ipl-logo

Analysis Of Andrew Johnson's Disagreement After The Civil War

696 Words3 Pages

After the division of the states through the Civil War, people had different answers to the question of how to reunite the country. American politics now had to decide how to deal with racism, former enemy leaders and states, and the true definition of a citizen’s rights. This reconstructing process led to many disagreements. During this time, even congress and the president found themselves at odds.
After the Civil War, Congress and President Andrew Johnson had different tactics to reconstruct the states. While Andrew granted self-government back to the former confederate states quickly, Congress feared returning power to soon would result in confederate uprising and suppressed black freedom. Congress passed the Fourteenth Amendment in order …show more content…

“Initially Johnson indicated that he intended to deal harshly with the South. He spoke of punishing ex-Confederate for their ‘treason.’ He also talked of the need to assist former slaves in their transition to freedom (Keene, 416).” Radical Republicans were in favor of such ideas and were pleased by Johnson’s plan. He later showed that his course of actions would look much different from what he originally suggested. Andrew Johnson instead was lenient toward the South. He set up a policy that would quickly reestablish the southern states. “It offered pardons, amnesty, and return of all confiscated property to the southerners who pledged allegiance to the Union (Keene, 416).” The only exception was former confederate leaders and wealthy planters would have to go to Johnson himself for a pardon. Johnson set up ways for the states to gain more self-government. He declared that the union was …show more content…

The Fourteenth Amendment declared all persons born or naturalized in the United states as citizens, that citizens were entitled to “equal protection of the laws” of the states where they lived, that high-ranking former Confederate officials could not hold office unless pardoned by congress, and that states that denied adult male citizens the right to vote would have less congressional representation. It also repudiated Confederate debt and prohibited financial compensation to ex-slave owners (Keene, 421).
When Radical republicans came to power in the South they helped many former slaves regain rights, but there was also tension and corruption. “Between 1869 and 1901, 22 African Americans would serve in congress (20 representatives and 2 senators) (Keene, 423).” Many white southerners became bitter at the “Negro rule” that the Republican government had established (Keene, 423). This bitterness caused the growth of white terrorist groups, such as the Ku Klux Klan who often targeted Radical Republican officials and

Show More
Related

Dbq Reconstruction Plan

211 Words | 1 Pages

The Reconstruction of many Southern states from the year 1865 to 1877 is a failure, although reconstruction plans are set up, African Americans still face the same poor treatment they are given prior to the Civil War. The president at the time, Abraham Lincoln, puts in place a reconstruction plan to help rebuild the South in a way it has never been before, without slaves. Lincoln also puts the thirteenth amendment in place, which abolishes slavery. However, after Lincoln’s death, his Vice President, Andrew Johnson takes over and overrules his reconstruction plan, and puts in place his own, which favors the former Confederate states. Johnson fights with congress over the passing of the fourteenth amendemnet, but Congress overrules his vetoes,

Read More

Pros And Cons Of Abraham Lincoln's Ten Percent Plan

906 Words | 4 Pages

After the civil war, the question of “what’s next” was the main focus throughout politics, the government and the country. Abraham Lincoln was president during that time and he had a plan for reconstruction he hoped would bring the nation back together quickly and easily without too many harsh punishments or difficulties. Unfortunately, after Lincoln was murdered, his Vice President, Andrew Johnson had a plan for reconstruction that was different than Lincoln’s and many disagreed with Johnson’s views and ideas. Radical Republicans, were a large majority of the people who did not like Johnson the most, and so they came up with a reconstruction plan of their own as well, however only one was put into place and it changed the future of the United States forever.

Read More

Differences Between The 13th And 15th Amendments

738 Words | 3 Pages

Because Republicans were worried that the South would revoke the Bill, Congress passed the 14th amendment that same year. This granted all former slaves civil rights that included citizenship. At this point Congress is now overall in control of the government. In 1867, Congress was able to pass the Reconstruction Act which required Southern states to ratify the 14th amendment if they wanted back in the Union. In 1869 the 15th amendment was passed by Congress granting all African American males the right to vote.

Read More

Johnson V. Johnson: Former Confederate States

107 Words | 1 Pages

Johnson, a former senator from Tennessee who had remained loyal to the Union during the war, was a firm supporter of states’ rights and believed the federal government had no say in issues such as voting requirements at the state level. Under his Presidential Reconstruction, which began in May 1865, the former Confederate states were required to uphold the abolition of slavery (made official by the 13th Amendment to the Constitution), swear loyalty to the Union and pay off their war debt. Beyond those limitations, the states and their ruling class (traditionally dominated by white planters) were given a relatively free hand in rebuilding their own governments.

Read More

Reconstruction Dbq

953 Words | 4 Pages

Andrew Johnson had only been vice-president for 42 days when he became president. He seemed supportive of the penal measures against the Confederates in the past, believing that they were to blame for the Civil War. However, Johnson was even more lenient to the Confederates even pardoning leaders and members. He was constantly clashing with the Radicals in the Congress solely on the status of the freed slaves and whites in the South. Many former Confederates were in denial to accepting both social changes and political domination by former slaves.

Read More

Reconstruction Dbq

1250 Words | 5 Pages

After the Civil War the era of the Reconstruction began with the 13th Amendment which President Abraham Lincoln's announced as the Emancipation Proclamation in 1883. The 13th Amendment was a huge deal because it eliminated slavery and obligatory servitude. After Lincoln's assassination in April 1865 his successor Andrew Johnson became the 17th president. He also was the first president to be impeached, but he was not removed from office he only served one term from 1808-1875. Despite the initiation of the reconstruction president Andrew Johnson was not a supporter of the Republican Party which most of them come from the northern states.

