Abraham Lincoln's Proclamation Of Amnesty And Reconstruction

The year is 1865, the Civil War has ultimately come to an end, thus eventually leading to a new chapter in American history. The Thirteenth Amendment, passed by former president Lincoln, permanently abolished slavery all throughout the Union and Confederate states. Undoubtedly, it became the solution to reconstruct the states back together, yet it brought misfortune to the freedmen and their families. As a result, great tension and hatred instantly emerged within Southern states as African Americans shared the land now equivalent to American citizens with rights. However, freedom came with a high price.

Lincoln’s plan for reconstruction as one of his many goals was to regain representation by abolishing slavery. (Reconstruction Power Point). “…a state could be reintegrated into the Union when 10 percent of its voters… had taken oath of allegiance to the United States and pledged to abide by emancipation.” (Piehl 353). After having the Ten Percent plan introduced and Lincolns assassination, the Thirteenth Amendment freed the slaves, weakening the south.

However, it was a start to new meaning of the war and realization for the change. The passing of the Thirteenth Amendment in 1865 was what really freed the slaves once the Civil War was over. In the Thirteenth Amendment, it states in the Consitution that slavery is abolished and involuntary servitude, except as punishment for a crime” (Roark, The American Promise: A Compact History,

The end of the Civil War brought along social uneasiness within the Union. Prior to the end of the Civil War, President Lincoln declared the emancipation of slavery throughout the nation, excluding the border states, with their new found freedom came the need of new rights that the federal government must enforce. The federal government granted them citizenship, civil rights, and suffrage (Document G). The illustration found in the “Harper’s Weekly” showed how African American men were given the right to vote freely without the oppression of white supremacy, although this was the Union’s intended goal, this was not the reality of the South. There was an immense change to the lifestyle of the south.

Introduction: With the Emancipation Proclamation being declared in 1863 by Lincoln and the 13th Amendment being enacted later in 1865 all the slaves were emancipated. Due to the large number of freed slaves many of whom were non educated the equality that became immediately present had to be solved. Unlike other social gaps present in America at the time blacks were not only subjected to the ongoing philosophy of white supremacy but were also the targets of state laws which prohibited blacks from rights guaranteed by the constitution.

Union victory in the Civil War in 1865 may have given slaves their freedom, but the process of rebuilding the nation during the Reconstruction presented a whole new set of challenges. The Era of Reconstruction was the time after the Civil War where the nation attempted to promote justice and healing among the people. During this time there was a push for advancement of equal rights with the promotion of the Emancipation Proclamation (1863) and the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments to the Constitution. The Emancipation Proclamation freed the slaves of the North, followed by the 13th Amendment that abolished slavery in the United States; the 14th Amendment that defined citizenship for black males and the 15th Amendment that went on to guaranteed

After the civil war both Lincoln and the South had differing ideas for reconstruction. Although the North had won the war, tensions were still high between the two sides of the country. Lincoln wanted no persecutions, no bloody work, and to let prisoners of war go; he had no interest in continuing the killing that the civil war had brought upon the nation. Lincoln also wanted them to draft a new constitution, he did not want to punish the south, he wanted to amalgamate them with the union as fast as possible. Radical republicans however did not want to the country to reunify, they also did not agree with Lincoln’s peaceful solution to end slavery.

The President Lincoln’s interest in the matter of reconstructions, articulated in action throughout the Proclamation of Amnesty and Reconstruction, changed the congress’ sentiment of unity to defeat the South. The radicals, as they called themselves, disliked the President Lincoln’s plan due to two reasons. First, the ten percent plan was very moderate i.e. it did not satisfy the sentiment of the North to the South, and considered such a plan to be easy going in comparison to the outcome of Southerner’s rebellion. Second, the radicals could see Abraham Lincoln’s edge of admission intended from the proclamation. Lincoln wanted to prepare the stage for a strong Republican party in the Southern section though he considered the obvious

With the end of the Civil War the country began its Reconstruction to repair the damages the South had cause when the Confederates withdrawal from the Union. One of the questions asked should the South be punished or pardoned for their crimes committed against the Union. President Lincoln began proposing a Ten Percent Plan for the Reconstruction of the South which was in leniency for the Confederates, which entailed pardoning crimes, to any Confederate who would take an oath of allegiance to the Union and accept federal policy on slavery. There was much antagonistic views on Lincoln’s plan for the Reconstructing the South, with the Radical Republicans being adamant that the Reconstruction should be a total reconstruction of the society to guarantee African American true equality.

Lincoln was in favor of progressive emancipation with compensation for the slave owners. The Emancipation Proclamation was a major step in the path of the abolition of slavery. At the first of the war, slaves took initiative in the escape from their owners and this resulted in the ratification of the thirteenth amendment. The thirteenth amendment declared that "Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their

Throughout the war, the secession of the southern states had created that both houses of Congress were dominated by Republican majorities. However, there were differences between whether people wanted the immediate abolition of slavery, to wait to abolish slavery, or even to not abolish slavery at all. The Emancipation Proclamation in 1863 freed African Americans in rebel states, and after the Civil War, the Thirteenth Amendment emancipated all U.S. slaves wherever they were. During the years after the war, black and white teachers from the North and South, missionary organizations, churches, and schools worked tirelessly to give the emancipated population the opportunity to learn. Former slaves of every age took advantage of the opportunity to become literate.

Soon after the war was over, President Abraham Lincoln introduced his reconstruction plan to reunite the nation, and have it function the way it used to. On December 1863, President Lincoln issued his Proclamation of Amnesty and Reconstruction; it offered “full pardon” and the restoration of property to white Southerners. However, the prerequisites to receive full pardon include swearing an oath of allegiance to the United States and its laws; the only people excluded from the offer were Prominent Confederate military and civil leaders. On December 8, 1865, President Lincoln announced the terms of another reconstructive plan, known as “Lincoln’s Ten-Percent

After the Civil War was over and the Union had won the war, four million enslaved workers had gained their freedom (p511). The Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth Amendments, also known as the Reconstruction amendments, were passed to abolish slavery, give citizenship to all persons born in the United States, equal protection of the laws and suffrage to all men. The nation succeeded in restoring the South after having lost many lives and property (p512). After the war, former slaves were able to establish their own African American churches and schools, where they learned to read and write. Immediately after President Hayes withdrew federal troops from Louisiana and South Carolina, Republican governments collapsed and Radical Republican legislation

The thirteenth amendment stated that all former slaves were granted freedom. The reconstruction period, “did create the essential constitutional foundation for further advances in the quest for equality”. It laid the building blocks for the future building for civil rights not just for blacks but women and other minorities. Former slaves, “ found comfort in their family and in the churches they established”. Blacks took community in each other and bonded over the mutual idea of freedom .

The 13th amendment was passed by the congress on January 31, 1865, and ratified by the states on december 6, 1865. President Lincoln made the Emancipation Proclamation declaring “all persons held as slaves within any State, or designated part of a State, the people whereof shall then be in rebellion against the United States, shall be then, thenceforward, and forever free.” The Emancipation Proclamation did not end slavery in the nation But it started to help abolishing slavery and making it and