...Reconstruction • Lincoln dies - Andrew Johnson, a Southern Democrat, becomes president Johnson the Politician • Johnson owned a few slaves and defended slavery and "states' rights" • But he was a small time farmer who did not own slaves early in his life. • He got elected by protecting the rights of non-slaveholding yeoman farmers • He proposed the Homestead Act • But he cared more about the Union than he did about slavery, so when the South seceded, he was the only Southern senator to remain loyal to the Union • That is why the republicans chose him to be Lincoln’s vice-presidential candidate in the 1864 election, so that border states with large slave-holding populations would vote for the Republican candidate • But when Lincoln died, Johnson implemented his own Reconstruction Plan during the first 8 months of his term as president. (It was based on Lincoln’s “Ten Percent Plan”) Andrew Johnson’s Reconstruction Plan • Handed out thousands of pardons to Confederate soldiers and politicians • Enforced Lincoln’s plan to admit states if they ratified the 13th Amendment • Took back the land promised to the slaves of Edisto Island, South Carolina (“40 Acres and a Mule”) • But, Johnson's plan left rebuilding the South in the hands of the same people who controlled the Southern governments during slavery • “States Rights” , to Johnson, meant not just letting the South rebuild what the Union army destroyed...
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...On April 9, 1865, the Civil War officially ended with both the North and South in debt, and with most of the South in ruins. The condition of the South was in a poorer condition than the North, attributable to the fact that the South was agrarian-base, most battles took place on their soil, and the North used total war in order to completely destroy the South. As a result of the post-Civil War condition of the United States, the Reconstruction became necessary to patch the country up and reunite the nation as one again. However, because of the death of Abraham Lincoln, the Reconstruction had only few successes with considerable failures. In the Reconstruction, there were only a few parts and aspects that were successful. For one, the Reconstruction...
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...wanted; to free the slaves. Amendments like the 13th AMendment illegalized slavery and non-voluntary acts (Thirteenth Amendment 1865). The years after the Civil War seemed like a time of rejoice and celebration for African Americans. All seemed well for minorities in America, but Congress and the people had a hard time deciding whether they let blacks be one par with their white counterparts, or restrict them to make whites the superior race. African Americans would often live in small makeshift homes since they were all so poor. Some people may have been homeless for years after the Civil War. Racism was also still a relevant topic and it was shown...
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...In 1863, Union President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, officially freeing approximately three and a half million southern slaves. Soon after, the hallmark Thirteenth Amendment was passed to free all slaves from “the Peculiar Institution.” From 1865 to 1905, southern African Americans gained official rights in the form of amendments and saw a change in their status. However, these former slaves saw an overwhelming continuation of legal, social, and economic inferiority. Therefore, the subordinate lives of ex-slaves predominantly continued over this time period. African Americans’ legal rights largely continued as inferior to the ruling whites from 1865 to 1905. While the 13th Amendment of 1865 abolished slavery, the...
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...economic strife, especially in the South. While the events of Reconstruction provided political, social, and economic gains for various groups, Reconstruction can only be described as a minor success due to its many shortcomings and failures. The most notable successes of Reconstruction include reunification of the Union, passage of the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments, and establishment of the Freedmen’s Bureau. Reuniting the Union was Lincoln’s and many other Northerners’ main focus after the Civil War, although the last ex-confederate state was not readmitted until 1870. The passage of the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments officially outlawed slavery, granted freedmen equal protection under the law, and gave black males the right to vote. While these helped equalize blacks and whites politically, the Freedmen’s Bureau was established to help provide economic and social assistance to former slaves. The bureau offered necessities like housing and food, but more importantly built schools and provided education and employment opportunities to blacks following the Civil War. With much southern resistance to the new political rights of former slaves, the...
