To repair a country that has been split in half requires making significant strides that will create harmony between both sides. After the American Civil War multiple phases were required in order to mend the broken country. These phases were Presidential Reconstruction and Radical Republican Restoration. Presidential Reconstruction was the reconstruction plan put in place by President Johnson who had to step into the role of the man who would fix the country after Lincoln’s assignation. While Johnson’s reconstruction plan did not anger the southerners whom he was trying to get to support, his methods were too lenient towards the south as he allowed for mostly states rights. His coordination of the reconstruction eventually came to an end de to congress disagreeing with his actions. This led to the Radical Republican Restoration which was an …show more content…
Because of this he let southerners decide on controversial topics such as voting. Naturally the Southern states did not head to the Northern influence and they made sure to makes the lives of the African American as close to slavery as they could without making them slaves. They accomplished this goal with a series of laws called “Black Codes”. The Black Codes laid out exactly what being a black southerner meant. If a somebody who is bad was found unemployed they could be put to work in a field or a house by a white man, thus making an unemployed black man or woman essentially a slave. Another Black Code stated that any man whose grandfather could not vote was not able to vote himself, which forbid any black men from voting because their grandfathers did not have that privilege. While congress already did not approve of Johnsons tactics or lack there of in restoring the country, the final straw came when Johnson refused to sign onto the extension of the Freedman’s Bureau and eventually vetoed which led to his impeachment. The bill later became the first to be passed through a presidential
During his presidency, Congress ratified the 13th-Amendment that abolished slavery in 1865. In addition, President Johnson made contributions to the black people by vetoing bills that increased protection offered by Freedman Bureau. His vetoes also nullified the Black Codes and guaranteed full citizenship and equal rights to black people. This brought up the Civil Rights Act of 1866, an act that granted citizenships and same rights that both black and white enjoyed. As a result, the Civil Rights Act set up the basis for the 14th amendments that was also later ratified in 1866.
Johnson was loyal to the Union but did not agree completely with Lincoln’s view on the freedom of African Americans since he was from Tennessee. Andrew Johnson wanted to reconstruct the nation but did not think the freedom of African Americans had anything role in it. Johnson pardons confederate leaders and lets the southern states incorporate Black Codes into their state constitutions. Eric Foner explains that “what aroused the most opposition to Johnson’s Reconstruction policy were the Black Codes, laws passed by the new southern governments that attempted to regulate the lives of the former slaves”(565). The Black Codes kept African Americans freedom limited, which is not what the republicans wanted.
Lincoln tried to get rid of slavery by creating the 13th amendment which was saying that slavery is abolished. In addition he tried to help freed slaves by providing things for them to live. However, Johnson shows that he doesn’t really care since when there were black codes, he didn’t do anything to try and prevent it even though he knows it’s getting rid of the freedom African Americans should
Ultimately, he disagreed with the institution of slavery although he did not want racial equality for African Americans, and he cared more about preserving the
A few days after the civil War ended, President Lincoln was assassinated and never had the chance to implement his Reconstruction plan. The Reconstruction Era occurred in the period of 1865 to 1877 under the reign of President Andrew Johnson who was the predecessor of President Lincoln. Congress was not scheduled to convene until December 1865, which gave Johnson eight months to pursue his own Reconstruction policies. Under his Reconstruction policies, the former Confederate states were required to join back into the Union and heal the wounds of the nation.
During this time, the Republican party was able to pass the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments to the Constitution which were added to permit recently freed African American slaves legal protection and civil rights following the war. But, the Democratic win in Congress strongly impacted and setback racial equality and civil rights established for freed Black men in America. Democrat Benjamin Boyers excerpt states, “[the Negro is] a race by nature inferior and mental caliber… the Negroes are not equals of white Americans, and are not entitled…participate in the government of this country.” (Document 1). Benjamin Boyer, the author of this quote, opposed the bill allowing black Americans the right to vote.
by changing social and economic standards, making him the most impactful early leader; while his successor Andrew Johnson was the least impactful because he failed to reconstruct the South which was his core responsibility as president. Although Lincoln was part of the reason the United States divided into the Union and Confederacy, he was also the reason they united back together. The Civil War showed strength in Lincoln’s leadership and opened up so many possibilities by completely changing social dynamics, specifically slavery. Slavery has deep roots in the foundation of the U.S.; so back then, when Lincoln proposed abolishing slavery, southerners thought it was absurd. Not only did his victorious election cause controversy, but the Emancipation Proclamation did as well.
Andrew Johnson despised the Irish, African-Americans, as well as the wealthy plantation owners, making their lives more of a struggle. When a bill came through to help the blacks -like the Freedmen’s bureau for example-
Reconstruction was a period of time dedicated to rebuilding the nation after the Civil War. The war ended with the South being defeated and their economy being devastated. Many Southerners struggled after the war with rebuilding their land and lives. The President and Congress had to decide the terms for which the former Confederate states would be permitted to join the Union. President Lincoln’s plan for reuniting the country was found in the Proclamation of Amnesty and Reconstruction.
He was firm but fair to his slaves. In document A, it shows as he was serving as president he owned about 150 slaves. And as this was taking place he was strongly against abolitionist or people who sought the immediate end of slavery. He thought these people would lead to slave revolts, sectional conflicts which means the north and south would split and possible disunion.
The American civil war led to the reunion of the South and the North. But, its consequences led the Republicans to take the lead of reconstructing what the war had destroyed especially in the South because it contained larger numbers of newly freed slaves. Just after the civil war, America entered into what was called as the reconstruction era. Reconstruction refers to when “the federal government established the terms on which rebellious Southern states would be integrated back into the Union” (Watts 246). As a further matter, it also meant “the process of helping the 4 million freed slaves after the civil war [to] make the transition to freedom” (DeFord and Schwarz 96).
He thought that slavery violated the basic liberty and equality that he had helped found the United States on. His abolishment ideas led to him freeing all of his slaves after his death. He the only one of nine slaveholding presidents to free his
Racism’s Impact on Reconstruction While the issue of slavery evidently contributed to the divide that resulted in the American Civil War, it is debated whether prevailing ideals of racism caused the failure of the era following the war known as Reconstruction. With the abolishment of slavery, many of the southern states had to reassemble the social, economic, and political systems instilled in their societies. The Reconstruction Era was originally led by a radical republican government that pushed to raise taxes, establish coalition governments, and deprive former confederates of superiority they might have once held. However, during this time common views were obtained that the South could recover independently and that African Americans
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.
Reconstruction a Failure or Success? Throughout the years, America has gone through many different political changes. Many presidents selected with different plans for our future. Sadly, many of those objectives have failed or came to an end.