HIST 405N Week 4 Discussion 2: Reconstruction and the Compromise of 1877

Required Resources

Read/review the following resources for this activity:

Textbook: Chapter 15, 16
Lesson
Minimum of 1 scholarly source (in addition to the textbook)

Initial Post Instructions

For the initial post, craft a response comparing the three (3) Reconstruction plans:

Proclamation of Amnesty and Reconstruction (10% Plan) – Lincoln
Andrew Johnson’s Reconstruction Plan
Congressional Reconstruction Plan (Congress)

Then, address one (1) of the following for your selections:

Analyze if the South should have been treated as a defeated nation or as rebellious states.

Explain how the American culture and society changed in the North versus the South during Reconstruction.
Analyze the impact of the Compromise of 1877 that ended Reconstruction on African-Americans.

Follow-Up Posts

Compare your selections and analysis of selections with those of your peers. If they chose different events, examine how yours are similar and/or different. If they chose the same events, build on their posts by providing additional information about the events that you have not already noted in your own post.

Writing Requirements

Minimum of 3 posts (1 initial & 2 follow-up)

APA format for in-text citations and list of references

Grading

Click here to ORDER an A++ paper from our Verified MASTERS and DOCTORATE WRITERS:HIST 405N Week 4 Discussion 2: Reconstruction and the Compromise of 1877

This activity will be graded using the Discussion Grading Rubric. Please review the following link:

Link (webpage): Discussion Guidelines

Course Outcomes (CO): 1, 2, 3, 4

Due Date for Initial Post: By 11:59 p.m. MT on Wednesday
Due Date for Follow-Up Posts: By 11:59 p.m. MT on Sunday

Dear History 405 students,

This week’s discussion also covers the era of Reconstruction. According to the article” Reconstruction”, “Reconstruction refers to the period following the Civil War of rebuilding the United States. It was a time of great pain and endless questions. On what terms would the Confederacy be allowed back into the Union? Who would establish the terms, Congress or the President? What was to be the place of freed blacks in the South? Did Abolition mean that black men would now enjoy the same status as white men? What was to be done with the Confederate leaders, who were seen as traitors by many in the North?
Although the military conflict had ended, Reconstruction was in many ways still a war. This important struggle was waged by radical northerners who wanted to punish the South and Southerners who desperately wanted to preserve their way of life.”

As you interact with your classmates this week, consider not only the factors that led to the Reconstruction era, but also how Lincoln had one plan for bringing the rebel states back into the Union; Andrew Johnson another; and the Radical Republican Congress a third. Discuss the aims of each president, and explain why and in what ways Congress took control of Reconstruction.

Please remember to use at least one outside source and cite in APA format.

Works Cited:

” Reconstruction ” Retrieved from http://www.ushistory.org/us/35.asp

Hello professor and class.

The United States embarked on a Reconstruction era with the end of Civil War where former rebel states were allowed back in the Union. Multiple reunification plans were proposed including Lincoln’s ten percent plan, Andrew Johnson’s reconstruction plan, and the Congressional reconstruction plan (OpenStax. (2019).

Lincoln’s ten percent plan gave a pardon to all Southerner’s with the exception of high-ranking military leaders and Confederate government officials. The aforementioned exceptions needed 10 percent of the 1860 voter population in order to take a binding oath of loyalty to the US and emancipation of slaves. The plan gave rise to conflict with a large number of Republicans who wanted to punish the rebel Southern states, known as the Radical republicans. They believed the plan dealt too moderately with the traders and demanded harsher repercussions (Barney, William L.).

Following Lincoln’s assassination, Vice President Andrew Johnson adopted Lincoln’s methods of reincorporated the Southern states- the goal was a speedy reunion with minimal consequences. President Johnson’s Amnesty and Reconstruction in May 1865 provided sweeping amnesty and pardon to rebellious southerners. I returned them their property, with the notable exception of their former slaves, and it only asked that they affirm their support for the constitution of the United States (Barney, William L.).

Those excluded from the amnesty were high ranking military personnel and confederate officials as well as persons with taxable property greater than $20,000. Again, Johnson’s plan was not favorable with the Radical Republican’s in congress and instead created their own representatives to develop a reconstruction plan (Barney, William L.).

†he congressional reconstruction plan or Radical Reconstruction acts represented the Radical Republican’s views in Congress. All Southern states were divided into five constitutions and ratify the fourteenth amendment in order to rejoin the Union. The Acts were vetoed by President Johnson but later overruled by congress (OpenStax. (2019).

Two opposing viewpoints are demonstrated when comparing the three Reconstruction plans. On One hand we have a merciful approach. Treating the southern states as a defeated nation worthy of unionizing. on the other hand, the radical Republican approach is to treat the South as rebellious states deserving of punishment. To say which of these were correct is merely a preference; personally, I would choose the route of Abraham Lincoln and his predecessor Andrew Johnson.

