Clarkian Reconstruction
~~
Daniel Clark now set about the long task of reconstruction. The Clark plan, as it would come to be called, involved a two front assault on Reconstruction. The first was the “Radical” phase of reconstruction. This consisted of a Constitutional end to Slavery, and a Constitutional justification for the actions of the Union prior to the war. This phase also saw the destruction of all aspects of Confederate Nationalism. The objective was to end the Confederacy as an idea, not just a physical government. Clark staid clear of such extreme measures as the Wade-Davis “Ironclad Oath”, and instead focused on a slow crush of the Confederate identity.
Clark’s first step was the appointment of a military governorship over the South. Albert Sydney Johnston, by way of his popularity, was forced upon Clark as his first choice. Clark was overjoyed when Johnston declined and left home for his family. Johnston was now well into his 60’s and was unable to take the wear and tear of political life. Many Democrats had hoped to use him to regain the White House, but his health kept him away. He would die in 1875 at the age of 72. Instead Philip Sheridan was given the governor position. Sheridan was young and popular with many in the military. He made his office in Richmond, and got to work immediately.
Philip H. Sheridan
Sheridan organized 5 districts for his subordinates. Sheridan took the 1st District, Virginia, for himself. General Grant was given the 2nd District, the Carolinas . General John Pope was given command of the 3rd District, Florida and Georgia.. General Hancock was tasked with the 4th in Tennessee and Alabama, while Alfred Pleasonton was tasked with the 5th in Louisiana, Mississippi and Arkansas. Sheridan gave them room to govern as they saw fit, but did keep a close watch. Specifically in suffrage. When the US Congress passed the 13th and 14th Amendments, Sheridan was quick to enforce them. In fact he went so far as to remove the suffrage rights of many whites and deny them the rights of citizens. He also personally oversaw the destruction of Confederate symbols. All the Confederate flags were burnt, the Tredgar Iron Works was torn down, and the Confederate Capital was destroyed.
Sheridan’s firm hand was tempered by the second phase of Reconstruction, namely the “Olive-Branch” phase. Clark wanted the nation to move on, and saw peaceful re-entry into the Union as the best way to do it. He started in Tennessee, Louisiana and Arkansas. Military command was soon replaced by appointed civilian command. Republican Governors were appointed in Louisiana and Arkansas, while a New York Democrat was appointed in Tennessee. Florida followed soon after. With each governor appointed, the state was readmitted to the Union. The requirements were that all white men had to sign an oath of fealty to the US government, and the state had to pass certain laws pertaining to fire arm control and black rights. They also had to ratify the new Amendments to the US Constitution.
The Confederate White House
Southerners tried to fight back. Most sough to re-assert Democratic control, especially in Arkansas and Florida. But the large number of blacks voting led to Republican sweeps. Soon Mississippi, Alabama and Virginia followed, and Republicans were in control across the country. There was, however, a small group of Southerners who plotted violence. The number grew with each Republican, or “Carpet-Bagger” who came South. This period saw the formation of three pro-South organizations. The “League of the South” was a political party founded by a group of ex-Confederate Officers, for a short time endorsed by Robert E. Lee. The LoS’s stated goal was to ensure a safe and secure return to the Union. Overtime however it developed into a radical and violent political party bent on bringing the Union Government into Southern hands. Another organization that arose was the Confederate Christian Army, a para-military organization charged with “defending Christian Values” in the South. It was chaired by Thomas Jackson until his death in 1900. The last organization to emerge was the Klu Klux Klan.
While the League of the South and the CCA (renamed the Southern Christian Army after 1873) were publicly peaceful and privately violent, the KKK made no distinction. They wanted to wreck the Union’s attempt at reconstruction, through violence. Lynch mobs and mass shootings occurred across the South. Confederate soldiers, supported and supplied by Plantation owners, went on rampages. After the shooting of 20 blacks at a voting office in Richmond, Sheridan struck back. He had known for some time that the many leading Southerners were behind the attacks. However his hands were tied by the power these men held. After the Richmond Massacre, he ended any pretext of peace. In a single night he arrested 20 leading Virginia and Carolina plantation owners. 10 were put to death for murder, the others given various jail times. Their leader, Robert Ransom, was the last to be caught. When a large group of Klansmen tried to free him from prison, Sheridan closed the trap. In the ensuing gunfight, the KKK was destroyed. It lost its money and its leadership, and slowly dissipated into the other pro-South groups.
The Flag of the League of the South
Despite the South’s best attempts, slavery was dead. Although the North tried to help integrate the blacks into Southern Society they could not bring about instant social change. Most Blacks went from being slaves to being surfs. They were tied to the land because they could not afford to leave. There was nothing for blacks outside the farms they lived in. Although the 1880’s saw the migration of many blacks into the North, it would be some time before blacks and whites ever reached a kind of equality. Some black schools were set up by Northern missionaries.
The greatest opportunity for many blacks was in West Virginia and in the far west. Both West Virginia and the Nebraska-Colorado area were hit hard by the war and many Whites left. Jobs and new factories were opening up, offering cheap wages to blacks who moved to work in them. The was especially true in California, which became a state in 1869. The vast fields of California crops were quickly filled with former slaves looking to make a new life. It was a black farmer who discovered the first gold, and spread the rumor of it throughout the country. The first gold rush was small, as much of the country did not want to move out west after such a costly war. But many of the disenfranchised sought to test their luck out west. California, by result, was to become a staunchly republican state, with a rapidly growing population.
~~
Daniel Clark now set about the long task of reconstruction. The Clark plan, as it would come to be called, involved a two front assault on Reconstruction. The first was the “Radical” phase of reconstruction. This consisted of a Constitutional end to Slavery, and a Constitutional justification for the actions of the Union prior to the war. This phase also saw the destruction of all aspects of Confederate Nationalism. The objective was to end the Confederacy as an idea, not just a physical government. Clark staid clear of such extreme measures as the Wade-Davis “Ironclad Oath”, and instead focused on a slow crush of the Confederate identity.
Clark’s first step was the appointment of a military governorship over the South. Albert Sydney Johnston, by way of his popularity, was forced upon Clark as his first choice. Clark was overjoyed when Johnston declined and left home for his family. Johnston was now well into his 60’s and was unable to take the wear and tear of political life. Many Democrats had hoped to use him to regain the White House, but his health kept him away. He would die in 1875 at the age of 72. Instead Philip Sheridan was given the governor position. Sheridan was young and popular with many in the military. He made his office in Richmond, and got to work immediately.
Philip H. Sheridan
Sheridan organized 5 districts for his subordinates. Sheridan took the 1st District, Virginia, for himself. General Grant was given the 2nd District, the Carolinas . General John Pope was given command of the 3rd District, Florida and Georgia.. General Hancock was tasked with the 4th in Tennessee and Alabama, while Alfred Pleasonton was tasked with the 5th in Louisiana, Mississippi and Arkansas. Sheridan gave them room to govern as they saw fit, but did keep a close watch. Specifically in suffrage. When the US Congress passed the 13th and 14th Amendments, Sheridan was quick to enforce them. In fact he went so far as to remove the suffrage rights of many whites and deny them the rights of citizens. He also personally oversaw the destruction of Confederate symbols. All the Confederate flags were burnt, the Tredgar Iron Works was torn down, and the Confederate Capital was destroyed.
Sheridan’s firm hand was tempered by the second phase of Reconstruction, namely the “Olive-Branch” phase. Clark wanted the nation to move on, and saw peaceful re-entry into the Union as the best way to do it. He started in Tennessee, Louisiana and Arkansas. Military command was soon replaced by appointed civilian command. Republican Governors were appointed in Louisiana and Arkansas, while a New York Democrat was appointed in Tennessee. Florida followed soon after. With each governor appointed, the state was readmitted to the Union. The requirements were that all white men had to sign an oath of fealty to the US government, and the state had to pass certain laws pertaining to fire arm control and black rights. They also had to ratify the new Amendments to the US Constitution.
The Confederate White House
Southerners tried to fight back. Most sough to re-assert Democratic control, especially in Arkansas and Florida. But the large number of blacks voting led to Republican sweeps. Soon Mississippi, Alabama and Virginia followed, and Republicans were in control across the country. There was, however, a small group of Southerners who plotted violence. The number grew with each Republican, or “Carpet-Bagger” who came South. This period saw the formation of three pro-South organizations. The “League of the South” was a political party founded by a group of ex-Confederate Officers, for a short time endorsed by Robert E. Lee. The LoS’s stated goal was to ensure a safe and secure return to the Union. Overtime however it developed into a radical and violent political party bent on bringing the Union Government into Southern hands. Another organization that arose was the Confederate Christian Army, a para-military organization charged with “defending Christian Values” in the South. It was chaired by Thomas Jackson until his death in 1900. The last organization to emerge was the Klu Klux Klan.
While the League of the South and the CCA (renamed the Southern Christian Army after 1873) were publicly peaceful and privately violent, the KKK made no distinction. They wanted to wreck the Union’s attempt at reconstruction, through violence. Lynch mobs and mass shootings occurred across the South. Confederate soldiers, supported and supplied by Plantation owners, went on rampages. After the shooting of 20 blacks at a voting office in Richmond, Sheridan struck back. He had known for some time that the many leading Southerners were behind the attacks. However his hands were tied by the power these men held. After the Richmond Massacre, he ended any pretext of peace. In a single night he arrested 20 leading Virginia and Carolina plantation owners. 10 were put to death for murder, the others given various jail times. Their leader, Robert Ransom, was the last to be caught. When a large group of Klansmen tried to free him from prison, Sheridan closed the trap. In the ensuing gunfight, the KKK was destroyed. It lost its money and its leadership, and slowly dissipated into the other pro-South groups.
The Flag of the League of the South
Despite the South’s best attempts, slavery was dead. Although the North tried to help integrate the blacks into Southern Society they could not bring about instant social change. Most Blacks went from being slaves to being surfs. They were tied to the land because they could not afford to leave. There was nothing for blacks outside the farms they lived in. Although the 1880’s saw the migration of many blacks into the North, it would be some time before blacks and whites ever reached a kind of equality. Some black schools were set up by Northern missionaries.
The greatest opportunity for many blacks was in West Virginia and in the far west. Both West Virginia and the Nebraska-Colorado area were hit hard by the war and many Whites left. Jobs and new factories were opening up, offering cheap wages to blacks who moved to work in them. The was especially true in California, which became a state in 1869. The vast fields of California crops were quickly filled with former slaves looking to make a new life. It was a black farmer who discovered the first gold, and spread the rumor of it throughout the country. The first gold rush was small, as much of the country did not want to move out west after such a costly war. But many of the disenfranchised sought to test their luck out west. California, by result, was to become a staunchly republican state, with a rapidly growing population.