...Lincoln’s plans for Reconstruction were shaped by his view of the Civil War. He believed that it was unconstitutional for the Confederacy to secede. He therefore did not recognize the Confederacy as ever having been a “separate” country from the United States. In 1864, the Civil War was nearly over, and President Lincoln wanted to reunite the country as quickly as possible. He began to develop a plan for Reconstruction to achieve his goal. He even chose a southerner, Andrew Johnson, as his running mate during the 1864 election because he felt that this would improve the relationship between the Union states and the Confederate states. The first part of Lincoln’s plan for Reconstruction was to offer amnesty to the former Confederate states....
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...Overall, lincoln had the best plan for reconstruction. Lincoln introduced his lenient Reconstruction plan and once that was formed, the new government was to abolish slavery. Lincolns Reconstruction Plan was also known as the 10% plan which said that southern states could be permitted once again into the Union once 10% of its voters swore an oath of allegiance to the Union...President Lincoln wanted to convince Congress to accept his Reconstruction plan. Many Republicans in Congress thought Lincoln's plan was too generous toward the South The Emancipation Proclamation is said to be the major turning point in slavery, however the only slaves that were to be set free were those that lived in the states that where part of the confederacy and...
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...If Abraham Lincoln had not been shot and continued his reconstruction plan, would the United States be a stronger nation today? Lincoln had a detailed plan that would help the United States become one country and unite blend everyone together. The U.S. would be stronger if Lincoln had not been assassinated. It was his plan to unite our nation and make it stronger than ever. Lincoln wanted the north and the south to join each other so that they could get along and live in harmony. Northerns would probably argue with the southerners about having slaves in their area and about having slaves work for them or vice versa. Lincoln felt that by freeing slaves with Emancipation Proclamation, it would help our nation. The freeing...
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...even for a strong man like Lincoln, but when Johnson, inexperienced in politics takes over the task become more or less impossible. Lincoln's assassination had a negative impact on the country after the Civil War because the South would have been better off with Lincoln's plan and Johnson accomplished nothing during his presidency. Lincoln's plan for governmental Reconstruction was flawless, until Johnson came along and ruined it. Lincoln's plan for Reconstruction was fair and peaceful; consequently he released the Proclamation of Amnesty and Reconstruction in 1863. He believed the proclamation would muster northern support for the war and meanwhile persuade tiring Confederate soldiers to give up (Coyne and Bolotin). The proclamation permitted full pardons to all Southerners - except high-ranking...
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...to end as news spread of Lincoln’s assassination. With Lincoln’s Reconstruction plan created, Andrew Johnson now took on the role of president of the United States. Abraham Lincoln’s assassination created animosity between Johnson and Congress and an unhappy white population, all whilst paved the way for blacks to vote. Following Lincoln’s assassination, animosity was brewing between Johnson and Congress. Johnson intended to carry out Lincoln’s plan for Reconstruction. His views reflected his steadfast Unionism and his firm belief in states’ rights. In the beginning of his presidency, Johnson wished to have Southern states return to the Union. He granted immunity to former...
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...Alexa Leon 1/12/16 1.1.3 Journal: Reconciliation or Punishment There were three main different reconstruction plans. One was President Lincoln’s plan, another President Johnson’s plan, and lastly the radical plan. Lincoln’s reconstruction plan was to offer the South and all former confederates amenity or pardon. His plan also stated that southern states if having a 10% vote from its citizens would be reimbursed into the union and a new constitution written for that state. Unlike the radical Republicans reconstruction plan lincoln did not want to punish the south but instead wanted them to rejoin the union as quickly as possible. President Johnson’s which was Lincoln’s successor took up the threads where Lincoln had left off. Johnson’s plan was somewhat similar to where Lincoln’s but pleased congress and the radical republicans more so, because Johnson started confiscating land from the wealthy aristocratic southerners. His plan was to grant pardon to exconfederates but if you would have to get a pardon from the president himself. Johnson’s, unlike Lincoln’s plan was more hesitant to provide protection to the newly freed black men. The radicals reconstruction plan was unlike Johnson’s or Lincoln’s. For instead of wanting the south to rejoin the union the radicals wanted to punish the south instead. Their plan wanted to put into action the ironclad oath where former confederates or anyone else who had actively supported the confederates would not be allowed to vote...
