What Requirements Did the U.s. Government Have for Texas to Be Readmitted to the Union?

"The Globe Turned Upside Downward:  Reconstruction in Texas"

1. Introduction: The Myth vs. the Reality of Reconstruction
2. Wartime Reconstruction
3. Postwar Reconstruction
4. Congressional Reconstruction
5. Undoing Reconstruction
6. Indelible Impacts of Reconstruction in Texas

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The Myth vs. the Reality of Reconstruction

The Myth:

At the end of the Civil War, in which Southerners had fought valiantly against the barbarous invasion forces of the Due north in an effort to protect local institutions and states rights, the Southward lay cleaved and destitute. Rather than trying to reunite the country equally peacefully and speedily every bit possible, the victorious North fix out on a deliberate policy of rape, pillage, plunder, and vindictive punishment.

The South was invaded and controlled during Reconstruction by vengeful Union soldiers, opportunistic carpetbaggers, and treasonous scalawags. The Yankee carpetbaggers were opportunists who came to the Southward to go rich in the backwash of conquest through theft of coin, land, holding, etc. Their allies were the treasonous scalawags - Southerners who had always favored the Union, had opposed secession, and in some cases had even taken up artillery against their countrymen during the Civil War. These traitors were at present placed past military force into political power in the South.

These forces - the Union regular army of occupation, the carpetbaggers, the scalawags, and the ex-slaves they easily manipulated - subjected Southerners to unethical, unprincipled, and inhumane punishment during Reconstruction. Representative Southern leaders were displaced by Negro politicians and Yankee Republicans. They stood the South on its caput - freeing slaves, ruining the economic system, raising taxes, and using military strength to savagely perpetuate their control. The furnishings were to last for decades, making the South a subjugated colony of the North - no longer the equal it had been.

The Reality:

Today most historians view the Reconstruction experience more moderately. The almost important point is that Reconstruction was a period of marked irregularity for Southerners as they tried to proceeds readmission to the United States and rebuild a devastated economy while suffering the emotional, psychic burden of defeat and the "Lost Cause".

Certainly Reconstruction was abnormal for the people of the South. Slavery was abolished and blacks were given some limited rights. Reconstruction governments, imposed past the N, pursued active authorities policies that resulted in college taxes. Reconstruction governments were relatively powerful in comparison to the weak, inactive antebellum governments Southerners had ever preferred. The traditional political leaders of the Due south were temporarily disfranchised and blacks temporarily enfranchised.

Yet, when considered unemotionally from a historical perspective, the Reconstruction experience was very moderate compared to what it could have been. In that location were no mass executions of rebel leaders or ex-Confederate soldiers. There was no nationalization or appropriation of plantation lands by the victors. The Due north declined to forcefulness reparation payments on the defeated Due south.

All in all, Reconstruction, while exceedingly unpopular in the Due south, was quite moderate. The myth of Reconstruction arose from the emotional burden of defeat, the abolition of slavery, and the recognition that the Northward, because of population increases and industrialization, now was the strongest department of the nation. The S was no longer an equal partner.

Wartime Reconstruction

From the very beginning, Union political leaders disagreed on what requirements should be set for the South to regain its standing in the country after secession prompted the Civil War. The conflict between President Abraham Lincoln and the United States Congress during the war regarding the assistants of occupied areas of the South presaged an indelible institutional disharmonize over Reconstruction.

President Lincoln'southward efforts to reconstruct several occupied states in 1863-64, while tentative, gave an indication of the way he would have dealt with a defeated Due south had he not been assassinated in early 1865. His efforts were quite lenient, designed to bring about rapid readmission rather than forcing fundamental changes on the South. Lincoln'due south initial efforts were known as the Ten Percent Plan.

Lincoln's X Percentage Programme:

When ten percent of the voting population of a Southern country took a simple adjuration of loyalty to the United States, that state could hold a constitutional convention, fix a loyal government, and be readmitted to the Union.

Nether Lincoln's plan, few Southerners were butterfingers from political participation. Barred were "all men who'd held Amalgamated civilian and diplomatic posts, all who'd served as rebel officers above the rank of colonel in the ground forces or navy, all who'd resigned from the U. Southward. military machine or left the Congress or judicial positions to help the rebellion, and all who'd treated Spousal relationship soldiers other than every bit prisoners of war." Lincoln, however, pledged to review individual pleas for pardon from these groups liberally.

All reconstructed governments must accept and obey the Emancipation Announcement and all laws Congress might pass with respect to slavery.

