Reconstruction Problems

There were many issues and problems facing the United States during its post-Civil War era of Reconstruction. Such problems include, but are not limited to economy, civil rights, reunification, and Federal Government infringement of state’s rights. The Union faced one major problem during both the “Presidential Reconstruction” and “Congressional Reconstruction”, which was the divide within the Republican Party. At the onset of Reconstruction the Republican Party worked well with President Lincoln and accepted he plan to accomplish the reestablishment of the Union. After, the President Lincoln’s assassination by a southerner, the Republican Party demanded swift justice against the south. With President Lincoln no longer carrying out his plan,

President Lincoln, a Republican himself, issued a statement to Congress on December 8th, 1863 when he announced his plans for Proclamation of Amnesty and Reconstruction. President Lincoln was immediately met with resistance on his plan of Reconstruction by Congress, which was controlled by the Radical Republicans who demanded swift and harsh punishment for the South. This is the first demonstration of a divide in Republican approach to Reconstruction. President Lincolns plan was to first integrate Louisiana and Arkansas back into the Union, but Congress felt that the requirements for an ex-confederate state to rejoin were too lenient and opened the door for Confederate ideals to rise again. Congress believed in Reconstruction, but refused to recognize ex-confederate representatives in the attempt to stop the “Presidential Reconstruction’ ideals for taking root and wished to inject their own Radical Republican Reconstruction plans. The Republicans were now split on a political level in the Union between the Executive Branch and Legislative Branch, within the Legislative Branch there was even greater divide between the Conservative Republicans and Radical

Reconstruction was intended to unify the states once more and allowing for the United States to stabilize its economy in a post war era. The Union may have felt minimal impact under its industrial institution, but the south was in shambles and its agricultural institution that was its pre-war economy was not nonexistent under Reconstruction. In the south the lives of planters, non-slave holding whites, and even former slaves was directly affected by reconstruction. The farmers no longer had guaranteed labor to work their fields, which meant a decline in agriculture production and the export of raw materials. Freed slaves who remained in the south did not have a means to support their family due to the lack of support and work for freed slaves and if any support was coming it was slowed down by the divide of the Union on Reconstruction. A new system of Sharecropping emerged as the new institution replacing slavery, but acceptance was slow at best. With the lack of income for most southerners who relied on the institution of slavery had to turn to credit with merchants and moved away from financial independence. In addition to economic instability, the creation of violent groups such as the Ku Klux Klan emerged and attacked anyone, white or African American, who