Reconstruction Dbq Essay

Reconstruction was the time period following the Civil War, which lasted from 1865 to 1877, in which the United States began to rebuild. The term can also refer to the process the federal government used to readmit the defeated Confederate states to the Union. While all aspects of Reconstruction were not successful, the main goal of the time period was carried out, making Reconstruction over all successful. During this time, the Confederate states were readmitted to the Union, the thirteenth, fourteenth, and fifteenth amendments were ratified, and African Americans were freed from slavery and able to start new lives.

This plan was supported by Benjamin F. Wade and Henry W. Davis. A number of Republicans on Congress felt Lincoln’s plan was too likely to fall under secessionists who were disloyal, therefore Congress passed the Wade-Davis plan that was to be less lenient and more demanding. This plan, or bill, as some state, instead needed 50 percent of participating voters of a state to swear to a loyalty oath. Differing from Lincoln’s plan, this plan permitted only those who were non-Confederates to vote for new constitutions for states. Lincoln did not approve of this, resulting in him not signing it and later pocket vetoing it to kill the bill. From this point on, he and Congress were in opposition. The reason this plan was passed was because Congress found Lincoln’s plan to be too lenient and worried that slavery would continue on in response to it. They made the requirements far stricter to get what they wanted for congressional reconstruction, which was purely revenge. This was also known as radical

After the Civil War, the United States had many problems to solve. The country had to figure out how to integrate newly freed slaves into society and bring the former Confederate states back into the Union. Reconstruction was period of time after the civil war in which the United States addressed these problems. Reconstruction had two different phases: Presidential Reconstruction took place from 1865 to 1867, and Congressional Reconstruction took place from 1867 to 1877. Presidential Reconstruction began with Abraham Lincoln, who proposed the Proclamation of Amnesty and the ten percent oath plan. Lincoln was focused on leniency and forgiveness; under his plan southerners would take an oath of loyalty to the Union, and after only ten percent of a state’s voters had taken this oath, the state could be readmitted. After Lincoln’s assassination, Andrew Johnson took over Reconstruction. Johnson wanted to punish landowners, but liberally handed out pardons, as he greatly enjoyed the power that he had over southerners. Under Johnson, former confederates were re-elected, and southern states discriminated blacks. Eventually, Congress took over Reconstruction. During Congressional Reconstruction, the fourteenth and fifteenth amendments were passed, and the freedman’s bureau was created. Overall, the failures of Reconstruction outweighed the failures because it took a very long time for it to achieve its goals, and the South was still able to

The process of rebuilding America after the Civil War from 1865 to 1877, known as the Reconstruction, fell very short of its expectations because of the negative effect it had on relationships within the country. President Lincoln came up with plans for reconstruction, however, Congress believed it was too lenient. After Lincoln’s death and events following regarding Johnson, Congress dominated the government and came up with their own plan that sets the nation up for further disagreement. The plan for Reconstruction as Congress made it, was a failure because of how it divided the government, turned the races against each other, and set up freed slaves for poverty.

Government had brought the seceded Southern states back into the Union, and they ended slavery and they tried their best to protect newly emancipated the slaves. But they rebuilt the nation after a lot more four years of fighting. The reconstruction occurred in 2 phases, the Presidential Reconstruction was very lenient in order Southern states to rejoin the Union quickly, this was initiated by President Lincoln but was carried out by President Andrew Johnson. The Congressional Reconstruction was stricter and protected rights from former slaves and they kept Confederate leaders from regaining power. But, before the Civil War Lincoln proposed his 10% Plan, which was lenient and allowed the Confederate states could re-enter the Union when, 10% of their population had sworn an Oath of Loyalty and they ratified the 13th Amendment ending all slavery. But, the Radicals in Congress had rejected his plan because, it did not protect ex-slaves and didn’t keep them from regaining power, they also wanted to have 50% of the population to swear to an oath of loyalty. But, the states could come back once they ratified the 13th amendment. But, the southern passed black codes in order to keep African- Americans from getting any land, jobs, voting rights, and also protection under the law. Finally, in 1865, the Freedmen's Bureau had been established and offered assistance to former slaves and to protect their new

In document A , Lincoln's speech to Congress, he states, " I recommend the adoption of a joint resolution by your honorable bodies...", Lincoln one of the union and the South to become one, but by abolishing slavery, it created many states to be angry, so it wasn't really bringing people together at all. " resolved, that the United States are to cooperate with any state which may adopt gradual abolishment of slavery..." Lincoln realize that it would cause tension between states, that he needed them to cooperate. " the federal government would find its highest interest in such a measure as one of the most efficient means of self-preservation." Lincoln gave evidence from the federal government stating that this is the easiest, and best way to preserve the Union.