Congress refused to recognize Lincoln'due south program, choosing instead to put forward its ain plan of Reconstruction in the Wade-Davis Neb. Though it was vetoed past President Lincoln, the Wade-Davis Bill, passed in July, 1864, demonstrated Congress felt it, rather than the chief executive, had the power and responsibility to fix the requirements for readmission to the Union. Furthermore, information technology demonstrated that congressmen were not as inclined to leniency as was Lincoln.

Wade-Davis Bill:

Congress proposed that atleast 50 percent of a state's voting population must take a elementary oath of loyalty to the U.s.a. earlier the process of Reconstruction could commence.

Once the l percent requirement was met, the land could hold a constitutional convention, set up a loyal government, and apply for readmission. However, only those individuals who could swear an "atomic number 26 clad oath" that they had never aided or fought for the Confederacy would be eligible to participate in this political procedure. Congress was thus adamant to exclude from the procedure all persons who had participated in or supported the costly rebellion.

Further, the Wade-Davis Bill prohibited slavery in all reconstructed states and made slaveowning a federal crime punishable past fines and imprisonment.

President Lincoln vetoed the beak in July, 1864, infuriating Congress. Thus information technology was clear that President Lincoln and Congress disagreed about the requirements and objectives of Reconstruction. Further disharmonize over Reconstruction was certain. Lincoln, notwithstanding, was assassinated in April, 1865 and was succeeded past Andrew Johnson as president. The institutional conflict betwixt the executive and legislative branches was far from over all the same. Rather, that institutional disharmonize would continue and intensify.

Postwar Reconstruction

Abraham Lincoln's assassination plunged the Usa into institutional, political, and constitutional crises.

The conflict between the executive and legislative branches of the federal government, which had been muted nether President Lincoln considering of the exigencies of the war effort, at present broke into open warfare. President Johnson and Congress had totally unlike ideas about the objectives and methods by which the S would be readmitted to the Spousal relationship. They fought eachother savagely to insure the triumph of their positions.

There was also a partisan political crunch in the war's aftermath. Andrew Johnson, a loyal Democrat from the border state of Tennessee, had been placed on the Republican/Union party ticket in 1864 in order to heighten Lincoln'southward electability and to demonstrate that the military effort to preserve the Union was a bipartisan effort. This try to evidence solidarity backfired, nonetheless, in the stance of Republicans when Lincoln was assassinated and Andrew Johnson became both president and titular head of the Republican party. Every action he took regarding Reconstruction was doubtable because he was a Democrat and considering he came non from the Due north but from the border state of Tennessee.

These institutional and political conflicts culminated in a constitutional crunch. Determined to implement its own Reconstruction plan and rid itself of Johnson, the Republican-dominated Congress impeached and attempted to remove from office the president of the The states.

These institutional, political, and constitutional crises combined to make the Reconstruction feel one of the most emotional and bitter periods of American history.

Presidential ReconstructionUnder Andrew Johnson

President Johnson attempted to continue the lenient policy of Reconstruction initiated by Lincoln during the war years. He did so non just because of his own inclinations and beliefs but also considering he felt committed to carrying out the policies of his predecessor. While forced to make additional demands of the South as prerequisites to readmission, Johnsonian Reconstruction was nevertheless incredibly lenient given the atmosphere of the times.

Johnson's Reconstruction Plan:

Before qualifying for readmission, Southern states would accept to hold constitutional conventions which took each of the following actions:

• abolish the establishment of slavery past ratifying the 13th amendment to the Constitution

• establish the civil status and rights of the ex-slave in society

• repudiate the ordinances of secession (avowing that secession was unconstitutional)
• repudiate the Confederate war debt, both state and confederal

Under Johnsonian Reconstruction, the majority of Southerners were allowed to participate in the political process. Anyone who could swear the simple loyalty oath laid out originally past President Lincoln could vote and concur political office. President Johnson besides was extremely liberal in pardoning individuals who had held high office in the Confederate governments or leadership positions in the Amalgamated armed forces. For instance, he pardoned Alexander Stephens, the vice president of the Confederate States of America, who was promptly selected as a U. S. Senator past the people of Georgia.

Given the temper of the times, such a lenient plan was bound to produce issues with the Republican-dominated Congress.

The Texas Reactionto Presidential Reconstruction

Texas attempted to gain readmission to the Union under Presidential Reconstruction in 1866. However, the deportment of the ramble convention and the state legislature that met immediately thereafter demonstrated the unrepentant attitude of Texans.

Deportment of the Constitutional Convention :

The convention refused to repudiate the ordinance of succession the state had adopted in 1861 withdrawing from the The states. Rather, the delegates declared that the ordinance of secession was zilch and void, which left the impression that secession was still a constitutional selection and that only the loss of the Civil State of war rendered secession goose egg and void.

