In this Grade 8 lesson from IMPACT California Social Studies, students examine how Radical Republicans took control of Reconstruction policy following the Civil War, exploring the conflict between Congress and President Johnson over the rights of freed African Americans. Students analyze the black codes passed by Southern states, the Civil Rights Act of 1866, and the roles of the Thirteenth and Fourteenth Amendments in shaping federal authority and citizenship. The lesson also develops skills in analyzing point of view and constitutional structure as students trace how new legislation challenged discriminatory laws in the post-war South.
Section 1
Introduction: The Conflict Over Reconstruction
After the Civil War, the United States faced a huge question: How should the defeated Southern states rejoin the Union? This period of rebuilding was called Reconstruction. Leaders disagreed strongly on the best way forward.
Presidents Abraham Lincoln and Andrew Johnson favored a quick and lenient plan. They wanted to welcome the South back with few punishments, hoping to heal the nation's wounds as fast as possible.
Section 2
Southern Defiance: The Black Codes
Under President Johnson's lenient Reconstruction plan, Southern states quickly passed laws known as black codes. These laws were designed to control the lives and labor of newly freed African Americans.
The codes limited the types of jobs African Americans could hold and restricted where they could live or travel. Some laws allowed officials to arrest unemployed Black people and force them to work for white landowners. This system created conditions that closely resembled slavery.
Section 3
Congress Legislates for Citizenship and Rights
A major disagreement broke out between President Andrew Johnson and a group in Congress known as the Radical Republicans. Johnson's lenient plans for the South did not do enough to protect formerly enslaved people, and he vetoed laws designed to help them.
In response, Congress took control. They passed the Civil Rights Act of 1866 over the president's veto. They then proposed the Fourteenth Amendment, which defined all people born in the U.S. as citizens and guaranteed them "equal protection of the laws." This victory gave Congress the authority to lead Reconstruction.
Section 4
Military Rule and the Impeachment of Johnson
Frustrated by President Johnson's opposition, Radical Republicans took full control. They passed the Reconstruction Acts, which divided the South into five military districts. The U.S. Army would now enforce federal law and protect the rights of freedpeople, overriding the new state governments Johnson had approved.
This power struggle led to a constitutional crisis. After Johnson deliberately violated a law passed by Congress, the House of Representatives voted to impeach him. He was formally charged with wrongdoing but was narrowly saved from removal by a single vote in the Senate.
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Section 1
Introduction: The Conflict Over Reconstruction
After the Civil War, the United States faced a huge question: How should the defeated Southern states rejoin the Union? This period of rebuilding was called Reconstruction. Leaders disagreed strongly on the best way forward.
Presidents Abraham Lincoln and Andrew Johnson favored a quick and lenient plan. They wanted to welcome the South back with few punishments, hoping to heal the nation's wounds as fast as possible.
Section 2
Southern Defiance: The Black Codes
Under President Johnson's lenient Reconstruction plan, Southern states quickly passed laws known as black codes. These laws were designed to control the lives and labor of newly freed African Americans.
The codes limited the types of jobs African Americans could hold and restricted where they could live or travel. Some laws allowed officials to arrest unemployed Black people and force them to work for white landowners. This system created conditions that closely resembled slavery.
Section 3
Congress Legislates for Citizenship and Rights
A major disagreement broke out between President Andrew Johnson and a group in Congress known as the Radical Republicans. Johnson's lenient plans for the South did not do enough to protect formerly enslaved people, and he vetoed laws designed to help them.
In response, Congress took control. They passed the Civil Rights Act of 1866 over the president's veto. They then proposed the Fourteenth Amendment, which defined all people born in the U.S. as citizens and guaranteed them "equal protection of the laws." This victory gave Congress the authority to lead Reconstruction.
Section 4
Military Rule and the Impeachment of Johnson
Frustrated by President Johnson's opposition, Radical Republicans took full control. They passed the Reconstruction Acts, which divided the South into five military districts. The U.S. Army would now enforce federal law and protect the rights of freedpeople, overriding the new state governments Johnson had approved.
This power struggle led to a constitutional crisis. After Johnson deliberately violated a law passed by Congress, the House of Representatives voted to impeach him. He was formally charged with wrongdoing but was narrowly saved from removal by a single vote in the Senate.
Book overview
Jump across lessons in the current chapter without opening the full course modal.
Continue this chapter