The South: The Killers of Reconstruction

The era after the Civil War was an era of hope and promise. Blacks were no longer enslaved and many people wanted blacks to achieve equality. The 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments were passed, legally granting blacks much of the freedom and equality they sought. This twelve year period was known as the Reconstruction. However, by 1877, the Reconstruction was effectively over and enforcement of these amendments stopped. Without federal enforcement, blacks lost many of their newly earned freedoms. The end of Reconstruction was the result of many actions by many different people all over the country. While both the North and South contributed to the downfall of Reconstruction, the South was mainly responsible for its end.

One reason the North ended support for Reconstruction was that they had other, arguably more important, issues to deal with. Instead of focusing on Reconstruction, “many Northern voters shifted their attention to such national concerns as the Panic of 1873 and corruption in Grant’s administration” (C). Northerners felt that Reconstruction was irrelevant to them because it was happening far away, so they did not view it as important. Support and resources were diverted away from the Reconstruction to support the other issues that they felt needed more attention. Another reason that Northern support dwindled, was that many northerners were not ready for some of the reforms that the Reconstruction was pushing for, especially giving blacks political freedom. This was a widespread thought in the North as shown by the pro-freedman Boston Evening Transcript publishing that “the blacks, as a people, are unfitted for the proper exercise of political duties” and that “blacks needed a period of probation and instruction” (D). They felt that blacks were not educated enough to thoughtfully participate in the political system and, therefore, should not participate until they became educated. They also saw blacks as unfit for for office as demonstrated by the northern political cartoon below. Since northerners were not interested in seeing some goals of the Reconstruction fulfilled, their support decreased. This loss of northern interest and support in the Reconstruction was partially responsible for its downfall.

The cover of Harper’s Weekly, March 14, 1874.

While northern responsibility for the end of Reconstruction is from their neglect, the South did many deliberate and horrible things to force the end of Reconstruction. The main groups pushing for its end were the KKK and other white supremacist organizations. Not only did they attack and intimidate blacks, they also threatened carpetbaggers, who were Northerners in the South who supported Reconstruction, and scalawags, who were southerners who supported Reconstruction. The KKK were ruthless and indiscriminate in their attacks. One republican state senator, John W. Stephens, “was foully murdered by the Ku-Klux in the Grand Jury room of the Court House” (A). Murdering a senator in a courthouse shows that the KKK were trying to send a message; they did not want supporters of the Reconstruction around and they would do anything they had to to end support. These attacks not only eliminated some of the KKK’s key opponents, it terrorized many others into stopping supporting the Reconstruction, as they were not willing to risk their lives for it. One specific goal of the KKK’s terrorism was to prevent blacks from exercising their political freedom. When blacks actually did vote, the KKK would make sure they voted for who the KKK wanted by beating blacks who voted for the republican candidate (B). Not only did this limit their freedom by taking away their free choice, it also led to the end of the Reconstruction. By making blacks vote for democrats or not vote at all, it allowed the KKK’s candidates to win office and pass laws limiting their rights even more. They also were able to put more pressure on the federal government to end Reconstruction from their offices. These were some of the main reasons that the Reconstruction era ended.

While both the North and South played major roles in the ending of the Reconstruction, the South is mainly to blame for it. Northerners grew apathetic on the issue which allowed the KKK and other southern groups to  become more aggressive in their intimidation and other methods to end Reconstruction. It was the South that actively and intentionally worked to limit blacks’ rights and stop supporters of the Reconstruction. The North was negligent, but their negligence did not end Reconstruction, it simply gave the South the opportunity to end it. Since the South deliberately worked towards its end, it can be known as the killer of Reconstruction.

Sources:

A: Albion Tourgee, Letter on Ku Klux Klan Activities, New York Tribune, May 1870.

B: Abram Colby, testimony to a joint House and Senate Committee in 1872.

C: Gerald Danzer et al., The Americans, McDougal Littell, 1998.

D: Heather Cox Richardson, The Death of Reconstruction: Race, Labor and Politics in the Post-Civil War North, 1865-1901. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 2001.