While the constitutional convention recognized that the establishment of slavery was dead equally a result of the state of war, it refused to ratify the 13th amendment. Ex-slaves were given a few limited rights under the constitution but were denied about of import rights, including citizenship, the right to vote, and the correct to hold office.

The convention allowed all laws passed during the Amalgamated period to stand unless they were directly related to the war or violated the country Constitution of 1845.

The convention repudiated all state debts incurred during the war irrespective of whether or not they were in support of the rebellion.

Deportment of the Eleventh State Legislature:

The new legislature refused to ratify either the 13th or the new 14th amendment to the Constitution of the Usa, which granted citizenship and all the rights of citizenship to ex-slaves.

The legislature enacted Black Codes severely limiting the rights of ex-slaves in the Lone Star state.

The legislature appointed Oran Yard. Roberts (president of the secessionist convention of 1861 in Texas) equally a U. S. senator to stand for Texans in Washington, D. C.

Despite the failure of the constitutional convention to meet several of President Johnson'south requirements for readmission and the further effronteries of the Texas legislature, President Johnson declared that Reconstruction in Texas was complete and Texas eligible for readmission to the union of states as of August 20, 1866. Congress felt otherwise. At the very time that Texas was attempting to regain access to the Matrimony, the U. S. Congress was in the procedure of rejecting President Johnson'southward unabridged program of Reconstruction and implementing its ain program. In late 1866 and early 1867 Congress did just that. Texas would be required to first the procedure all over again.

Congressional Reconstruction

The institutional crisis over Reconstruction policy reached its peak in 1867 when the Congress began the impeachment process of President Johnson over supposed violation of the Tenure of Office Act. At the aforementioned time, Congress fix frontward its own requirements for readmission in March, 1867. It was a much more stringent program than that envisioned by either President Lincoln or President Johnson. Congressional Reconstruction was passed over the veto of embattled Johnson.

Requirements of Congressional Reconstruction:

Before qualifying for readmission, Southern states would take to hold constitutional conventions which took each of the post-obit steps:

• ratify the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments to the federal Constitution and include the same guarantees as amendments to new state constitutions

• repudiate the ordinances of secession, the Confederate war debt, and all laws passed during the Confederate period
• submit state constitutions that were "acceptable" to the U. South. Congress

Congress realized that such demands were totally unacceptable to those in the South every bit long as traditional antebellum leaders retained ability. Therefore, Congress took two additional steps to strength the compliance of the S.

• The states of the South would be under armed forces occupation until the entire Reconstruction process was complete. Armed services commanders were at present given tremendous political power past Congress to force the amenability of the South to congressional demands. General Philip Sheridan's removal of duly-elected Governor James Throckmorton as an impediment to Reconstruction and his appointment of Due east. M. Pease every bit his replacement is but one example of the influence wielded past the war machine at this time.

• Only those individuals who could swear the "fe clad oath" would be eligible to vote and to participate in the political process. Individuals who had participated in either secession or the Amalgamated war endeavour were to be temporarily disfranchised. Over the whole South, this left an electorate of 637,000 white voters and 703,000 blackness voters. In that location was, however, tremendous variability to the manner in which the iron clad oath was applied in practice. In Texas, white voters still held the majority just a sizable segment of the population (10%) was disfranchised. This included almost of the prominent "unreconstructed" officials who had always governed Texas in the by.

The Texas Reaction to Congressional Reconstruction

Texans reacted extremely negatively to the requirements set past Congress. Texans, who had refused in 1866 to ratify the 13th amendment, now were forced to formally abolish the institution of slavery, grant blacks citizenship, and to accept them as voters and officeholders at the aforementioned time that the traditional political leaders of Texas were disfranchised. Only considering of the result of the atomic number 26 clad oath and in order to rid Texas of a hated regular army of occupation did a majority of Texans grudgingly meet the requirements of Congress by adopting the Constitution of 1869.

The Constitution of 1869

The Texas Constitution of 1869 and the government which information technology created were tremendously different from past Texas experiences considering it centralized and expanded governmental ability, instituted many social welfare programs, and sought to bring the ex-slave more fully into the political system.

ane. Centralization of Power in the Governor'due south Office

The governor's term was lengthened from two to 4 years and his bacon was increased significantly. The governor was also given much greater appointment and removal power. This allowed him control over state officials and policy. In conjunction with additional powers granted by the legislature, the governor of Texas became a true master executive of state government for the commencement time ever.

