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The Reconstruction
Era
Politics and the Plans
What Problems Do we face now that
the war is over? Complete the Web.
Civil
Liberties
Infrastructure
Post-War
Problems
Social
Economic
Political
Problems after the War
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The presidency needed to decide whether or
not they were going to punish the
Confederate states for the war.
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Differing ideas on how the Reconstruction should be
handled
Lincoln’s Ten-Percent Plan
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Favored a lenient Reconstruction policy
Believed the secession was constitutionally impossible so the
Confederate states never really left the Union.
Individuals not states rebelled against the government. Was the
power of the president to pardon those individuals
Wanted to make the south’s return to the Union as swift as
possible
December 1863, Proclamation of Amnesty and Reconstruction.
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pardon all Confederates except high-ranking Confederate officials and
those accused of crimes against prisoners of war
After ten percent of those on the 1860 voting lists took oaths of
allegiance could form a new state government and gain representation
in Congress.
Problems with Lincoln’s Plan
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Lincoln’s plan angered a minority of republicans
known as Radical Republicans. Led by Charles
Sumner of Massachusetts and Thaddeus Stevens
of Pennsylvania.
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Wanted to destroy the power of former slave owners
Wanted the African Americans to have full citizenship
and the right to vote
Wade-Davis Bill
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Proposed that Congress, not the President,
should be responsible for reconstruction
For a state government to be formed, a majority
had to swear allegiance, not ten-percent of the
voting population
Lincoln pocket vetoed the bill, angering the
radicals who thought that the Congress should
have supreme power over reconstruction.
Continuing Lincoln’s Presidency
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After the assassination of Lincoln, Andrew
Johnson became president of the US. Was a
staunch Unionist that had often expressed his
desire to deal harshly with Confederate leaders.
Southerners believed that Johnson was a traitor
to his region and Radicals believed that he was
on of them, both sides were wrong about
Johnson.
Johnson’s Plan
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Was very similar to Lincoln’s
Called Presidential Reconstruction
Declared that each remaining Confederate State
could be readmitted to the union if it could
meet several conditions
Withdraw it secession
 Swear allegiance to the Union
 Annul confederate war debts
 Ratify the Thirteenth Amendment
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1866 Congressional Elections
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Who would control the Reconstruction became a major
component of the 1866 Congressional election. Johnson’s rough
language and behavior during the campaign trail left many of the
voters offended and jeering the president and cheering General
Grant, who had accompanied him.
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Race riots in Memphis and New Orleans caused the deaths of at
least 80 African Americans. Such violence caused many
northern voters to believe that the federal government needed to
step up its protection for former slaves.
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Moderate and Radical Republicans won by a landslide giving
them the numbers they needed to override presidential vetoes
and move ahead with their Reconstruction plan.
Reconstruction Act of 1867
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Did not recognize state governments formed
under the Lincoln and Johnson plans.
The act divided the other ten former
Confederate states into five military districts
each head by a union general.
Constitutional Conventions to re-write
constitutions and re-apply for admittance
Accept Civil War Amendments
Johnson vetoed the act, Congress overrides it.
The Impeachment of Johnson
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Radical leaders did not think that Johnson was upholding the
principles of reconstruction, like how he was removing military
officers who were attempting to enforce the Reconstruction Act.
In March of 1867, Congress passed the Tenure of Office Act
which stated that the President could not remove cabinet officers
during the term of the president whom they serve without the
consent of the Senate.
One purpose of this act was to Protect Secretary of War Edwin
Stanton who was the Radical’s ally.
Johnson fired Stanton and the House brought up 11 counts of
impeachment against Johnson, 9 of which were based on his
violation of the Tenure of Office Act
They were one vote short of the Guilty verdict in the Senate to
impeach Johnson
1868 Election
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The Democrats knew they could not win with Johnson
so they nominated the War time governor of New
York, Horatio Seymour instead.
Ran against General Ulysses S. Grant
Won presidency by a wide margin in the Electoral
College, but the popular vote was less decisive.
Out of 6 million votes he only had a majority of
306,593 votes. About 500,000 African-Americans had
voted, most for Grant, bringing home the importance
of the African American vote to Republican Party.
Civil War Amendments
th
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– Abolish slavery
th
14 – Citizenship Rights
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15 – Black Males – right to
vote
Radical Legislature
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After the election Radicals feared that the White Southerners
might try to limit black suffrage, so they introduced the 15th
Amendment which states that no state can keep someone from
voting based on their race, color or previous condition of
servitude
Important victory for the Radicals
Although this amendment was added to the bill of rights some
Southern governments refused to the 14th and 15th
amendments and some white southerners used violence to
prevent African Americans from voting.
In response to this the Congress passed the Enforcement Act of
1870, giving the federal government more power to punish those
who tried to prevent African American participation in
government
In Review
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What did Lincoln’s Plan involve?
Was Johnson’s plan different from Lincoln’s?
How was it similar?
What happened during the 1868 Congressional
Election?
Why did the Radicals want Johnson impeached?
What new legislature was introduced by the
Radical Republicans?