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...The Reconstruction Era that occurred several years after the Civil War was proved to be a difficult time for many americans. Some people agree that the Reconstruction was successful in some ways, but people also agree that the Reconstruction failed socially, economically, and politically. There were not many ways in which the Reconstruction was successful. Before the Reconstruction Era occurred, congress added the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments to the United States constitution. The 13th amendment states that “Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States or and place subject to their jurisdiction…” (Doc B) This would mean...
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...anyone knowing anything about you? This is what the blacks faced everyday. Even though Congress tried to advance reconstruction it failed miserably. Most importantly, Congress issued many amendments that allowed blacks to have equal rights. In addition, Radical Republicans founded the Freedman's Bureau which helped former slaves and poor whites in need. Lastly, however white supremacist groups terrorized blacks to slow down reconstruction. From all appearances, reconstruction was placed by Congress to help, but the white supremacists groups tried to slow it down. Most importantly, Congress issued many amendments that allowed blacks to have equal rights. Although Congress issued the 15th amendment , which gave former slaves the right to vote, the 14th amendment, which gave former slaves citizenship, and the 13th amendment, that gave slaves freedom, they didn't help much. It did make some progress in Reconstruction, however people began to protest it. For example, many states issued a poll tax. The poll tax was used to prevent blacks from voting. Since, the blacks didn't have much money they didn't want to waste the little they had on voting, when they could spent it on food or clothing. In addition, Radical Republicans founded the Freedman's Bureau which helped former slaves and poor whites in need. The Freedman's Bureau was very helpful and advanced Reconstruction greatly. However, people began to protest this as well. Posters were made, rallies were held and people even passed...
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...There was a moderate political change in the lives of African Americans in the South through congressional actions regarding African American civil rights, including elections and legislation. For example, African Americans were granted their freedom from slavery by the 13th Amendment passed in 1865. Thaddeus Stevens, an anti-slavery radical republican, spoke about the need to provide for the freedmen until they could support themselves and that otherwise, they should have left them in “bondage” (Doc 1). This shows how the legislative action by Congress to create and pass the 13th Amendment created a political change in civil rights for African Americans in the South by freeing them from slavery. Secondly, the 14th Amendment granted citizenship...
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...Reconstruction: A Success Only After the Fact Teresa Gil Reconstruction, the act of putting the country back together after the divisive and bloody Civil War, is the era from the end of the Civil War until 1877. Because so much was at stake and there were so many variations about how Reconstruction should be accomplished, this was a period of enormous conflict. In the South, the primary battle was between the Planters who dominated the South economically, politically, and socially, and former slaves, who wanted legal and political equality and the ability to own land. In the federal government, the Republican Party was dominant, and the most outspoken group within the Republican Party was known as the Radical Republicans. They were the northerners who were most bitter toward the planters and the most dedicated to winning equality for former slaves. In 1865, the Radicals nevertheless came to dominate Congress with their calls for significant political and legal change in the South. One of the central conflicts within the government concerned President Johnson’s unwavering conviction that his methods were the only methods and his refusal to change any of his laws. He tried to take charge of Reconstruction, offering a plan by which the southern states would write new constitutions and re-enter the Union without having to allow political rights to the freedmen. When Johnson’s plan was put into effect, many northerners were disgusted by the results. Former Confederate leaders...
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...As you can easily sense from this debate, the Radical Republicans worked with Congress to develop the much needed and proper form of Reconstruction. They took into account the needs of all the people and what would prove the most beneficial to the country in the long run. The Congress desired to have the planter aristocracy eliminated, to have the lands of the south be properly and justly redistributed, and to boost the southern economy by promoting industrial advancements. President Lincoln’s 10 Percent Plan was clearly too soft and forgiving toward the southerners and therefore the Radical Republicans came up with the Wade-Davis Bill that was clearly the more fair and unbiased proposition for the re-admittance into the Union. I don’t know...
