What Are The Three Plans After Civil War Reconstruction

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Throughout the history of the United States, there have been many decisions that have impacted the path that society would take and multiple possibilities for each decision. One such decision was related to the Civil War, more specifically the plans for reconstruction after the Civil War. After the Civil War the nation had to rebuild and three plans were provided that outlined a process for the reconstruction, Lincoln’s plan, Johnson’s plan, and the Radical Republican’s plan. Lincoln’s plan called for restoring the Union as quickly as possible with very little punishment for the Southern states. Lincoln’s plan included amnesty for those that pledged an oath to the United States, high ranking Confederate officials were excluded from that amnesty, …show more content…

His plan also stated that African-Americans should not be guaranteed equal rights unless the individual state allowed it and that African-Americans should only be allowed to vote if they could read or write. The Radical Republican’s plan, also known as the Congressional plan, was the plan was ultimately used. This plan called for military rule of Southern states until the new laws and provisions were enforced. It mandated that the states would have to write a new Constitution, guarantee African-Americans full rights, including the right to vote, and that Confederate officials were banned from voting and holding political offices. These actions were decided on, because it was a way to get revenge, help the freedmen, and keep the Republican party in power. Now that a basic understanding of the plans has been reached, the topic of which plan was used can be discussed. Of the three plans the Radical Republican’s plan was the correct option, because it had the support of Congress, it focused on the Freedmen, and gave the country the chance to …show more content…

This plan This plan led to the creation of important amendments that would shape the nation and, since it was the only plan that the congress excepted, it was the most successful. It can be seen as the birth of Civil Rights, by giving African-Americans the same political rights and opportunities as white citizens. This happened through the fourteenth and fifteenth Amendments of the Constitution, which granted African-Americans citizenship and the right to vote. However, with the underlying agenda of the plan people often consider it to be a false victory. This comes from the fact that the plan was intended to punish the Southern states that seceded and keep the Republicans in power and the primary objective was not just the equality of