I” In short, the terms of the plan were easy for most Southerners to accept. Though the emancipation of slaves was an impossible pill for some confederate’s or swallow, Lincoln’s plan was charitable considering the costliness of war” (OpenStax. (2019). President Lincoln Ultimately believed the succession of the Southern states was illegal from its initial offense and therefore treated the rebel states as continued members of the Union; with that been said Lincoln’s rationale to reincorporate the southern states as quickly as possible without generating animosity was the best route to achieving reconstruction.

                                                                 References 

Barney, William L. “The Civil War and Reconstruction: A Student Companion.”  Oxford University Press, 2001, www.history.com/Companion-Civil-War-Reconstruction/dp/144433882X. 

OpenStax. (2019). U.S. history. OpenStax CNX. Retrieved from https://openstax.org/books/us-history/pages/14-1-the-compromise-of-1850e (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.

  Margareth I also agree that a merciful approach like Lincoln had started was good. I too found that Andrew Johnson was continuing this approach with the exception of the following;  however, in addition Johnson required those Southerners of wealth to regain their rights, they had to request a pardon from Johnson himself (U.S. History). Personally, I can not agree to that part. I also believe President Lincoln was attempting to reunite both the north and south as quickly as possible. It would seem not everyone was in agreeance with his vision as he was assassinated prior to completion.

A lot of the history we were taught in school years ago does not reflect a lot of the horrors people had to endure just to gain their freedoms in this country. These are the same principles just different causes and effects. Just a little bit of compromise and compassion towards others could have went a long way. (My soapbox.)

I really liked you post this week.

U.S. History (n.d.). Retrieved from https://openstax.org/books/us-history

Lincoln felt that the states did not have the legal right to succeed and wanted to bring the nation back together. He put forward the 10% Act which would allow 10% of the voters, if they would pledge allegiance to the United States, they would be able to form state government and rewrite a constitution that abolished slavery.  This act did exclude some high raking military officials that participated in the war.

Once Lincoln was assassinated, Andrew Johnson a southerner set forth is own plan to bring the south back into the U.S. His plan was considered a “self-restoration” and included 14 categories of exception. It granted amnesty to the government officials and the military and allowed the states to write new constitution’s and that would abolish slavery.  However, some of these states wrote in “black codes” that restricted freedom for the slaves.

He would not consider civil rights for formal slaves and Congress felt this looked a lot like the pre-civil war.  Congress wanted rights for the freeman.  Congress took action to protect the rights of the free slaves and enacted the 13th amendment which abolished slavery and gave rights to free black Americans.  Johnson did not agree with this and vetoed the bill.  Congress overrode his directive, and it became law in 1866.      

The Compromise of 1877 came about in a presidential race that was controversial and could not be decided by the electoral college. There were three states in dispute all under democratic control.  In order to elect Hayes a republican a compromise of three democrats form these states occurred. In exchange for the vote. The troops that were in the South protecting the rights of the Free slaves would be removed.  This restored white dominance in the states and ended the reconstruction.   Adderley (2018).

     S History (2014) https://openstax.org/books/us-history/pages/16-1-restoring-the-unionLinks to an external site.

Lincoln’s plan was to bring the Southern states back quickly to restore the Union. His proposal was called the ten percent plan. It pardoned all Southerners except high-ranking Confederate government and military officers, required 10 percent of the voting population to pledge future allegiance to the United States and the emancipation of slaves, and declared that the restored Confederate states would draft new state constitutions. He thought the leniency of the plan would bring a quick resolution, but many Republicans wanted harsher punishment for southern rebels and more protection for former slaves (OpenStax ch.16).

Like Lincoln, Johnson wanted a quick resolution and restoration of a whole Union with lenient terms. Johnson proposed his Proclamation of Amnesty and Reconstruction. This returned property to southerners, except the freed slaves obviously, and it asked that they pledge their support for the Constitution of the United States. Similarly to Lincoln’s proposal Confederate political and military leaders were exempt as well as persons worth over $20,000 to single out plantation owners. All southern states reentering the Union also had to ratify the 13^th amendment. Again radical republicans resented the leniency of this proposal, they were also upset that confederate congressional leaders were looking to get their seats back and would not permit their return (OpenStax ch.16).

Once radical republicans gained control of the House they had their own proposal for reconstruction which they called the Military Reconstruction Act. The southern states were divided into 5 military districts, Martial law was imposed, and a Union general commanded each district. Them and their troops were to protect freed people and their newly acquired right to vote. States also had to write new state constitutions and ratify the 14^th amendment. Against Johnson’s wishes, these reconstruction acts were passed and all the southern states had rejoined the Union by 1870 (OpenStax ch.16).

I believe the south was treated as it should have been. I agree that Lincoln and Johnson’s plans were too lenient. With those plans I think we would have seen freed people slipping back into slavery, although they had the Freedman’s Bureau I think military muscle was necessary to keep peace during such an uneasy time.

References:

OpenStax. (2019). U.S. history. OpenStax CNX. Retrieved from https://cnx.org/contents/[email protected]:gMXC1GEM@7/IntroductionLinks to an external site.