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...Assuming the role of a Radical Republican Senator including arguing the Radical Republicans position of Reconstruction requires examining the highlights of Andrew Johnson’s Reconstruction views for the Union, which include developing an oath under which Caucasian southerners would have to accept upon regaining personal civil including political rights furthermore all property excluding slaves would be given back to the owners. Confederate hierarchies including individuals whose property was worth a specific amount of money were discounted from taking the oath in which these individuals had to apply for an independent pardon. Under Johnson’s plan states had draft new congress including the election of state officials including congress for recognition of new state government and martial law retracted from the state. Ex-confederates influenced Andrew Johnson by methods of threatening his life, which made Johnson conform to ex-confederate influences by writing pardon after pardon while in the public spotlight Andrew Johnson’s proclaim to Reconstruction was complete. Deriving from Johnson’s absurd claim were few followers representing Moderate Republicans who conformed to Johnson while possessing some views similar to Radical Republicans who openly opposed Andrew Johnson’s Reconstruction methods. Radical Republicans idea of Reconstruction centralized on making a mirror copy of the North out of the South while Moderate Republicans hold no regard for social revolution or equality...
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...Reconstruction is the period that follows the civil war and is known as the rebuilding of the United States. It was a time full of great pain. Even after the military conflict ended reconstruction was still a war in many different ways. The struggle was waged by radical northerners who wanted to punish the Southerners who greatly wanted to preserve their way of life. Was reconstruction a success or a failure? In many ways, it was both. Reconstruction was a success because it restored the United States. Reconstruction also settled the states’ rights vs. federalism debate that was an issue since the 1970s. (Reconstruction, UShistory.org) In other ways Reconstruction was known as a failure. Radical Republican legislation initially failed to defend former slaves from white discrimination and failed to create changes to the South. The sharecropping system, which was a legal form of slavery that kept African Americans secured to land owned by wealthy white farmers, became common in the South. With minute economic power, African Americans had to fight for their rights by themselves,...
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...war caused a lot of damage and tension between the confederate and the union. Reconstruction was the time period following the civil war as the confederate and union began to reunite and join together. Some of reconstruction was successful while other goals failed to succeed. The reconstruction of the nation had a huge impact on culture, politics and economics. Despite Lincoln's tragic death in 1865, the process of reconstruction continued. However, although some parts of reconstruction benefited the nation, much of it also hurt the growing country. Culture throughout the North and South changed greatly following the civil war. One goal following the war was for blacks to be treated equal as whites. However, it was very hard for...
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...The Undefined Reconstruction When thinking about the era of Reconstruction after the Civil War what comes to mind? It is known as a period of rebuilding and piecing together broken parts. In this case, America was broken into two parts and needed fixing. The question is did Reconstruction succeed in doing so? Some may say that the Reconstruction was a failure and didn't actually put an end to slavery and still left the country divided. Others may say that it still took a step towards the right direction and fixed issues. When we assess the outcomes, the Emancipation Proclamation and the 13th Amendment would now take a step towards ending slavery and giving African American the rights they deserved. However many groups like the KKK arose because of this and White...
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...The Reconstruction Era As a country, America has gone though many political changes throughout its lifetime. Leaders have come and gone, and all of them have had their own objectives and plans for the future. As history has taken its course, though, almost all of these “revolutionary movements” have come to an end. One such movement was Reconstruction. Reconstruction was a violent period that defined the defeated South’s status in the Union and the meaning of freedom for ex-slaves. Though, like many things in life, it did come to an end, and the resulting outcome has been labeled both a success and a failure. When Reconstruction began in 1865, a broken America had just finished fighting the Civil War . In many respects, Reconstruction was a time period of attempted healing and building. It was the point where America attempted to become a full running country once more. This, though, was not an easy task. The memory of massive death was still in the front of everyone’s mind, hardening into resentment and sometimes even hatred. The south was virtually non-existent politically or economically, and searching desperately for a way into the political scene. Along with these things, now living amongst the population were almost four million former slaves, who had no idea how to make a living on their own. The former slaves had been freed by the 13th amendment in 1865, and in the future became a great concern to many political leaders. Still, it was no secret that something...
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