2. Expansion of Governmental Action

The Constitution of 1869 created the first statewide public schoolhouse arrangement financed by public lands and taxation. This was only i of a number of social welfare activities permitted under the new constitution.

3. Minority Participation

Black Texans were enfranchised past and held governmental part.

The Reconstruction Administration of Governor Due east. J. Davis

Congressional Reconstruction brought on the governorship of Due east. J. Davis, the first Republican governor in the history of the land and the final for over a century to come up. His actions as governor from 1870 through 1873 and those of the 12th Legislature would make this period highly unpopular among the majority of Texans. Each of the post-obit actions played a part.

1. State Militia

The Twelfth Legislature, in which Republican members were a leading force, empowered the creation of a land militia system under the control of Governor Davis. The governor was empowered to use the militia to maintain law and order when local officials failed or refused to do so.

2. Land Constabulary

The State Police were a permanent force, every bit opposed to the state militia, which had the authority to operate anywhere in the state, overruling local law enforcement officials. The Country Law were a relatively efficient group simply they were hated at the fourth dimension because blacks made up a sizable portion of the force and information technology was used to put downwardly unruly and trigger-happy groups opposing Reconstruction.

3. The Enabling Act

This legislation allowed Governor Davis to fill some viii,500 jobs in government at every level in Texas that had been made vacant by enforcement of the iron clad oath. Such appointive ability in the hands of the governor was unprecedented in Texas where Jacksonian Democracy had always kept governors weak.

4. Martial Law

Governor Davis declared martial constabulary in Limestone, Freestone, Hill, and Walker Counties when law enforcement mechanism broke downwardly. He thus sent in the State Constabulary to quell disorder. Historians today maintain the necessity of these actions but they were exceedingly unpopular at the time.

5. The Radical Legislative Program

Reconstruction legislatures across the S have been charged with incredible corruption and lavish spending. In that location is some truth to these charges, just the same can exist said for northern state legislatures and the federal government at the same time. There tin be no question, still, that the Reconstruction legislature in Texas pursued a much more agile and expensive program than Texas had ever seen before. Public funds were used to create a public schoolhouse system, to subsidize the construction of railroads in the land, and to construct a road arrangement.

The Davis administration and Congressional Reconstruction were exceedingly unpopular amidst the majority of Texans for multiple reasons. They were achieved past outside strength through an army of occupation and centralized governmental power where Texans had always preferred decentralization. They pursued active government where Texans had e'er preferred small, inactive, and cheaper government. Large numbers of Texans were disfranchised by the iron clad oath while blacks were enfranchised. The coercive force of the state militia, state law, and martial law enraged the majority as did the fact that Reconstruction placed state government in the hands of Republicans.

Given the tremendous unpopularity and aberration of Congressional Reconstruction, it is understandable that Texans moved to undo everything associated with Reconstruction as soon as the state was readmitted to the Spousal relationship and the iron clad oath and military occupation came to an end.

The process of undoing Reconstruction began in October, 1871 when Texans removed the state's four U. South. Representatives in a special ballot and replaced them with four unreconstructed Democrats.

Democrats regained control of the Texas legislature in belatedly 1872 as a event of elections in which Texans vented their wrath on the Republicans. Almost immediately the Thirteenth Legislature repealed virtually of the "radical" legislative program enacted by the previous trunk and removed some of the governor's most significant powers.

In December, 1873, Texans removed Governor Davis from office in favor of an unreconstructed Democrat, Richard Coke.

In 1875 Texans held a constitutional convention to replace the Constitution of 1869 which had been forced on the state and which the bulk of Texans regarded as anathema. In 1876 Texans adopted our present constitution which was designed to foreclose a recurrence of agile government forevermore. With the adoption of the Constitution of 1876 by Texas voters, the undoing of Reconstruction was complete.

Enduring Impacts of Reconstruction in Texas

While the dismantling of Reconstruction was consummate in Texas by 1876, the touch on of this experience lasted far beyond that appointment. The Republican party was discredited in the Lonely Star land for almost one hundred years, in large part because of its association with this unpopular period. Similarly discredited was active, interventionary government. Texans had seen such a government during Reconstruction. The majority were convinced it had done things to them not done things for them. They were adamant to prevent any recurrence. Government would exist kept as small and equally weak as at all possible in the aftermath. Reconstruction besides produced the exceedingly restrictive Constitution of 1876, under which the state of Texas still attempts to function today. Finally, the Reconstruction experience created a bitterness against black Texans that would filibuster the attainment of equal rights for a full century.

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Source: https://www.austincc.edu/lpatrick/his1693/reconstr.html

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