Somebody ...
Wanted ...
But ...
So ...
President
Abraham
Lincoln
the nation to
heal as quickly
as possible
from the Civil
War and
planned to
reunify the
nation quickly
he was
assassinated
in 1865 only
days after
Robert E.
Lee’s
surrender
plans for Reconstruction
were taken over by Vice
President Andrew Johnson,
who became president after
Lincoln’s death
President
Andrew
Johnson
To stop Congress
Republicans in
Congress were
able to override the
president's vetoes
President Johnson vetoed the bill,
but Congress overrode that veto and
made it law and Congress
brought impeachment charges
against Johnson in early 1868.
Radical
Republicans
To Change
Reconstruction
policy.
President Johnson
vetoed the plan
Congress also passed (through
override) the tenure of office act.
Southern
Democrats
To take major control
in Southern state
legislatures
They were
losing the
election
Hayes received all 20 electoral votes,
giving him the 185 needed to win.
from taking over
Reconstruction
The main issue relating to Reconstruction that divided Republicans at the end of the Civil War
was two opposing opinions. The Radical Republicans, members of Congress during the time of the Civil
war and the Reconstruction period, wanted to end slavery forever and pass laws granting equal rights to
all blacks. They wanted to make sure the South would not return to its pre-Civil War ways. The Radicals
Republicans also believed that the South needed to be punished for the devastation and loss of life.
Other Republicans, while also wanting to end slavery, thought differently. Many leaders thought they
should make it easy for the South to reunite with the Union. President Abraham Lincoln was among
those. He wanted the nation to heal and believed the sooner the better.
If I was a member of Congress at the time of the Reconstruction I would support President Lincoln’s plan
to reunited and heal the nation. I feel that at that time the country has gone through so much that we
would all need to more forward in a positive direction.