Lincoln's Readmission To The Union Analysis

Throughout the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln proposed a new plan called Reconstruction. It required one tenth of the number of voters who voted in 1860 to take an oath of allegiance so the states could reorganize a state government. Also, to let the confederate states could come back into the Union. The state constitution had to be Republican in form, abolish slavery, and provide for Black education. On April 14th, 1865 Lincoln was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth who was the leader of a conspiracy group that was committed to the southern cause.

This week I was going to bring Abraham Lincoln 's plan for reconstruction to the table. It is said that Lincoln started to plan for reconstruction post war. The plan was to address three key areas for concern. First the proclamation allowed full pardon and restoration of any property to anyone who was considered a rebellion or a member of the confederate army with exception of the highest officials and leaders (which is interesting). It also allowed for a state government to be formed once ten percent of the population took an oath of allegiance to the United States, and it encouraged the southern states to deal with slaves in such a way that it would not compromise their freedom.

1.10% Plan: the ten percent plan also known as Lincoln’s ten percent plan and the Proclamation of amnesty and reconstruction, was a plan that stated that the southern states that participated in secession can again become part of the Union if 10% of the people in that state (voter rolls for the election of 1860) swear an oath of allegiance to the Union. With this vow came Lincoln pardoning those southern states for their wrongs. Their wrongs were secession and slavery, and they could then be admitted into the Union. When a Confederate state got ten percent of its people to swear according the the oath, that state would get a new government, and the Union would not consider it separate, but recognize it. The states that were readmitted were

487 – 496): Reconstruction in Wartime (pp. 487 – 488) 2. List and explain the major components of Lincoln’s Proclamation of Amnesty and Reconstruction Plan, otherwise known as the “10% Plan”. Before Lincoln was assasinated, he had been developing a Reconstruction Plan that favored forgiviness over punishment. His Ten Percent Plan stated that if 10% of the voting population in 1860 of a Southern sate pledges loyalty to the nation, then the state would be able to join the Union. This plan was considered to being very lenient.

First off, the terms of the plans were easy for Southerners to accept. He made the Ten-Percent plan. For this plan, it stated that a state could be reestablished into the Union if 10% from the vote take the oath of allegiance to the U.S. Most Radical Republicans thought that Lincoln wasn’t harsh enough, and way to easy towards the South. Every former-confederate most likely loved this plan because every other plan wanted punishment upon them. Slavery was always a big issue.

After the number equaled 10% of the number of voters who partook in the election of 1860, the state would be readmitted to the Union after establishing a new state government which abolished slavery. Lincoln's approach was very light toward the south. Lincoln just wanted the south to just accept the 15th amendment so the nation can become united again. The Radical Republicans plan was intended to help recently freed slaves and to also discipline the South. It first passed several laws helping newly freed slaves.

The end of the Civil War presented a unique crossroads for the war torn United States. How would the North and South reunite? At the helm, there was a moderate politician and a reflective thinker – President Abraham Lincoln. One of the greatest statesmen of all time, Lincoln had advocated a lenient stance, envisioning a “restoration” whereby the southern states would pledge allegiance and reenter the Union under the Constitution.

Congress did not like Lincoln’s 10% plan and refused to seat any representatives. Lincoln believed that punishment would not heal the country faster. Scene there was such little punishment, which would only be given to leaders, many Southerners were in favor of this plan. Also because of the little amount of punishment many Northerners were opposed to the plan. Lincoln’s plan was never used in

The existential crisis in America had almost everything to do with slavery. Controversial decisions were made that shook the public along with government officials. The Missouri Compromise took a massive blow from the Kansas-Nebraska act and left anti-slavery politicians in an outrage. Even some Democrats found themselves opposing it on the basis that it destroyed popular sovereignty. Next, the Dred Scott court decision set an outstanding precedence for slaveholders.

The Reconstruction, one of the roughest and controversial era in American history, took place after the Civil War between 1865 and 1877. This began the process of bringing the Nation back together and giving former slaves equals rights by three new Constitutional amendments.    From the beginning of the Civil War in 1861, Lincoln’s goal was the restoration of the Confederate states to the Union. In 1863, Lincoln proposed the Ten Percent Plan that granted amnesty to those Confederate states which swore an oath of allegiance to the Union. It would have given a general pardon to all southerners excluding high-ranking Confederate army officers and government officials.

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

In a stroke of genius, it allowed for a small minority of Northern sympathizers to take over a Southern state and create a government. The Ten Percent plan also pardoned all Southern citizens and most officials, creating a feeling of leniency among those in the South. In this way, Lincoln managed to completely take over states with small amounts of supporters within them, while at the same time appearing amicable to the South. He successfully accomplished his goals and started the process of reconstruction while avoiding a public outcry.

However, the Amendment would not be felt in all states without the Proclamation of Amnesty and Reconstruction or widely known as the ten percent plan. The Amnesty and Reconstruction Act will pardon the Confederate States if ten percent of its legislative voters take an “oath in support the Constitution and all its acts and proclamations made by Congress and the president concerning slavery.” Lincoln’s ten percent plan was not well supported by his party for it was far too lenient to ‘rebels; ' nevertheless, Lincoln was beyond the conflicts of North and South but aimed at mending the Union effort in a peaceful if not forceful

In retrospect Lincolns both executive orders, Emancipation Proclamation and suspension of habeas corpus had an influence on how the future presidents interpreted their role and powers in American politics. Milkis and Nelson strongly suggest that ...” Lincoln invested the national community with a sense of purpose, even sacredness, that transformed the relationship between power and liberty. His indictment of slavery spawned a new, more positive view of liberty, in which government has affirmative obligation to ensure equality under the law...” (Milkis and Nelson, p.177).

Abraham Lincoln’s vs Andrew Johnson’s Reconstruction Plan Lincoln shared the uncommon belief that the confederate states could still be part of the union and that the cause of the rebellion was only a few within the states which lead him to begin the reconstruction in December of 1863. This resulted in plans with lenient guidelines and although they were challenged by Wade-Davis Bill, Lincoln still rejected his ideas and kept his policies in place. Lincoln also allowed land to be given the newly freed slave or homeless white by distributing the land that had been confiscated from former land owners however this fell through once Johnson took office. After Lincoln’s death when Johnson was elected many things started to turn away from giving blacks equal rights and resulted in many things such a black codes which kept newly freed slaves from having the same rights as whites. When Lincoln first acted after the civil war, he offered policies that would allow the confederate slaves to become part of the union again and would allow a pardon for those states.