The Beginning of the End of the Civil War

If there is one point in the Civil War to be considered the turning point, it is the Battle of Gettysburg. Before Gettysburg, the confederacy was winning in the eastern theatre, but Gettysburg was a major victory for the union both on and off of the battlefield. One way the battle was a turning point was in resources. Before the battle, the confederacy was low on supplies and went into Gettysburg with hopes of winning and resupplying. The battle was the last plan for resupplying the already extremely weak army, so the loss was the final blow. Without proper supplies the confederacy could not continue to fight. Gettysburg also affected confederate resources in terms of troops. As shown in the charts below, the confederates and the union suffered similar casualties. However, at that point the size of the union army and the pool of eligible men were about five times those of the confederate army. This means it had a much greater effect on the confederacy than on the union.

Gettysburg also had an effect on morale for both sides. The conditions the confederate army was facing without adequate supplies and yet another loss were very demoralizing for the south. Many people did not believe Robert E Lee would win another battle again. Since the south lost the will to fight, it sped up the end of the war. The union received a morale boost from the battle and Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address. His address changes the reason for the war to fighting for the freedom of all people and it gives the army a reason to fight. The morale boost and sense of purpose the union receives helps them win the war. All of these occurrences of the battle of Gettysburg are reasons why it was the turning point of the Civil War.

Important victories like Gettysburg alone would not end the war immediately and the union hoped to speed up the end of the war. They developed a new tactic called “total war”. The idea of total war was, as the union progressed through the south, to destroy everything in their path including civilian property. The theory was that if they totally destroyed the South’s ability to wage war, they would lose morale and be more likely to surrender. Sherman, who practiced this tactic said “War is cruelty, There is no use trying to reform it. The crueler it is, the sooner it will be over.” The whole purpose of total war was to end the war quicker by using all means necessary to force the confederacy to surrender. This tactic brought up a moral and ethical dilemma because it attacked civilian property and sometimes endangered civilians. One example was Grant’s Siege of Vicksburg. He constantly shelled the city and forced the inhabitants to move into nearby caves to escape the danger. The caves were very unpleasant places to live as described by one person who experienced it:

          

•   "Our new habitation was an excavation made in the earth, and branching six feet from the entrance, forming a cave in the shape of a T. In one of the wings my bed fitted; the other I used as a kind of dressing room; in this the earth had been cut down a foot or two below the floor of the main cave; I could stand erect here; and when tired of sitting in other portions of my residence, I bowed myself into it, and stood impassively resting at full height ­ one of the variations in the still shell­expectant life… we were safe at least from the fragments of shell and they were flying in all directions­ though no one seemed to think our cave any protection should a mortar shell happen to fall directly on top of the ground above us.”- Mary Ann Loughborough 

While total war did have a serious and negative impact on civilians, its use was justified. Total war sped up the southern surrender and ended the Civil War quicker than it probably would have ended without total war. While some civilians suffered and possibly died, the overall casualties were much less than those from the months or even years of battles the campaign likely avoided. Total war was a brutal but effective strategy to end the Civil War more quickly.

Once the Civil War finally ended, the reactions of the people were not as one may have expected especially from the victors. The soldiers were relieved that the war had finally ended, but were mournful of the many fellow countrymen killed on both sides. They were exhausted both physically and emotionally. Grant accepted Lee’s surrender without excitement, but with respect for the man who once fought alongside him. In Washington, there were great celebrations, but Lincoln was exhausted and somber. Throughout the country, people were ready to rebuild the country. Overall most people were just glad to be able to finally move on. However, some southerners were not willing to accept that they had lost and decided to keep fighting. One of these men, John Wilkes Booth assassinated Lincoln in a last ditch attempt to cripple the union and give the south another opportunity. Across the country, many people were devastated by the loss of Lincoln. He was mourned greatly and remembered as one of our greatest presidents.

http://www.edline.net/files/_zGHaC_/96f92692263e53293745a49013852ec4/Gettysburg_DBQ_-_Student_Version.pdf

http://www.edline.net/files/_zJGmH_/071c2c342438efbc3745a49013852ec4/Lincolns_Assassination_Document_Analysis.pdf

Discrimination Necessary to Advancement

Most people think of the white soldiers that served in the Civil War, however many blacks also served in the Civil War on both sides and in a variety of roles. They were not always welcomed in their positions and many people believed they should not fight. These blacks faced a lot of discrimination, but they had to in order to advance in the army and in society.

