How Did Lincoln's Plan For Reconstruction

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Lincolns plan for reconstruction was the best because he wanted it to be quick and easy, without punishing the South. The south was so damaged; farmland, railroads, factories, bridges, all ruined! Not to mention slaves were now freed, but society was forever damaged from slavery. It just added more to racism. Slaves being free didn’t make them any better or equal, as a Caucasian man might say. How were they supposed to just go and rebuild their lives? How was anyone supposed to fix all these problems? Well, there were three plans; Lincoln’s plan, Radical Republicans, and Johnson’s plan. Radical Republicans were all for protecting African Americans and thought the confederate leaders should be punished. Johnson’s plan was just like Lincoln’s, just more harsh and painful. Lincoln just wanted the reconstruction to be fast, simple, and painless. Reconstruction was much needed after the Civil War, and they needed a good plan! Lincoln’s plan was a …show more content…

First off, the terms of the plans were easy for Southerners to accept. He made the Ten-Percent plan. For this plan, it stated that a state could be reestablished into the Union if 10% from the vote take the oath of allegiance to the U.S. Most Radical Republicans thought that Lincoln wasn’t harsh enough, and way to easy towards the South. Every former-confederate most likely loved this plan because every other plan wanted punishment upon them. Slavery was always a big issue. Since slaves are now freed, it would be hard for them to just go build a life. Lincoln once thought that once they were finally free, they’d just go back to Libya. Lincoln wasn’t against slaves but his main focus wasn’t on protecting their rights like the Radical Republicans. They had a shelter specifically for blacks and poor whites that was one of the most popular. This just shows that he cared. In conclusion, Lincoln was not against slaves but they were not his main