Analyze the impact of Reconstruction on Georgia.
a. Explain the roles of the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments in Reconstruction.
b. Explain the key features of the Lincoln, the Johnson, and the Congressional Reconstruction plans.
c. Compare and contrast the goals and outcomes of the Freedmen’s Bureau and the Ku Klux Klan.
d. Examine reasons for and effects of the removal of African American or Black legislators from the Georgia General Assembly during Reconstruction.
a. The 13th Amendment abolished slavery in the United States, which was a key aspect of Reconstruction in Georgia. It meant that formerly enslaved individuals were legally free and no longer considered property. The 14th Amendment granted citizenship to all individuals born or naturalized in the country, including African Americans, and provided equal protection under the law. The 15th Amendment ensured the right to vote could not be denied on the basis of race, color, or previous condition of servitude. These amendments aimed to provide rights and protections to African Americans during Reconstruction.
b. The Lincoln Reconstruction plan, also known as the Ten Percent Plan, required 10% of a state's voting population to take an oath of allegiance to the Union and acknowledge the end of slavery before being readmitted to the Union. The Johnson Reconstruction plan was lenient towards the former Confederate states and allowed them to establish new governments as long as they abolished slavery, repudiated Confederate debts, and ratified the 13th Amendment. The Congressional Reconstruction plans, specifically the Reconstruction Acts of 1867, divided the South into military districts, required African American suffrage, and required new state constitutions that protected civil rights. These plans aimed to restore the Union and ensure the rights of African Americans.
c. The Freedmen's Bureau was a government agency created during Reconstruction to assist newly freed African Americans and impoverished whites. It provided aid in the form of education, food, employment, and healthcare. Its goal was to help facilitate the transition from slavery to freedom and improve the economic and social conditions of the freedmen. On the other hand, the Ku Klux Klan was a domestic terrorist organization formed after the Civil War by white supremacists. Their goal was to maintain white supremacy by using violence and intimidation to suppress African American voting rights and political power. The Freedmen's Bureau and the Ku Klux Klan had contrasting goals and outcomes, with the former seeking to empower African Americans and the latter seeking to strip them of their rights.
d. The removal of African American or Black legislators from the Georgia General Assembly during Reconstruction was largely driven by white supremacist sentiments. After the end of the Civil War, African Americans gained political power and representation in the South, including in the Georgia General Assembly. However, this was seen as a threat by many white Georgians who sought to maintain white supremacy. As a result, African American legislators were expelled or faced violent intimidation tactics by groups like the Ku Klux Klan. The removal of these legislators effectively curtailed African American political power and ensured white control over the government. This had a long-lasting impact on the political representation of African Americans in Georgia, as they were marginalized for decades to come.