Effects on the South

After the south surrendered they realized they lost a lot more than just the war. Many lives were lost, homes were destroyed, cities were ruined, and building were destroyed. However, the damage went beyond physical damage, many southerns faced starvation. Where there used to be rich farm land now was destroyed land and barren. Many of the southern farm animals had been killed or had run away. The South was struggling and there was still tension between the blacks and the whites. The south came up with "Black Codes". The "Black Codes" applied to African Americans. They were not allowed to vote, own land, or work certain jobs.

The reconstruction plan of Johnson and Lincoln were very similar, but the reconstruction plan of the congress was completely different. The congress wanted to punish the southern former slave owners. They wanted a majority of the people to pledge loyalty. Johnson and Lincoln wanted to pardon southerners who took oath instead of punishing them. They only wanted 10% to pledge loyalty to rejoin the union.

Many northerners move south to help with the reconstruction of the south. They were called carpetbaggers. They were elected to political office in the south. They took advantage of people and made money through corruption.

On the plantations slave labor could no longer be used, so LOW wages were paid to former enslaved people. The profit of the plantation owners was decreased, because of this two new styles of farming were invented; Tenant Farming and Sharecroppers.