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Essay On Reconstruction

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There were many different opinions on how Reconstruction should have been handled. Johnson’s plan was extremely lenient towards the Southerners, while the Radical Republicans’ plan punished the South greatly. Lincoln’s plan was the middle ground of the spectrum. In my opinion, I believe that Lincoln’s plan would have been the most effective plan in bringing the Union back together in a stable and fair way. Lincoln’s plan offered amnesty to to all Southerners, except for high ranking Confederate officers and government officials. Plus, he promised to protect their private property, asides from their slaves. This would have been the best way to deal with the issue of what to do with the Southerners who rebelled. It is neither too punishing, nor too lenient, in comparison to the other two plans. The Radical Republicans’ plan punished the South severely, dividing up their plantations amongst the freedmen, while also taking away the …show more content…

It gave freedmen a reliable source of help, and helped them adjust to freedom. The Radical Republicans’ plan would enforce martial law on the South, causing controversy and outrage throughout the region, while Johnson’s plan gave the Southerners the choice of whether or not they want to give the freedmen rights. It is obvious what the Southerners’ choice would be, and all the fighting in the Civil War would have been for nothing, and thus, would make it unfair for the freedmen. In conclusion, I believe that Lincoln’s plan would have been most effective in bringing the Union back together in a stable and fair way, as the Radical Republicans’ plan would cause far too much unrest in the South, not even close to bringing the Union back together in a stable fashion, while Johnson’s plan would have been grossly unfair towards the freedmen, making the war fought in vain, thus ruling out the fair portion in bringing back the Union

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