...Reconstruction: The Post War Era Lindsay Pone Professor Goldstein History 105 Strayer University 01/30/2013 Reconstruction: The Post Civil War Era Friday April 12, 1861, America embarked into war with its biggest adversary; America! The American Civil War broke out, and what was believed to be a quick battle by the North, turned out to be a long bloody four years and left the country devastated. President Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president of the United States, successfully lead this country through its greatest constitutional, military and moral crisis. Everything he did was in the best interest in preserving this nation to what it is today. If President Lincoln task of preserving the union would have failed, our nation would be a split nation today. All the events of the Civil War are what truly shaped the face of America today. The President knew that if he wanted to preserve this nation as a whole, not only would he have to win the war, but he would have to have a plan in place to immediately fix the nation to help it move forward from war. During his time in the white house and towards the end of the war, when it was evident the North would prevail, he worked on a reconstruction plan to get the South up and moving. During the war, the northern armies had gone through the South destroying everything that would help the south to prevail in the war. The agricultural belt that was the strength of the was nothing more than ashes as...
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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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...Guide 1 – Reconstruction The 13th Amendment to the United States Constitution officially outlaws slavery and involuntary servitude, except as punishment for a crime. The 14th Amendment to the United States Constitution is one of the post-Civil War amendments and it includes the Due Process and Equal Protection Clauses. It defines who is a citizen of the US. The 14th amendment states that states must provide equal protection to all people. The Fifteenth Amendment (Amendment XV) to the United States Constitution prohibits each government in the United States from denying a citizen the right to vote based on that citizen's "race, color, or previous condition of servitude" (for example, slavery). The Civil Rights Act of 1866, 14 Stat. 27, enacted April 9, 1866, is a federal law in the United States that was mainly intended to protect the civil rights of African-Americans, in the wake of the American Civil War. The Act was enacted by Congress in 1865 but it was vetoed by President Andrew Johnson. The Freedmen's Bureau Bill, which created the Freedmen's Bureau, was initiated by President Abraham Lincoln and was intended to last for one year after the end of the Civil War. Andrew Johnson (December 29, 1808 – July 31, 1875) was the 17th President of the United States (1865–1869). As Vice President of the United States in 1865, he succeeded Abraham Lincoln following his assassination. Johnson then presided over the initial and contentious Reconstruction era of the...
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...Name: __________________________ Date: _____________ 1.|Congressmen who favored vigorous Reconstruction measures held that| A)|although particular southerners had erred, the Union itself had endured through the Civil War.| B)|the Reconstruction process outlined in the Constitution should be closely followed.| C)|the president had sole responsibility for Reconstruction.| D)|the Confederate states, by seceding and making war against the United States, lost their status as states and should now be treated as conquered territories.| 2.|The First Reconstruction Act| A)|recognized the legitimacy of existing southern state governments.| B)|extended federal support for the education of freedmen in the South.| C)|guaranteed freedmen the right to vote.| D)|confiscated large southern plantations and divided them into smaller plots of land.| 3.|The black codes enacted in the South after the Civil War showed that southerners| A)|were willing to allow African Americans equality under law.| B)|sought to return African Americans to a position of servility.| C)|recognized the need for providing basic education for African Americans.| D)|would leave the destiny of African Americans up to African Americans themselves.| 4.|Andrew Johnson's initial plan for Reconstruction| A)|demonstrated an unforgiving hatred of all southerners.| B)|protected the political rights of freed slaves in the South.| C)|attempted, at least temporarily, to deny power to wealthy southern...
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...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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...The Reconstruction IB History of the Americas HL November 10, 2014 The Reconstruction from 1865—1877 would prove to be, in many ways, more difficult than the war itself, despite the victory of the Northern States. Furthermore, many questions began to arise regarding post-war reparations. Because there were so many different views of how the Reconstruction was to be accomplished there was tremendous conflict. After four years of war, despite defeat, some of the southerners remained defiant in returning to the Union. In addition, the roles of liberated blacks were also in question. Although there was conflict, the Reconstruction fulfilled its aims to the extent of granting freedom to liberated blacks, restoring the southern states to the Union and reestablishing their political structure, and the establishment of civil rights for liberated blacks. This was executed through the Presidential, Congressional and Military Reconstructions. To begin, the Presidential Reconstruction was the beginning of defining the voice of freedom for liberated blacks after the civil war. Furthermore, the Presidential Reconstruction began the upstart of a political war as principal Reconstruction proposals and plans were beginning to be implemented in order reform the Union. In 1863, Abraham Lincoln introduces his “10 percent” Reconstruction Plan. Although it is eventually replaced by Andrew Johnson’s own Reconstruction proclamation in 1865, it proposed that a state could be readmitted into...
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...The reconstruction era of the United States lasted from 1865 after the end of the Civil War to the beginning of President Hayes term. There were three main plans for reconstruction, Lincoln’s plan, Johnston’s plan and the Radical Republican’s plan. Lincoln’s plan included amnesty to Southerners who took a oath of loyalty to the United States with the exception of some, and that when ten percent of a state’s voters in the 1860 presidential election had taken the oath the state could organize a new government. Johnston’s plan required states to ratify the thirteenth amendment and offered amnesty to Southerners who took a vote of loyalty except former high ranking confederate leaders and those with over 20,000 dollars of property. The Radical...
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...our lifetime. Many great leaders have come and gone, all of them bring different objectives and plan for our future. As we move on, though, so does all of their “Radical Movements”. One such movement was reconstruction. Reconstruction was a period in our nations time some of us would like to forget. Can it really be said, though, that reconstruction was a complete failure? That all it did was make times hard for freed slaves in the U.S. I for one think that Reconstruction was both a success and a failure. When reconstruction first began in 1865, the people of America had just gotten over the brutal and destructive Civil War. In actually, reconstruction...