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...southern forces and the government of the Confederacy crumbled, there were southern sympathizers who still refused to back down. They would not accept the war won victory of the North. Among these was a Maryland native and famed actor, John Wilkes Booth, who developed plans during the war to kidnap Lincoln and his advisors and hold them as bargaining chips. The end of the war did not quash Booth’s plans, in fact, it only strengthened and modified them. He blamed Lincoln for all that had befallen the south and conspired with a group of friends to kill Lincoln, Vice President Andrew Johnson, Secretary of State William Seward and General Ulysses S. Grant on April 14, 1865. His cohorts did not complete their end of the plan, but on that night, Booth entered Lincoln’s box at Ford’s Theater and shot the 16th President in the head and changed the course of history. The assassination of President Abraham Lincoln by John Wilkes Booth was not successful in protecting the South after the Civil War as Booth predicted; but instead, enraged Northern representatives in Congress, installed a new president who was unable to negotiate Lincoln’s envisioned moderate “restoration” of the South, and evoked a punitive “reconstruction” that would produce ill will between both sides for decades to come. Lincoln offered moderate terms for the seceded states to re-enter the union prior to Lee’s surrender. Confederates would only have to vow an oath of loyalty to the Union to receive their pardon. ...
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...challenges to face during the rebuilding of the South. This time period is known as Reconstruction (1865- 1877). The reason this time is called Reconstruction is because this was the period when the federal government restored the seceded states to the Union. During the era of Reconstruction there were massive changes in American culture, economy, and politics. Before the Civil war was over President Abraham Lincoln began to prepare his plan for Reconstruction. Lincoln’s plan for Reconstruction was one of forgiveness, he did not want to punish the southerners. Lincoln’s plan for Reconstruction was that a southern state could be readmitted to the Union once 10 percent of its voters, who voted in the 1860 election, swore an oath of allegiance to the Union, this plan was called the “10 Percent Plan”. Radical Republicans did not agree with President Lincoln’s plan and they came up with their own plan to counter President Lincoln’s. This plan was the “Wade Davis Bill”, which required 50 percent of a states registered voters to swear an ironclad oath of allegiance to the Unites States. President Lincoln was able to block this bill from passing, but unfortunately he was assassinated before he was able to act on his plan for Reconstruction. President Lincoln’s assassination was a major turning point for this time in history. If President Lincoln had not been assassinated I think the Reconstruction would have been rough but I think he would have tried to make the transition smoother...
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...Lincoln’s Vision for Reconstruction: In 1863 after the Union victories at the battles of Gettysburg Pennsylvania, President Lincoln started preparing for reconstruction to reunify the North and South after the war end. During the same year he issued the Proclamation of Amnesty and Reconstruction. To attract the poor whites, he offered to pardon all Confederate and to appeal to the former plantation owner and the elites, he swear to protect private property. His plan for Reconstruction was based on forgiveness and generosity. “ But with the death of President Lincoln in the hopes of Reconstruction would end in failure” ( CCN, week 4 lesson). “The Radical Republican: Did not agreed with Lincoln’s plan to for forgiveness, in fact they ”insisted that the Confederate states pay for their crimes and supported Sherman’s plan to confiscate Confederate land and give it to the slaves” ( CCN, week 4 lesson). They felt that Lincoln’s plan was not harsh enough and that the south should be punished for causing the war. They plan was to assure civil liberties for former slaves with no voting rights and destroy the South’s slave society. The Vice President Andrew Johnson: Became President shortly after the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln in 1865. Like Lincoln, Johnson wanted to restore the union as soon possible. Even though, Johnson disrelished the southern aristocrats by indicating that he intended to deal with the south in a harshly manor, it was not visible. He returned confiscated...
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...Appomattox Courthouse, it was obvious that making amends between the conflicting regions was going to be a difficult task. Reconstruction was a period plagued by conflict because there was no precedent or blueprints on how to deal with secession because the Founding Fathers never thought it would happen. There were several different ideas on how to go about Reconstruction, but they all conflicted with one another. I agree with these different plans by Lincoln, Johnson, and Congress to a certain extent, the Reconstruction policies were mediocre and could have been improved, Southern resistance was provoked but not justified, and lastly the most lasting impact of Reconstruction was the increase...
