What were the cause and effects of Lincoln’s Reconstruction plan?

Following the Civil War, the Reconstruction Era began. During this time, the southern part of the United States attempted a transformation directed by Congress from 1863 to 1877. Known for its successes and failures, the Reconstruction was a time of great pain and an infinite amount of questions. As well as many long term, short term, positive, negative, social, and political effects. Before the war had even ended, Lincoln had begun this Reconstruction, with the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, which freed the slaves of rebellious states and authorizing their enlistment of black troops (source 3). With Lincoln still in office, he delivered a speech known as his Last Public Address. This address proposed that some blacks such as free…show more content…

President Johnson’s Plan, known as Johnson’s Plan was to restore the Old South minus slavery and minus the plantation elite. The second theory was the Radicals in Congress. They wanted a kind of revolution within southern society. They also wanted to give blacks the vote.  However, Johnson’s Plan ended in utter failure. Johnson was known to have terrible characteristics, to be a drunken demigod, have no politics, and heckled by hostile crowds but, he protected the South from the Radicals in some way (source 6).

Though both Presidents and Congress agreed on ideas for the Reconstruction, the Radical Republicans didn’t feel the same. Shortly after welcoming Johnson, they quickly turned against him and created The Joint Committee of Reconstruction (source 5). Unlike Johnson’s Plan, the Radical Republicans wanted to see immediate change, starting with granting all rights to free men (source 6). The Radicals believed blacks were entitled to the same political rights and opportunities as whites as well as Confederate leaders being punished for their roles in the Civil War (source 7).

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