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...quickly as possible from the Civil War and planned to reunify the nation quickly. | he was assassinated in 1865 only days after Robert E. Lee’s surrender. | plans for Reconstruction were taken over by Vice President Andrew Johnson, who became president after Lincoln’s death. | President Andrew Johnson | to reunite the United States especially those who served the country. | He messed up with the Radical Republicans when he was forgave them and also by allowing Confederates to return to power. | the Republicans took control of the majority in both the House and the Senate and, Congress began passing bills that would change Reconstruction policy. | Radical Republicans | control of Reconstruction, also wanted change for the South | President Johnson vetoed many bills that Congress passed | Republicans and the Radicals joined together, thusly were able to override the president's vetoes and put their plans in action. | Southern Democrats | Change in Congress and remove the last of the federal troops in the south | they had to be approved to make Rutherford B. Hayes president in 1876 | They agreed to accept Hayes if he removed all remaining federal troops from the South and named a Southern Democrat. | PART 2 What was the main issue relating to Reconstruction that divided Republicans at the end of the Civil War? If you had been a member of Congress at the time, what type of plan for Reconstruction would you have supported...
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...The civil war and the inception of the US constitution played a critical and pivotal role in the reconstruction of the modern US society. From these events, it was possible for the United States to become a single state and a unified nation, which finally ended slavery and thus expanded the applicable ideals that led to the declaration of independence. Historians argue that the civil war remains to be a critical event in the United States history; this is because this war was able to end the animosity caused by the inevitable climax of conflicts and sectional tensions. This paper will discuss the evolution of the modern US society from the inception of the constitution through the civil war and reconstruction. United States constitution remains to be the oldest constitution in the world and since its inception in 1787; it has played a critical role in the development of the modern US society (Sammis, 1997). Historians argue that the United States constitution has helped in providing a remarkable degree of political stability in the US, a country known for its social diversity. According to law experts, since the inception of the US constitution it has been possible to silence matters that seem to be sensitive in regards to the modern way of living. Moreover, the US constitution enabled the sanctions of the slavery, which remained to be the cause of the animosity before the civil war. On the other hand, before the US civil war, the then US President Abraham Lincoln had began...
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...The Union victory in the Civil war in 1865 gave millions of slaves their freedom. Although they were free former slaves had many new 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...
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...as possible from the Civil War and planned to reunify the nation quickly | he was assassinated in 1865 only days after Robert E. Lee’s surrender | plans for Reconstruction were taken over by Vice President Andrew Johnson, who became president after Lincoln’s death | President Andrew Johnson | to reunite the nation by including amnesty for all who swore loyalty to the United States | he infuriated the Radical Republicans who thought he was too forgiving by allowing Confederates to return to power | the Republicans gained an overwhelming majority in both the House and the Senate and, Congress began passing bills that would change Reconstruction policy. | Radical Republicans | change for the South and, wanted to take control of Reconstruction | President Johnson vetoed many bills that Congress passed | many other Republicans joined the Radicals and together, Republicans in Congress were able to override the president's vetoes and put their plans in action. | Southern Democrats | the removal of all remaining federal troops from the South and a change in Congress | they had to approve the decision of the commission to make Rutherford B. Hayes president in the election of 1876 | They agreed to accept Hayes if he removed all remaining federal troops from the South and named a Southern Democrat to his Cabinet. | //////// June 27th 2013 01.04 Rebuilding the Government: Assignment PART 1 PART 2 What was the main issue relating to Reconstruction that divided Republicans...
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...1.5.3 Test (TS): Post Civil War America! ! ! Test! U.S. History since the Civil War Sem 1 (S2561969)! ! ! SU14-Alex Sanford! Points possible: 60! ! ! ! ! ! Unit Six Big Question: What were the social and political consequences of the Civil War? What factors led to the expansion of the United States during the period after the Civil War, and what were the effects of expansion?! Section 1: Short Answer Questions (30 points)! Write multi-sentence responses for the prompts below. Be specific and give examples from the history we have learned.! A. An amendment to the U.S. Constitution changes laws for the entire country. Three amendments changed laws especially for African Americans. Explain how each of the following amendments changed the law for African Americans. (10 points total)! ! a. Thirteenth Amendment (3 points)! ! ! The Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution abolished slavery and involuntary servitude, except as punishment for a crime. It freed all African Americans and prevented them from being forced to return to slavery.! ! ! b. Fourteenth Amendment (4 points)! ! ! ! c. Fifteenth Amendment (3 points)! ! ! ! The amendment addresses citizenship rights and equal protection of the laws, and was proposed in response to issues related to former slaves following the American Civil War. All African Americans were now counted for purposes of representation.! The Fifteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution prohibits the federal and...
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...the Civil War came 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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...The Reconstruction Era was during the time of 1865-1877 lasting 12 years. Previously before the reconstruction era Abraham Lincoln was re-elected President of the United States with Andrew Johnson as his Vice- President. After Lincoln and Johnson were inaugurated the Confederacy later collapsed. During this time the Civil War had just ended, in result approximately 4 million slaves were allowed their freedom.(Source) However, after the Civil War ended no reconstruction plan was put into effect causing Lincoln to come up with proposals to rebuild America. Lincoln did not live to put his proposals to test; John Wilkes Booth assassinated him on April 14, 1865 allowing Andrew Johnson in May to take over his Presidency. Moreover, Johnson started...
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