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...RECONSTRUCTION, WHAT WENT WRONG I. Historiography of Reconstruction A. Early Views Journalists, Poets, & Rebels Negative view of Reconstruction Sidney Andrews, The South Since the War (1866) John Dennett, The South as It Is. Southern frame of reference Sidney Lanier (poet) Attempt to justify Civil War B. Early Professional Historians John Ford Rhodes Ohio Democrat Not impartial Blamed North for problems of Reconstruction’ Claimed Black Rule forced on South at point of bayonet John William Burgess Tennessee Unionist Former Union soldier Studied at University of Berlin Organized History Graduate Program at Columbia University Produced historians such as U.B. Phillips and William Archibald Dunning Traditionalist view of Reconstruction Burgess, Phillips & Dunning Basic view: Stressed Southern problems Minimized achievements of Freedmen Regarded White Supremacy as normal in South C. Dunning School And Traditionalism William Archibald Dunning Taught at Columbia University Attracted best historical minds of his day Wrote histories of their own states James W. Garner, Reconstruction in Mississippi (1901) Walter Lynwood Fleming, Civil War and Reconstruction in Alabama (1905) William W. Davis, Civil War and Reconstruction in Florida (1913) Clara Mildred Thompson, Reconstruction in Georgia (1915) Histories very detailed and accurate BUT hostile...
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...After the civil war, most of the lands were destroyed on both sides, those who suffered most were the Southerners. The whole country was moaning and burying their dead. Lots of people were homeless especially the African Americans but it was the born of freedom. People had to return to their normal daily lives. Everything has been destroyed and they have to try and forgive each other and see the way forward. Andrew Johnson who became the president after Abraham Lincoln was assassinated had to find ways and reconstruction the nation. There were three plans for Reconstruction, Lincoln’s plan, Johnson’s plan and the Radical Republican plan. Lincoln’s plan was to unify the nation after the war, therefore issued the Proclamation of Amnesty and...
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...Following the end of the Civil War, the United States entered a period known as Reconstruction. Reconstruction was essentially a time that was aimed at rebuilding and unifying the United States. This, however, was not at all an easy task. The United States was still trying to recover from the devastating, painful repercussions that had been embedded in the hearts and minds of countless people. Nevertheless, the nation needed to be restored and/or rebuilt immediately. The Reconstruction Era set out to do just that. It was a time that posed many debates and questions. For instance, what role would the federal government have in securing civil rights? In addition, what would the stipulations be in permitting the Confederate states to rejoin the Union and what should be done with the emancipated slaves? There were ultimately three main plans laid out in order to crack the many unanswered questions. The plans were as follows: President Lincoln’s Plan, President Johnson’s Plan, and Congress’s Plan. Ultimately,...
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...The Reconstruction Era The Reconstruction Era was a rebuilding period in American history following the Civil War. After winning the war in 1865, the Union states began the exhausting process of reconstructing the United States, as well as each side's belief system. The two main goals of this era in American history was to ensure basic civil rights to former slaves, as well as reunite the North and the South to form one Union again. However, with each side having it's own agenda, accomplishing those goals proved to be quite a task. During the Reconstruction Era, several factions of American politics formed within the Republican and Democratic parties. The most noted include the Radical Republicans, Southern Conservatives, and the Southern Freedmen. Radical Republicans demanded extreme policies be put in place for Confederate states, and stressed the civil rights and liberties of former slaves. Although their agenda compared well to Lincoln's, the Radicals wanted to make re-entry into the Union a difficult one for the Confederate states. Another faction formed, the Southern Conservatives, believed the south would rise again to its former economic status, and wanted little to no rights for African-Americans. The last faction, the Southern Freedmen, saw the greatest success for ensuring the basic civil rights to former slaves. Made up of former slaves and supported by whites who believed African-Americans should have equal rights and civil liberties, the Freedman's Bureau, initiated...
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...The Radical Republicans, a group of Abraham Lincoln’s own Republican Party aided the President to make some large decisions. The group lasted for 23 years, from 1854 to 1877 and were a faction of American politicians with the Republican Party. This group agreed and disagreed with many opinions with President Lincoln, which made an impact on the result of the war and occurrences throughout it. One of the tasks the Radical Republicans and Lincoln disagreed on was the Reconstruction plan. The Radical Republicans were critical to the foundation of American because they guided an answer to a few of the important questions that Lincoln needed a second opinion on. The Radical Republicans agreed with Abraham Lincoln that the Union needed to enter and fight in the Civil War to...
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