Lincoln's plan for Reconstruction, also known as the Ten Percent Plan, outlined several conditions for states to form new governments:
1. Ten Percent Oath: Lincoln proposed that once 10% of a state's voting population in the 1860 presidential election took a loyalty oath to the Union, they could form a new state government.
2. Pardon and Amnesty: Lincoln promised to grant full pardon and amnesty to all Southerners who took the oath of loyalty, with the exception of high-ranking Confederate officials and those convicted of war crimes.
3. Abolition of Slavery: Lincoln insisted that the new state governments must accept the Thirteenth Amendment, which abolished slavery in the United States.
4. Support for Emancipation: The states were required to acknowledge and support the Emancipation Proclamation, which declared the freedom of all slaves in Confederate territory.
5. Protection of African American Rights: Lincoln urged the new state governments to adopt policies that would protect the rights of African Americans, including their access to education, suffrage, and civil rights.
6. Restoration of Statehood: Once a state met these conditions and formed a new government, it would be readmitted into the Union.
Overall, Lincoln's plan aimed to reconcile the Union, reintegrate the Southern states into the United States, and ensure the newly freed African Americans had some level of protection and rights. However, his assassination in 1865 led to a shift in the Reconstruction policies under President Andrew Johnson.
Lincoln’s plan for Reconstruction
What were the conditions for states forming new governments?
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