Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to enlighten and explore one of the most significant events that took place is U.S history during the 18th century. The core objective of this paper is to highlight U.S reconstruction during 1865 to 1877. Nonetheless, the paper strives to explore different influences that had a substantial impact on U.S reconstruction.

Table of Contents

Introduction3

The Role of Lincoln in American Reconstruction3

The Response of Congress5

Backlash to Reconstruction6

Political Controversies7

Conclusion8

Works Cited9

USA Reconstruction1865-1877

Introduction

The term Reconstruction refers to the period in American history immediately following the U.S. Civil War—from 1867 to 1877—during which efforts were made to assist former slaves as they made the transition from slavery to freedom. In spite of federal legislative initiatives and three new constitutional amendments extending civil liberties to African Americans, much of the Reconstruction effort remained incomplete when federal troops left the South in 1877. As divisive and destructive as the Civil War was, the process of Reconstruction perpetuated the sectional strife between North and South.

The perceived imposition of punitive restrictions upon the liberties of white Southerners, coupled with the legislated expansion of rights to the recently emancipated blacks, stirred much discontent in the South. Though many questions confronted the nation during this pivotal period, the single most important issue concerned the social and economic status of former slaves. Reconstruction presented an opportunity to define freedom in America in new, more inclusive ways. Instead, the final result helped establish a system whereby former slaves and their descendants were systematically denied equality. Thus, Reconstruction was both an unprecedented opportunity and a great tragedy.

The Role of Lincoln in American Reconstruction

In many ways, Reconstruction began before the war was over and, indeed, even before the Union's victory was assured. By summer 1862, President Abraham Lincoln had begun to consider freeing the slaves in the South. Although he personally deplored slavery, Lincoln envisioned emancipation primarily as a measure that would undermine the Confederacy's ability to wage war. He announced the Emancipation Proclamation on September 22, 1862, shortly after the Union victory at Antietam, declaring his intent to free all slaves in areas in rebellion against the United States on January 1, 1863. Although the Emancipation Proclamation was important to the Union war effort in many ways—including its allowing for the enlistment of black soldiers—it also set the agenda for Reconstruction (Bowers, 66).

It meant that if the Union won the war, slavery would be abolished, and people in both the North and South would be forced to deal with the fallout. As early as 1862, the Union army began to take control of large tracts of Confederate territory, and Lincoln pondered ways to re-establish Southern state governments in order to speed the process of emancipation. Hoping to achieve a peaceful and expedient reconciliation, he devised a policy for wartime Reconstruction called the “Ten Percent Plan.” Under its terms, former Confederate states could be re-admitted to the Union if 10 percent of voters registered in 1860 signed an oath of loyalty to the federal government (Cimbala, 118).

The collapse of the Confederacy and ...