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Lincoln's "Ten Percent Plan"
Abraham Lincoln's plan for the post war union focused around the idea of leniency. His original ten percent plan concluded that he would like only ten percent of voters in the southern confederate states to prefer reunification. If this threshold is meet than the state has the ability to be readmitted into the union and reintegrated into the nation. At the time of this proposal the war had not yet concluded and seemed to many as too forgiving for the Confederate states. -
Abraham Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address
Building off of Lincoln's ten percent plan, his second inaugural speech focuses on national unity. In this case national unity for all former Union states as well as the states that remained loyal. Invoking thoughts of brotherhood and a trial from God that all men of the United States must have gone through as a punishment for their sins against the world. This speech again reinforces the idea's of not out casting the confederate states but welcoming them back with open arms. -
Lee Surrenders to Grant
Robert E. Lee one of the Confederates greatest generals surrenders to Union General Grant at Appomattox court house. The surrender of Lee's army is largely regarded as the end of the effectiveness of the CSA to wage war against the Union. There were still skirmishes throughout the south but no standing army that threatened the security of the Union like Lee's army had. With Lee's surrender begins the transition stage form war to reconstruction of the South. -
Andrew Johnson sworn into presidency
After President Lincoln's assassination on April 15th 1865, vice president Andrew Johnson is sworn into presidency shortly after. President Johnson was not a very popular politician and seemingly was not liked by both republicans and democrats alike. His presidency marked the beginning of presidential reconstruction period. His policies however caused major problems for congress however and congress quickly realized Johnson would not be able to continue Lincoln's legacy. -
Andrew Johnson Proclaims Amnesty for the Confederacy (Guelzo, Page 20)
One of President Johnsons most controversial proposals during reconstruction was general amnesty for all confederates. Unlike Lincoln's general amnesty idea, Johnson wanted to include former confederate officers and soldiers along with confederate politicians in the amnesty. This decision outraged many northern republicans and was quickly fought in congress. -
Klu Klux Klan Creation
Nathan Bedford Forrest was a Confederate Lieutenant General in the Civil War who after the wars conclusion became the first leader of the Ku Klux Klan. An organization of former confederate soldiers who made it their mission to restrict the rights of former slaves and even terrorize, murder, and extort them because of their race. Many of the men in the clan prevented newly freed men as well as republican politicians from participating in state and federal government through fear tactics. -
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Congress works to repeal Johnson's "self-reconstruction" plan (Guelzo, page 49)
From 1867 to 1868 congress worked to dismantle Johnson's state reconstruction governments in order to usher in a new period of reconstruction. This period would be focused on congress taking a national approach to intervening in southern states to make sure that new bills and laws of the northern Union would be adhered to and that southern states would not be able to build legal loopholes around recognizing the authority of the Union. -
Congress decide to impeach president Johnson (Guelzo, page53)
Finding president Johnson to be a detriment to congress' work on reconstruction and an impediment to the progress of the new national identity they work to impeach the president. They want to limit his power as present by defaming him among his party and throughout the United States with the ultimate goal of even forcing him to resign the presidency. Congress was almost successful in doing so but the legal grounds for the impeachment were not strong enough to see their goals fully fulfilled. -
Ulysses Grant's Inauguration Speech (Guelzo, page 69)
Grant's opening speech to the citizens of the United States was not meet with such great remarks. His speech seemed to beat around the bush of his plan to deal with the currently occupied confederate states. His goals for the speech were aimed at other national crisis like the debt that built up during the war. This is certainly a very real issue and one that should be addressed but one could argue that recognizing his plan for the families suffering in the south could have been more beneficial. -
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Confederate state begin to be readmitted to the Union (Guelzo, pages 56 and 72-73)
Beginning in 1868 former confederate states were formally recognized as states again within the Union. From 1868 to 1870 congress worked with the local governors and their constituents to reintegrate the remaining states into the Union. The last state to be readmitted was Georgia on July 15th 1870. Although these states were back in the Union the headache of reconstruction was far from over as the war ravaged most of the south. This along with the legacy of the war will impede plans for unity.