What Problems Did Lincoln Face During The Civil War

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During the Civil War, President Lincoln and his associates began to plan the Reconstruction of the Union. Problems Lincoln faced were how to reintegrate the conquered southern states back into the Union and what was to be done with the Confederate leaders and the freed slaves. After General Lee surrendered, Lincoln was asked by one of his Generals how the defeated Confederates should be treated, and Lincoln replied, “Let em up easy.” (Thomas, 2008) In keeping with that theme, Lincoln led the moderates regarding Reconstruction policy. Radical Republicans, under Rep. Thaddeus Stevens, Sen. Charles Sumner and Sen. Benjamin Wade, who were political allies of the President on other issues, opposed Lincoln on this issue. Lincoln was determined …show more content…

Lincoln appointed Generals in Tennessee, Arkansas, and Louisiana. In Louisiana Lincoln ordered General Nathanial P. Banks to come up with a strategy to restore statehood once 10 percent of the voting population agreed to it. Democratic opponents accused Lincoln that he was using the military to ensure his and the Republicans’ political aspirations. Republican Radicals claimed his policy too lenient and attempted to pass their own plan called the Wade-Davis Bill in 1864. Lincoln vetoed the bill, and the Radicals responded by denying seats to the elected representatives from Louisiana, Arkansas, and Tennessee. (Donald, …show more content…

He had long made clear his opposition to the confiscation and redistribution of land. He believed, as most Republicans did in April 1865, that the voting requirements should be determined by the states. He assumed that political control in the South would pass to white Unionists, reluctant secessionists, and forward-looking former Confederates. But time and again during the war, Lincoln, after initial opposition, had come to embrace positions first advanced by abolitionists and Radical Republicans..... Lincoln undoubtedly would have listened carefully to the outcry for further protection for the former slaves.... It is entirely plausible to imagine Lincoln and Congress agreeing on a Reconstruction policy that encompassed federal protection for basic civil rights plus limited black suffrage, along the lines Lincoln proposed just before his death. (Foner,