Saturday, May 4, 2013

Describe the plans for Reconstruction offered by Abraham Lincoln, Andrew Johnson, and Congress. What was the goal of each plan? How did each plan propose to accomplish its goal?

Lincoln, Johnson, and the "Radical Republicans" in Congress offered three unique visions for the Reconstruction process following the Civil War. Although specific goals were unique to each position, the ultimate aim was to reunite the states while advancing the overall well-being of American society.
Abraham Lincoln's proposal had three primary points:
1. A blanket pardon for those who had supported the Confederate States of America provided they pledged future allegiance to the Union and the elimination of slavery within the United States. Ten percent of eligible voters were required to swear allegiance in order to meet this qualification.
2. Any new state to be admitted to the Union must outlaw slavery.
3. Freed slaves were not given legal protection following their emancipation.
Ultimately, Lincoln's plan provided some flexibility for Confederate interests while remaining firm on the elimination of slavery within the United States. This was a point of contention for others in Washington, DC, who felt that this approach was far too lenient on former Confederate states.
Andrew Johnson's approach was much rougher for the southern states. While he maintained no plan to include freed slaves in the voting process or society in general, Johnson doubled down on Lincoln's approach by including a provision in which former Confederate states were responsible for paying war debts while also abolishing slavery within their borders. Also, pardons would only be issued to white citizens who signed "loyalty oaths" to the Union, as opposed to a general consensus that would offer a blanket pardon.
The "Radical Republicans" in Congress proposed a Reconstruction model that was most accommodating to the newly freed slaves (13th Amendment). Not only did their approach involve a path to citizenship for African Americans (14th Amendment), it also promoted civil protections at the federal level, including full inclusion in society and the right for all to vote regardless of race or previous status as a slave (15th Amendment). This plan also included a provision for intense military occupation of the South.
Ultimately, these three visions for Reconstruction can be seen as escalating efforts to force the former Confederate states into a future without slavery; Lincoln's plan proposed the softest measures of the three, Johnson's was slightly more intense, and the congressional plan was effectively a military occupation of the South. It was also the only one of the three plans to provide full societal inclusion for the newly freed slaves.

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