Politics of the Civil War and Reconstruction

Emerging Parties leading up to the conflict

Republican Party was created in 1854 

Before the Civil war there were two main political parties, the Democrats and the Whigs. But, after the Wilmot Proviso was passed, neither party addressed it, so a third party, the Free-Soil Party was created to please anti-slavery northerners. Around the election of 1852, the Whig party began to disappear because they no longer pleased the south and raised issues that the country did not want to deal with.Their replacement was the Know-Nothing Party, created in the 1850's, who were against immigration. Another new party was created called the Republican Party. The new party consisted of previous Whigs  After some time, the two major parties during the midst of Southern secession were the the Democrats and the Republicans.

 

            

Conscription in the Union and Confederacy

Illustration of  the New York Draft Riot.

At the start of the Civil War, volunteers for the army were abundant, for both parties, so much that some even had to be turned away. As the war waged it became clear that this war would not be as short as everyone had initially thought, in fact it would be stretched out and difficult war. So, in realization to this, the bountiful amount of volunteers had disappeared. To resolve the problem of a shortage of men the Confederacy issued a conscription law in April of 1862 which was quickly followed by the Union by assigning manpower quotas to each state, if these numbers were not met the result would be a conscription. The Union resulted to a conscription through the Enrollment act of 1863 which forced the enrollment of white males however this act permitted men of wealth to pay their way out of enrollment or hire a substitute. In reaction to this act a bunch of anti draft riots broke out including the New York Draft Riot which became one of the bloodiest public disorders in american history.   

Copperheads

Copperheads were active advocates of peace throughout the Civil War.They

 in fact opposed fighting at all during this time. The Copperheads most active members were working class immigrants from Illinois, Ohio, and Indiana. This group was against Lincoln and against the emancipation, which was the reason behind its emotional force. A majority of this group claimed themselves to be Jeffersonian believers and feared that the federal government would grow too much in power because of the war.

Lincoln’s Leadership

Abraham Lincoln was a crucial advantage the Union possessed over the Confederacy. His Leadership qualities were essential in winning the war. First off he had a great sense of purpose, this allowed Lincoln never to back down during the time of the war he knew that there was a greater cause at stake than his own emotions. Lincoln had a certain presence and the people were greatly moved by his speeches and writings. His purpose was clear an inspired many. Some great traits can also be found in this online article: 

10 Qualities that Made Abraham Lincoln a Great Leader   

Emancipation Proclamation

On September 22, 1862 Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation was issued, right after McClellan's victory over Lee at Antietam. The issuing of the proclamation was brought out from growing political pressures on Lincoln. According to the Proclamation all slaves would be freed on the 1st of January 1863 but only in states occupied by the Union. The goal of the emancipation proclamation was to injure the confederacy, threaten its property, heighten its dread, and hurt its spirit.  

Referred to as 'Carpetbaggers'  because
 when traveling to the south they
carried their belongings in carpetbags.

Scalawags

A Scalawags were white Southerners who supported the Republican party during the Reconstruction period. They were also considered traitors to the Southern cause.

Carpetbaggers

Carpetbaggers refer to the Northerners who went to the South during Reconstruction. Most of them intended to settle in the South so they could get rich on the South's misfortune.Although most of these people were educated middle-class, Southerners saw them as poor people trying to take advantage of the South's economic loss.

Freedmen’s Bureau

The Freedmen's Bureau was a government agency established in March 1865 by President Lincoln. The Agency was set up to aid former slaves in adjusting themselves to freedom. It furnished food and clothing to needy blacks and helped them get jobs. The aim of the Bureau was to provide relief, education, legal aid, land claims, and employment help to former slaves. It lasted until 1872, when it was disbanded by President Ulysses Grant.

10 Percent Plan

By this time it became clear that Lincoln needed to make some preliminary plans for postwar reconstruction.In December of 1863, President Lincoln issued a Proclamation of Amnesty and Reconstruction. Lincoln's Proclamation gave the Confederate states an easy way back into the Union. It basically gave a full pardon to all Southerners who took an oath of allegiance to the Union and recognized the emancipation of all slaves. The plan was when 10 percent of a state's voting population took this oath they were allowed to set up a new government that was loyal to the Union. The president's policy was meant to shorten the war by making it easy for confederates to switch sides, thus weakening the southern cause, and to further his emancipation proclamation through these new union loyal governments. 

 

 

13th, 14th, & 15th Amendments

Thirteenth Amendment- On January 31st 1865, Congress passed this amendment that ultimately abolished slavery and gave Congress the power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.

 

Fourteenth Amendment- The legislation grants citizenship to all persons born or naturalized in the United States. It also forbids states from denying any person his life, liberty or property, without a due process of law. It was meant to protect the civil rights of all Americans regardless of their race or gender. Passed by Congress on June 13 1866.

Fifteenth Amendment- Voting rights in states no longer cannot be withheld on the basis of race, color, or previous position of servitude. Passed by Congress on February 26, 1869.

  

Tenure of Office Act

Andrew Johnson

During Andrew Johnson's presidency, he removed appointed officials (including cabinet members) that were trouble for him, especially those with Radical Republican-leaning tendencies. Congress had gotten fed up with this and decided to limit his power to remove anyone unless he got consent from the Senate.Johnson acted against this law and removed Secretary of War Edwin Stanton. This was a clear violation and eventually led to his impeachment trial. The act was essentially crafted because Congress knew he would violate it and they could impeach him for it.

Military Reconstruction Act

This act was passed on March 7, 1867 by the Radical Republicans despite Johnson's veto. This act was meant to rebuild the Southern Governments using the Northern Governments as examples.  This act divided the South into five different districts, Virginia , North and South Carolina , Georgia, Alabama, and Florida as another,  Mississippi and Arkansas, and Louisiana and Texas.  These territories were put under military control at which the military commanders had almost unlimited powers.

Compromise of 1877

This unwritten compromise was made during the 1876 election. A deal was made and Rutherford B. Hayes was given the presidency as long as he removed federal troops from the south, decreasing Republican power.Review of the Compromise of 1877: