Ulysses S. Grant was elected the 18th president in 1868 as the Republican candidate supported by many black voters. During his presidency, the 15th Amendment was passed, guaranteeing voting rights for all citizens regardless of race. After the Civil War, the Republican-led public works programs rebuilt infrastructure across the South while the Southern Homestead Act aimed to provide land for freed slaves but largely offered unsuitable swampland.
2. I. Ulysses S. Grant becomes 18th President in 1868
A. Ran as a Republican, voted for by most blacks
B. 15th Amendment passed under Grant
Voting rights for all citizens
3. II. Conditions in the Postwar South
A. Public Works Programs (under
Republicans)
Rebuilt destroyed buildings, railroads, bridges,
roads and farms- built schools and orphanages
4. B. Scalawags- White Southerners who joined
the Republican Party
Some supported Reconstruction, some just
wanted power
C. Carpetbaggers- Northerners who moved to
the South during Reconstruction
Some helped former slaves (teachers,
ministers), some were con men
5. III. Southern economy- few blacks had money for
land
A. “40 acres and a mule”- Promised by General
Sherman to all slaves that followed his army
6. 1. 40,000 free slaves settled in FL and GA,
evicted by President Johnson
2. 1866- Southern Homestead Act- set aside
44 million acres of land for free blacks
Swampland, unsuitable for farming