Black soldiers faced a lot of discrimination and restitance to them joining the army. Many people did not want them to fight. One democratic congressman in 1863 said, “This is a government of white men, made by white men for white men, to be administered, protected and maintained by white men." A lot of people had similar feelings about the issue. They felt that blacks were not worthy of fighting for their country and that that was  prove large reserved only for whites. One reason for this discrimination was that people felt that if blacks fight for their country it makes them equal to whites and, more importantly, makes them want and deserve equal citizenship. Frederick Douglas explained, “Once let the black man get upon his person the brass letters, US; let him get an eagle on his button, and a musket on his soldier and bullets in his pocket, and there is no power on earth which can deny that he has earned the right to citizenship.” This is a main reason why many black soldiers faced discrimination. This was necessary for the advancement of their lives and of equal rights. If no one faced the discrimination there would not have been any black soldiers in the army.

One specific slave who dealt with discrimination was Silas Chandler. He was a slave in Mississippi who went with his master when he joined the confederate army.  Silas was still a slave when he went to war and only was his master's assistant, not an actual soldier. However, his master and his master's family started and carried on the story that Silas was freed before the war and went voluntarily and that after the war they gave him land and helped him build a church. This was bad because it wrongly made his master seem better than he was and served as propaganda that blacks willingly served the confederate army. However Silas allowed this because through it he gained status and respect. Overall, it ended up benefitting Silas because he was able to live a better life after he was freed.


Many black soldiers in the civil war faced discrimination and resistence from whites. However, facing this discrimination was necessary to advancing their own lives and the equal rights cause.

Women in the Civil War

When most people think of the Civil War, they think of the men that fought in it. However, many women also played significant roles in the Civil War. These roles both had some women stay within their traditional gender roles and require others to act outside the “Sphere of Domesticity”.

One traditional role that many women played was as nurses for the army. Some nurses included Dorothea Dix, Clara Barton, and Louisa May Alcott. Another traditional role done by women was organizing charity. Alice Chapin was one of these people. She sent gifts to soldiers and cared for victims. Many other women worked in soldiers aid societies. They went around their towns and gathered donations of food and clothing to send to the front line. They also made their own stuff to send to the soldiers. This aid was an intrical part of the war.

Martha Coston was one woman who acted outside the “Sphere of Domesticity”. After her husband died, she continued his work of developing a flare for the navy. She then sold it to them and her flares were used for decades after. Other women who played nontraditional roles were Belle Boyd and Rose O’Neal Greenhow. Both women served as spies for the confederate army. They left their homes and went undercover in the north stealing secrets. They even killed union soldiers. Other nontraditional roles included women who left their families to become nurses and women who disguised themselves as men to fight in the war. All of these roles in the war were performed by women who acted outside the traditional “Sphere of Domesticity”.

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Fight: For Your Country or Your Survival?

An 18 year old store clerk in 1861 debating whether to join the Civil War. His friends are all joining the Union, but he isn’t sure if he would rather fight for his country or save his own life. This was a common scenario in the Civil War. Many young men were unsure whether to join the army and fight. They were faced with the dilemma of whether service to their country or self preservation was more important. This dilemma was made harder because of the influx of new war technology and tactics that made the fighting more brutal.

There was a lot of patriotism and pride on both sides of the Civil War. The Confederates saw the war as not only defending their land, but defending their morals and lifestyle. For this reason they were determined to win the war. They also needed to defend themselves from the Union. The Union also felt like fighting in the war was very important. They felt like they were fighting for their beliefs on slavery. All of these reasons meant there was a lot of pride on both sides. This pride for their country made young men eager to join the war effort on both sides and made the dilemma much worse.