Reconstruction was the time between 1863 and 1877 when the U.S. focused on abolishing slavery, destroying the Confederacy, and reconstructing the nation and the Constitution and is also the general history of the post-Civil War era in the U.S. between 1865 and 1877. Under Abraham Lincoln, presidential reconstruction began in each state as soon as federal troops controlled most of the state. The usual ending date is 1877, when the Compromise of 1877 saw the collapse of the last Republican state governments in the South

The 12 years succeeding the Civil War composed of different presidents, elected officials, and law developing, the reconstruction of the south officially came to an end in 1877. Binding the south with the United States again came with challenges and successes that constantly altered the way of life. Post civil war reformation was intended to bring progress to the problems America faced, unfortunately due to the great resistance of change, the evolution of America quickly came apart at the seems.

After Abraham Lincoln was assassinated, Andrew Johnson was elected President of America. Johnson was strongly against slavery but he did not believe the Africans deserved rights. Johnson, who was a white supremacist, only despised slavery because it granted the plantation owners too much power, in his opinion. According to National Geographic’s Aftershock; Beyond the Civil War and many other historians, Johnson was very lenient towards the ex-Confederates rejoining the Union with no punishment. Soon after, the Southern states re-established their governments and elected some former Confederate leaders into office; among these was Alexander H. Stephens, the former vice president of the Confederacy. It is obvious that the South still supports the pre Civil War views. These newly established governments start to pass harsh laws against freedmen and freedwomen known as Black Codes. These laws were created to, mainly, control the movement of the freed people in the South and to keep them working on plantations. A document of the Black

In addition to addressing several civil rights issues, the amendment prohibited many former Confederate officers and government officials from voting.

The years post the Civil War left the United States in a vulnerable position of chaos, most, if not all of the South had been penetrated and destroyed by the Union Army. This cause the country’s inevitability for reconstruction, not only political and economic reconstruction, but structural reconstruction as well. In 1865, the most influential event that occured was assassination of President Lincoln, this spurred all Radical Republicans in Congress towards the clear path they needed to implement their plan for Reconstruction.

Lincoln aimed for his plan to reunite the country in the Proclamation of Amnesty and Reconstruction during December of 1863. Ideally, Abraham Lincoln strive for a moderate policy that would reconcile the South with the Union instead of punishing it for treason. Lincoln offered an amnesty to all Southerners who took an oath of loyalty to the nation and accepted the Union’s proclamations concerning slavery. However, certain people were excluded from this oath and would not be pardoned. These people consisted of all Confederate government officials and officers in the Confederate army, as well as all judges, members of

Furthermore, Presidential Reconstruction was futile in the reformation of the South. During this phase of reconstruction, Abraham Lincoln proposed his Ten Percent Plan in which he strategized to readmit the South into the Union by having at least ten percent of the Confederate states vote back into the Union in exchange for amnesty so long as they accepted the thirteenth amendment which abolished slavery. However, the South rejected Lincoln’s plan and consequently congress came up with the Wade-Davis Bill, which proposed that, in order to be reinstated, the male

First, there was the ten percent plan. This plan allowed each state to reenter the Union after 10 percent signed an oath of allegiance to the united states. This cause an uproar with the Republicans in which they felt that the South should receive more of a punishment than the ten percent plan. This lead to the passing of the Wade, Davis Bill. The Wade, Davis Bill bumped the percentage up to 50 percent. Lincoln voted this bill before congress went into recess. Congress created the Freed Beaurue in which helped distributed food and other necessities to the freed slaves. President Lincoln was assigned at the end of the civil war leading his plan never fully implemented. Andrew Johnson became president and he was from the South so he wanted even

The so-called Confederate states sent members to their Congress at Montgomery,(77). That drafted a constitution for the Confederate States of America by March they ratified it and elected Jefferson Davis of Mississippi its first President (62). Lincoln ran on the Republican campaign if elected he could not constitutionally touch slavery where it presently existed; a promise he was still willing to keep in hopes the other southern states especially the border states, would stay in the union. In Lincoln’s first inaugural address he stated, “I have no purpose, directly or indirectly to interfere with the institution of slavery in the states where it exists. I believe I have not the right to do so, and I have no inclination to do so” (63). Lincoln affirmed in a correspondence with anti-slavery editor Horace Greely that, “My paramount objective in this struggle is to save the Union and is not either to save or destroy slavery” (130). He added to Greeley, “If I could save the Union without freeing any slave I would do it, and if I could save it by freeing all the slaves, I would do it” (130).Lincoln took office in March and for four month before congress would reconvene, he had to make many important presidential decisions hoping not to provoke the south but vowing to enforce the laws and property owned by the federal government. Lincoln promised not to use force unless provoked by the South, “Within these states, all the forts, arsenal, dockyards, customhouses and