Do Now:
How do you think the South should be treated after
the Civil War?
What do you think “Reconstruction” means?
The Aftermath of the Civil War
President Lincoln’s Funeral Procession
The Aftermath of the Civil War
Richmond Ruins
with Women in
Mourning Dress
The Aftermath of the Civil War
Locomotive Ruins in Richmond, VA
The Aftermath of the Civil War
Charleston, SC Ruins
The Aftermath of the Civil War
Thomas Nast Emancipation
The Aftermath of the Civil War
Emancipation Celebration from Harper’s Weekly 1866
The Aftermath of the Civil War
Burning a Freedman’s Schoolhouse Harper’s Weekly 1866
The Plans for Reconstruction
• Must readmit southern states to the Union
• Must rebuild the war-torn southern states
• Lincoln, Andrew Johnson, & Congress all had different
ideas for how this would work . . .
• Presidential Reconstruction vs. Congressional Reconstruction
• Republicans vs. Radical Republicans (and don’t forget the
Democrats!)
Lincoln’s “Ten Percent” Plan
• Before death, Lincoln made clear he favored leniency
• Wanted to get states back into the Union asap
• Meant to entice South to surrender
• 10 percent of its voters must swear an oath of
allegiance to the union . . .
• Then, states could create new governments & be readmitted
• All southerners (except high-ranking officials) pardoned
• Pledged to protect private property, just not slaves
• Angered the Radical Republicans led by Thaddeus
Stevens who wanted African American suffrage &
harsher penalties on the South
Johnson’s Plan
(Presidential Reconstruction)
• Johnson was Democrat, but also Unionist
• Southerners & Radical Republicans both thought he was on their
side
• Believed strongly in states’ rights
• States could be readmitted if they withdrew secession, swore
Allegiance to Union, & ratified the 13th Amendment
• Returned lands and property to white landowners
• Pardoned Confederate officers and officials
• Declared Reconstruction over in 1865, despite outrage from
Congress/Radical Republicans . . .
• Their differences leads to Johnsons’ impeachment
Congressional Reconstruction
• Radical Republicans & moderate Republicans join to
make their Reconstruction
• Civil Rights Act 1866 – granted citizenship to African Americans
• 14th Amendment – All people citizens
• First Reconstruction Act 1867 – reduced southern states to
“conquered” military districts + must pass 14th Amendment +
must give African Americans the right to vote
• Second Reconstruction Act 1867 – Union troops put in charge of
voter registration
• 15th Amendment (1870) – Blacks (and poor whites) gained right
to vote!
• Daily lives of blacks and poor whites hardly changed
• Good laws passed, but often ignored by South states
Critical Thinking
• Was one plan better than another?
• Was Reconstruction . . .
• a noble experiment that failed?
• a vengeful northern punishment of the South?
• a weak effort that did not go far enough?
• the best that could have been expected?
• What has been the historical legacy of the
Reconstruction?