• After Lincoln’s assassination, the battle over
how Reconstruction should be done was
passed to Andrew Johnson
• A southerner at heart, Johnson was at odds
with the Radical Republicans that had a grip
on Congress
• Was originally from the
South
• Was pro-slavery
• Wanted a lenient plan
for Reconstruction
• Were mostly from the
North
• Were anti-slavery
• Wanted a strict plan
for Reconstruction
• Had strong support
from scalawags,
carpetbaggers, and
freemen
Like Lincoln, Johnson was born poor with nearly illiterate
parents. He did not learn to read or write till the age of 17.
Johnson was from the South and was born in North Carolina.
He began as a tailor but quickly moved up in politics serving
as mayor of Greenville, then a state legislator, then a
representative, and finally as the governor of Tennessee.
However closely he identified with his fellow Southerners'
views on slavery, Johnson disagreed strongly with their calls
to break up the Union over the issue. When Tennessee left
the Union after the election of Abraham Lincoln, Johnson
broke with his home state, becoming the only Southern
senator to retain his seat in the U.S. Senate.
In the South, Johnson was deemed a traitor; his property
was confiscated and his wife and two daughters were driven
from the state. In the North, however, Johnson's stand made
him an overnight hero. Though Johnson was deeply
committed to saving the Union, he did not believe in the
emancipation of slaves. By the summer of 1863, however,
he began to favor emancipation as a war measure.
Concerned about his chances for reelection, Lincoln felt that
he needed a man like Johnson as his vice president to help
balance the ticket in 1864 and get the support of the
Democrats. Together, the two won a sweeping victory
against Democratic candidate General George B. McClellan
and his running mate, George Pendleton.
• Since the Constitution did not state who
should be in charge of reconstruction, Andrew
Johnson and the Republican members of
Congress agreed that they would work
together to solve the many problems facing
the nation after the Civil War. Congress ended
their session and left Washington in the
summer of 1865. What will Johnson do?
Option 1
Option 2
Johnson will wait till
Congress returns and
work with them to
create a Reconstruction
plan.
Johnson will create the
Reconstruction plan and
put it into effect without
asking Congress.
Option 1
Option 2
Johnson will wait till
Congress returns and
work with them to
create a Reconstruction
plan.
Johnson will create the
Reconstruction plan and
put it into effect without
asking Congress.
• Created and put into effect Reconstruction
plan while Congress was out of session based
on his ideas (no advice from anyone else)
• Since Johnson decided to take matters into his
own hands, he had to figure out a plan for
Reconstruction. Johnson knew that many
people in Congress supported the Wade-Davis
Bill (The 50% Plan) but he also knew that
Lincoln had wanted to reunify the North and
the South as quickly as possible. What will
Johnson’s reconstruction plan be like?
Option 1
Johnson will make a
reconstruction plan based
on what he felt Lincoln
would have wanted and
what he himself wanted- a
lenient plan
Option 2
Johnson will create a
reconstruction plan
based on what he knows
Congress wants- a strict
plan
Option 1
Johnson will make a
reconstruction plan based
on what he felt Lincoln
would have wanted and
what he himself wanted- a
lenient plan
Option 2
Johnson will create a
reconstruction plan
based on what he knows
Congress wants- a strict
plan
• Johnson’s Lenient Reconstruction
– Citizens received their rights and citizenship back
if they swore an oath
– Leaders of the army and government had to ask
Johnson for a pardon
– Chose a governor for each state who held
elections
– Most leaders were past Confederate leaders
• When Congress came back into session,
Republicans moved to stop the President.
Congress threw out the state governments set up
by Johnson. In 1866, Congress passed the Civil
Rights Act, defining all persons born in the U.S. as
citizens. Congress also passed the Fourteenth
Amendment to the Constitution, authorizing the
federal government to protect the rights of all
citizens, and in 1867, established a military
Reconstruction program to enforce political and
social rights for Southern blacks.
Option 1
Johnson will try to veto the
acts he does not approve of
and go on a speaking tour
campaign to get the support
of the people.
Option 2
Johnson will quietly accept
the changes made by
Congress and continue to
pursue his own policies.
Option 1
Johnson will try to veto the
acts he does not approve of
and go on a speaking tour
campaign to get the support
of the people.
Option 2
Johnson will quietly accept
the changes made by
Congress and continue to
pursue his own policies.
• Johnson vetoed the Civil Rights Act and bills
extending the life of the Freedmen’s Bureau
but his vetoes were overturned
• His speaking tour to gain support was
criticized because of lewd language and some
drunken appearences
• In a final blow to the president’s dignity,
Congress passed the Tenure of Office Act,
which stripped the President of the power to
remove federal officials without the Senate's
approval. This act was created so that
Johnson could not fire federal officials who
supported “Radical Reconstruction.”
Option 1
Johnson will challenge the
Tenure of Office Act by
firing a federal official
without Senate approval.
Option 2
Johnson will get the
Supreme Court to declare
the Tenure of Office Act
unconstitutional.
Option 1
Johnson will challenge the
Tenure of Office Act by
firing a federal official
without Senate approval.
Option 2
Johnson will get the
Supreme Court to declare
the Tenure of Office Act
unconstitutional.
• Johnson challenged the act by firing the
Secretary of War
• Johnson was then charged for violating the act
• Johnson was acquitted with only one vote
missing from the 2/3 majority needed to
impeach him
Timeline of Reconstruction
• Complete the timeline by defining the event
• When done, summarize why the event is
significant or important
• If done early, complete “Congressional Press”
newspaper and questions
• PAGE 548
Presidents of Reconstruction
• Please match the events to which president’s term they
took place in. Then circle the event in GREEN if this
president helped cause this event or circle the event in RED
if the president tried to stop this event from happening
Major Events of Reconstruction
13th Amendment
Civil Right Act of 1866
14th Amendment
Reconstruction Act of 1867
15th Amendment
KKK created
The end of Reconstruction
Black Codes Enacted
Andrew Johnson
Ulysses S. Grant
Rutherford B. Hayes