Fighting in the Civil War was not easy and was very bloods. The weapons developed at that time were far ahead of any defensive measures, so there were a lot of bad wounds. Minié balls were much better than previous bullets and they destroyed bone and anything else they hit in a soldier’s body. Other new weapons included landmines, railroad artillery, and early machine guns. On top of this was the naval invention of ironclads. Ironclads were almost invincible to other ships because of their armor and could annihilate an entire old fleet. All of these brutal weapons caused all sorts of injuries and while many soldiers died, some were saved by, now crude, advancements in surgery. Anesthetics were just starting to be used and a popular choice was chloroform. Amputation and resections of limbs improved greatly and saved the lives of many soldiers. However, it was still largely chance that a soldier would survive the surgery and avoid infection.

Despite all of the gruesome risks of war, many young men in the era still decided to join the war. They were drawn in by the chance for adventure and to leave home. They also felt a lot of pride for their country and felt obligated to defend it. However, the brutal reality of war was not so glamorous. Many people were hurt or killed and people had to weigh that against other factors. They had to personally answer the moral question of whether to fight for their country or themselves.

Civil War Battles Scavenger Hunt

Instead of doing a normal unit on the important battles of the Civil War, we did a different, more interactive method. We made a scavenger hunt out of it. Everyone in the class was assigned an important Civil War battle that they had to research. They were given a little description with the date and a few other pieces of information and had to find the name. We then had to find some other basic information about the battle including the victor and theater of war. We put all of this into an open google doc and added an image. We then had to make a QR code linked to the document and put it on a sign. The signs were hung up around the school, so people would go to a sign, scan it to get information, and receive a clue to where the next battle was located. We spent three days running around the school completing the scavenger hunt. After the scavenger hunt, our class made two padlets to answer the essential questions of the unit.

Battle Google Doc:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1MqZ0WD7VUjYxDMdrWCtRvO1kC15fc8O8K-Cf6hWUspw/edit?usp=sharing

Reasons for results padlet:

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Theaters and victors padlet:

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The ultimate victor of the Civil War varied between the theaters. In the east theater the confederates were the winners. They won seven out of the twelve eastern battles studied including the Battle of Chancellorsville, Battle of Cold Harbor, Battle of Fort Sumter, and Battle of Fredericksburg. Most victories were at the beginning of the war, though, and the Union started to win eastern battles after Ulysses Grant became in charge. The Union was the clear victor of Naval battles. The first major one, the Battle of Hampton was a draw and the south sustained damage on their only ironclad. The union won every other naval battle we studied including the Battle of Baton Rouge and the Battle of Fort Henry. The Union was also the victor in the West theater. Victories included the Battle of Shiloh and the Battle of Gettysburg. Some reasons for the confederate victories include that they had good leaders and good tactics. For example, the Battle of Chancellorsville was won because Lee decided to split up his troops. Some confederate victory could also be attributed to the union underestimating them. One major reason for Union success is that they had a lot more resources. They had more soldiers and more weapon and had more advanced technology. Another reason for Union victories was the union had some very smart generals, especially Ulysses S Grant. Grant was a very good general and was responsible for many union victories and the victory of the war itself as well. For these reasons, the Union was the overall victor of the Civil War.  

Civil War Statistics

The different statistics were chosen to represent a variety of different important factors of war. The statistics about population were important to determining the size of the armies and available labor forces. The information about the amount of railway was important because railway had an effect on war strategy. The value of manufactured goods was an important indicator of economic standing and money is necessary to war. The corn is an indicator to the amount of food available which is an important supply.

This process was very important in helping to understand the Northern and Southern situations. It provided a way to visualize a unit that was largely statistics. It also forced me to analyze the statistics so I could organize and prioritize them in order to make the infographic. Overall, I had a much better understanding of the unit and the essential question after I made the infographic than before.

advantages and strategies in the Civil war | Create Infographics