Read More

How Did The Policies Change Throughout The Era Of Reconstruction

861 Words | 4 Pages

Throughout the era of Reconstruction, President Andrew Johnson and Congress clashed in their views and policies, which can be seen in the way that they responded to one another’s actions. In May of 1865, President Johnson outlined his plan for reuniting the nation. This consisted of Johnson issuing a series of proclamations, one of which offered a pardon to nearly all of the white southerners, with the requirement that they had to take an oath of allegiance to the Union. In addition to this, the proclamations appointed provisional governors and ordered them to call state conventions to establish loyal governments in the South, elected by whites alone.

Read More

What Is The Compromise Of 1877 Dbq

990 Words | 4 Pages

Johnson was a democrat and a previous slave owner, which didn’t make him an avid supporter of Lincoln’s plan of Southern Reconstruction. What Lincoln had previously intended on doing was have criminal amnesty to Confederates who pledged allegiance to the Union and allowed states to hold a constitutional convention along with setting up their state government. Though Johnson kept some of the plan intact, he called for there to be no limits on voter allegiance for the Southern states. This sparked opposition from the Radical Republicans, a group of congressmen who believed black southerners should be guaranteed equality with whites. They deduced that Johnson shouldn’t set legislative policy for reconstruction as it wouldn’t lead to a country of tolerance that they worked to achieve.

Read More

To What Extent Was The Reconstruction Act Of 1867

206 Words | 1 Pages

1867 - The Reconstruction Act of 1867 1868 – Ratification of 14th Amendment 1920 – Nineteenth Amendment 1923 – Equal Rights Amendment The Reconstruction Act of 1867 was an act that would not allow for confederate states to rejoin the union unless they ratified the 14th amendment and guaranteed black men the right to vote. This was one of the first pieces of legislation that began the journey for equal rights for all people in America. Although the Reconstruction Act of 1867 was not entirely successful on its own, it did eventually lead to the ratification of the 14th amendment in 1868. Before the ratification of the 14th amendment, people held that the amendment did not apply to slaves or former slaves.

Read More

Differences Between Johnson And Congress Over Reconstruction

1003 Words | 5 Pages

Johnson’s plan stated that freed African Americans had no role in politics, and the new southern legislatures even passed “black codes” restricting the freedom of African Americans and forcing them into repressive labor situations, which was a development that they strongly resisted upon. In the congressional elections of 1866, northern voters rejected Johnson’s view of Reconstruction and handed a major victory to the so-called Radical Republicans, who now took control of Reconstruction. Republicans had strong determination to control the South. Congress’ passage of the Reconstruction Acts of 1867 marked the beginning of the Radical Reconstruction period, which lasted for the next decade. That legislation divided the South into five military districts and delineated how new state governments based on universal suffrage for both whites and black were to be systematized.

Read More

Reconstruction Vs Radical Reconstruction Essay

582 Words | 3 Pages

However, forces like the Ku Klux Klan came about to reverse the changes made. When Andrew Johnson came into presidency in 1865, he gave back land to those that had some taken from them. This land had previously been confiscated by the Union Army and distributed to free slaves. Southern states were given the right to rebuild themselves.

Read More

Goals Of Reconstruction

1074 Words | 5 Pages

Once Johnson was no longer in charge congress put into place the Civil Rights Act, an act that declared everyone who was born in the United states to be granted a citizen no matter their race or previous conditions. This meant all former slaves could become true legal citizens. Similarly, the 14th amendment made it so that each state was to give equal protection of the laws to everyone because it too declared all citizens were equal. This amendment also would not allow for confederate political leaders to hold positions and it would not forgive any debts of the confederacy. Following the civil rights act and the 14th amendment the 15th amendment and then another civil rights act were also put into effect.

Read More

How Did Andrew Johnson Impeached

749 Words | 3 Pages

First, he forgave ex-Confederate officials and began fighting with the Republican Congress about Civil Rights. The Congress refused to accept the ex-Confederate officials and the new laws and codes they proposed in 1865. Andrew Johnson apposed and vetoed both the Civil Rights bill and the Freedman’s Bureau bill in 1866 hoping to bring the Southern States back into the union. This only created more distrust and fighting with the majority republicans in the Congress. Andrew Johnson did all these things, and his presidency ended before he expected.

Read More

Reconstruction Argumentative Essay

669 Words | 3 Pages

During his presidency, Congress ratified the 13th-Amendment that abolished slavery in 1865. In addition, President Johnson made contributions to the black people by vetoing bills that increased protection offered by Freedman Bureau. His vetoes also nullified the Black Codes and guaranteed full citizenship and equal rights to black people. This brought up the Civil Rights Act of 1866, an act that granted citizenships and same rights that both black and white enjoyed. As a result, the Civil Rights Act set up the basis for the 14th amendments that was also later ratified in 1866.

Read More

Failure Of Reconstruction Essay

1136 Words | 5 Pages

One of reasons the confederacy failed was because the U.S. Congress, with Lincoln’s support, proposed the 13th amendment which would abolish slavery in America. Although the confederate peace delegation was unwilling to accept a future without slavery, the radical and moderate Republicans designed a way to takeover the reconstruction program. The Radical Republicans wanted full citizenship rights for African Americans and wanted to implement harsh reconstruction policies toward the south. The radical republican views made up the majority of the Congress and helped to pass the 14th amendment which guaranteed equality under the law for all citizens, and protected freedmen from presidential vetoes, southern state legislatures, and federal court decisions. In 1869, Congress passed the fifteenth amendment stating that no citizen can be denied the right to vote because of “race, color, or previous condition of servitude.”

Read More

More about Analysis Of Andrew Johnson's Disagreement After The Civil War

Related Topics

Open Document