Johnson’s Plan to Reconstruct the South (and the Union)

Answer 1

President Andrew Johnson's plan to reconstruct the South aimed to bring the defeated Confederate states back into the Union after the Civil War. Known as the "Presidential Reconstruction," it began in 1865 and lasted until 1867.

Johnson, a Democrat and former senator from Tennessee who ascended to the presidency after the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, had a more lenient approach to reconstruction than the Radical Republicans in Congress. He believed that the power to reconstruct the South should rest with the executive branch, rather than with Congress.

Johnson's plan had three main components:

1. Amnesty and Pardons: Johnson offered a full pardon and amnesty to most white Southerners who pledged loyalty to the United States and supported the Thirteenth Amendment, which abolished slavery. However, high-ranking Confederate officials and wealthy landowners had to apply individually for pardons.

2. Reestablishment of State Governments: Johnson called for the Southern states to establish new governments and convene constitutional conventions. These governments had to abolish slavery, nullify secession, and ratify the Thirteenth Amendment.

3. Abandonment of Confederate War Debt: Johnson did not support reparations for the Southern states. He called for them to repudiate their war debt and resume fiscal responsibility.

Johnson's plan faced opposition from Republicans in Congress, who believed it did not go far enough to protect the rights of newly freed slaves and guarantee their inclusion in the political process. They argued that Johnson's plan allowed former Confederate officials and sympathizers to regain power and perpetuate the social and economic systems that had maintained slavery.

The President's leniency also clashed with the harsher policies of the Military Reconstruction Acts, which were implemented in 1867 after the Republican Party gained control of Congress. These acts divided the South into five military districts, enforced military rule, and required the states to ratify the Fourteenth Amendment, which granted equal protection under the law to all citizens, including African Americans, before they could rejoin the Union.

Ultimately, the conflict between Johnson and the Republicans in Congress over Reconstruction would pave the way for a more radical, racially progressive reconstruction policy that aimed to protect the rights of freed slaves and solidify their place in American society.