeville toAtlanta that is not mentioned in the textbook?
General Pope directed the convention to meet at the Atlanta City Hall, which was convenient to his headquarters - Why was Governor Jenkins removed by Pope’s successor?
In January 1868 Governor Jenkinsprotested as illegal and unconstitutional General Pope's $40,000 draft on the state treasury to pay convention expenses - Who replaced Governor Jeankins?
General Thomas Ruger - What five things did the constitution created at the convention of 1867-1868 accomplish?
Framed a new state constitution that fulfilled the demands of the First Reconstruction Act, including a provision for black voting. It also called for the establishment of a free public school system, provided for debt relief, gave wives control of their property, increased the governor's term to four years, and moved the seat of state government from Milledgeville to Atlanta. - Who won the Governorship in Georgia following the convention? What party was he associated with?
Rufus Bullock, Republican
Carpet Baggers and Scalawags
- What is a Carpetbagger?
Carpetbaggers were Republican northerners who came south after the war to seek their fortune through politics, under a system in which a one-year residence in any southern state brought voting and office-holding rights - What is a Scalawag?
Scalawags were southern-born white Republicans or, by a broader definition, any white Republicans who had lived in the South before the war. - Why was Georgia more Scalawag than carpetbagger?
Scalawag - What terrorist organization gained power during this time?
Ku Klux Klan - How was the Klan suspected to be involved with the death of Ashburn?
the Klan's debut in Georgia had been the Ashburn killing in Columbus, and its "Grand Dragon" was none other than Gordon. - Describe the life of Henry McNeal Turner.
Working first among the freed slaves as a minister, he soon became their political leader, promoting the Republican Party, as did many other AME preachers - Describe the life of Tunis Campbell.
Campbell, a New Jersey native, settled in McIntosh County after the war, organized an association of black landholders along the coast, and registered black voters. - What did the Democrats do in response the actions of the General Assembly and the inauguration of the Governor?
the Democrats convened in Atlanta to ratify the nomination of the anti-Reconstruction candidacy of Horatio Seymour at the city's Bush Arbor Rally, - What role did Robert Toombs and Howell Cobb play in this meeting?
Democrats—including Robert Toombs and Howell Cobb —attacked Congressional Reconstruction in a series of passionate speeches. They reserved special contempt for newly converted Republican Joseph E. Brown. - Who initially stated the new Georgia constitution did not allow blacks to hold office?
Former Governor Joseph E. Brown - What happened to the black legislatures?
The black legislatures were removed from the General Assembly. - What was the Camilla Massacre and how did it affect the political opinions in congress? (I would click and read the short article on it to help define it.)
The state legislature expelled twenty-eight newly elected members because they were at least one-eighth black. Among those removed was southwest Georgia representative Philip Joiner.Joiner, along with northerners Francis F. Putney and William P. Pierce, led a twenty-five-mile march of several hundred blacks and a few whites from Albany to Camilla, the Mitchell County seat, to attend a Republican political rally.As marchers entered the courthouse square in Camilla, whites stationed in various storefronts opened fire, killing about a dozen and wounding possibly thirty others. As marchers returned to Albany, hostile whites assaulted them for several miles.Republicans and Democrats used the massacre to fortify their positions on Reconstruction in the 1868 presidential campaign. The violence at Camilla intimidated some African Americans, who stayed home on election day.Republican members of Congress were appalled at the violence and fraud and required Georgia to once more undergo military rule and Radical Reconstruction. - What did Georgia do that pressured Congress to resume military rule and bar representatives from their seat in congress?
Georgia became one of only two ex-Confederate states to vote against Grant in the presidential election of 1868.Governor Bullock, seeking to prolong Reconstruction, "engineered" the defeat of the Fifteenth Amendment.
The Bullock Administration
- Why was the Bullock administration under scrutiny?
Many of these charges revolved around Bullock's friend Hannibal I. Kimball, whose Atlanta opera house was converted into the new state capitol building and whose railroad activities drew scrutiny. Other accusations involved Foster Blodgett, Bullock's political ally and fellow member of the "Augusta Ring," who was pilloried for alleged plundering as superintendent of the state's Western and Atlantic Railroad. - Describe the significance of Jefferson Franklin Long.
Jefferson Franklin Long of Macon, served a brief term in 1870-71 and gave the first speech by a black representative ever presented before Congress. He spoke against removing restrictions on ex-Confederates holding office.
The End of Congressional Reconstruction
- What were the results of White v. Clements?
The Supreme Court of Georgia ruled two-to-one that blacks did indeed have a constitutional right to hold office in Georgia. - What was “Terry’s Purge?”
He removed the General Assembly's ex-Confederates, replaced them with the Republican runners-up, and then reinstated the expelled black legislators, thus creating a heavy Republican majority in the legislature. - What did the Georgia Legislature do in February 1870?
the legislature ratified the Fifteenth Amendment and chose new senators to send to Washington. - Why did Bullock flee the state?
Democrats won commanding majorities in both houses.Bullock's chances of completing his term now depended on his once again having Georgia remanded to military rule. He failed, and in late October 1871 he fled the state to escape impeachment.
The Legacy of Georgia Reconstruction
- What was the convict lease system? (click on the article)
officials during Reconstruction (1867-76) approved the leasing of prisoners to private citizens.Within five years, convict leasing was a major source of revenue for the state. - Describe the conditions of the prisoners.
leased convicts were being overworked, brutally whipped, and killed while under the care of Grant, Alexander, and Company. - What are “whipping bosses?” (click back to the main article)
In 1881, expressing intentions to improve the prisoners' quality of life, the state legislature passed a law requiring that only one person in each work camp be authorized to administer punishment. Rather than ease the difficulties of leased convicts, however, this legislation enabled the harsh treatment of prisoners by men known as "whipping bosses." - How was Brown making money?
coal mining - What was Bullocks’ role in Georgia after he beat impeachment?
presidency of the Chamber of Commerce - Describe the economic situation of the majority of Georgians following the civil war.
While the majority of Southern whites had owned land during the antebellum period, the majority had become landless sharecroppers by the early 1900s. Though landownership by Georgia's black farmers had grown to 13 percent by 1900, most remained sharecroppers.