Reconstruction Has Two Parts: Presidential Reconstruction Co ✓ Solved

Reconstruction Has Two Parts: Presidential Reconstruction Co

Reconstruction has two parts: Presidential Reconstruction and Congressional Reconstruction. You need to be able to answer the following questions about each one:

• What ideas shaped this version of Reconstruction?
• What did Southern States have to do to regain full standing in the US?
• How did this plan treat African Americans?
• How did this plan treat White Americans?
• Who could vote under this plan?
• How did white Southerners respond to this plan?
• How did black Southerners respond to this plan?
• How did northerners respond to this plan?
• Did this plan change American society?

You need to be able to explain each of those points (the why question). You need to explain why the US changed from Presidential to Congressional Reconstruction. African Americans went from being slaves to free people in this period. Be able to explain what they did now that they achieved their freedom. What did they value? What did they do? Why did they do these actions?

The Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth Amendments are very important to this period and to all of US History. You need to know what each of them did. The Fourteenth Amendment is the most important one. It contains many key ideas for Americans and the rights of the citizens of the United States. You need to know those points as we will return to them frequently going forward in history.

Paper For Above Instructions

Reconstruction in the United States, following the Civil War, is an essential chapter in American history, divided primarily into two significant parts: Presidential Reconstruction and Congressional Reconstruction. Each phase of Reconstruction had distinctive characteristics and responses, especially concerning African Americans, white Southerners, and the Northern states. Understanding these phases sheds light on the profound changes in American society during this pivotal time.

Presidential Reconstruction

Presidential Reconstruction was primarily guided by the ideas and policies of Presidents Abraham Lincoln and Andrew Johnson. Lincoln’s approach aimed to reintegrate the Southern states quickly and leniently. His plan envisioned a swift restoration with minimal punishment for the South, motivated by his desire for national healing. Lincoln introduced the Ten Percent Plan, which stipulated that if ten percent of voters in a Southern state took an oath of allegiance to the Union, the state could reestablish its government.

This lenient approach aimed to reduce the barriers for Southern states to return to full standing in the Union swiftly. However, it also meant that the significant demand for civil rights and social justice for African Americans was not adequately addressed initially. The treatment of African Americans under this plan was largely insufficient, as they continued to face systemic discrimination and did not fully benefit from the promises of freedom.

White Americans, particularly former Confederates, could reclaim their citizenship and property rights fairly easily under this plan, leading to resentment among some Northern politicians and citizens. White Southerners, particularly those who felt aggrieved by the war’s outcome, largely supported this leniency, viewing it as validation of their pre-war social order. Meanwhile, black Southerners expressed frustration and fear regarding their future and rights, as the political structure remained unresponsive to their needs.

Congressional Reconstruction

In contrast, Congressional Reconstruction, which emerged in the late 1860s, reflected a more radical approach driven by the Republican-controlled Congress, recognizing that Presidential Reconstruction had failed to protect the rights of newly freed African Americans. This phase introduced the Reconstruction Acts of 1867, which laid out a more stringent process for Southern states to rejoin the Union. Southern states were required to create new constitutions that guaranteed voting rights to African American men and to ratify the Fourteenth Amendment, ensuring citizenship and equal protection under the law.

The treatment of African Americans improved significantly under Congressional Reconstruction, as federal legislation sought to overturn many of the restrictive measures enacted by Southern states. The Fourteenth Amendment, in particular, guaranteed citizenship rights and provided a legal basis for combatting racial discrimination. African Americans could vote and did so in significant numbers, leading to the election of black legislators, which drastically changed the political landscape in the South.

White Americans responded to Congressional Reconstruction with resentment and resistance, leading to the rise of organizations like the Ku Klux Klan. This backlash illustrated the ongoing societal tensions regarding race and citizenship rights. Black Southerners, on the other hand, viewed this period with optimism, engaging in political processes and striving for economic independence through land ownership and education.

Shift from Presidential to Congressional Reconstruction

The shift from Presidential to Congressional Reconstruction emerged from the perceived failures of the former to provide lasting solutions to the challenges facing the newly liberated African Americans and the nation as a whole. The assassination of Lincoln in 1865 allowed Johnson's more lenient policies to dominate, which angered many in Congress who believed more robust measures were necessary to protect African Americans and ensure their rights.

This transition was marked by significant events and amendments—most notably the Thirteenth Amendment (abolishing slavery), the Fourteenth Amendment (granting citizenship and equal protection), and the Fifteenth Amendment (prohibiting voting discrimination based on race). These amendments not only reshaped the legal landscape but also provided African Americans with newfound hope and aspirations for a better future.

Following their emancipation, African Americans valued education, family, and community. They sought to establish schools and churches, emphasizing literacy and self-governance, which reflected their understanding of freedom beyond merely a lack of slavery. African Americans engaged in various activities—such as forming mutual aid societies and participating in political life—to assert their agency and contribute to societal changes.

Conclusion

In examining Reconstruction, the contrasting approaches of Presidential and Congressional Reconstruction reveal the complexities and challenges of integrating millions of freed individuals into a society that had long denied them basic rights. This era was marked by legislative progress, profound social changes, and continuing resistance, setting the stage for future civil rights movements. The enduring impacts of the Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth Amendments remain pivotal in the ongoing struggle for equality and justice in America.

References

• Blight, David W. "American Oracle: The Civil War in the Civil Rights Era." Harvard University Press, 2018.
• Foner, Eric. "Reconstruction: America's Unfinished Revolution, 1863-1877." Harper & Row, 1988.
• Du Bois, W.E.B. "Black Reconstruction in America." Free Press, 1998.
• McPherson, James M. "Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era." Oxford University Press, 1988.
• Woodward, C. Vann. "The Burden of Southern History." Louisiana State University Press, 1993.
• Foner, Eric. "The Second Founding: How the Civil War and Reconstruction Remade the Constitution." W.W. Norton & Company, 2019.
• Jones, Charles E. "The Reconstruction Era." ABC-CLIO, 2017.
• Brinkley, Alan. "American History: A Survey." McGraw-Hill Education, 2016.
• Oakes, James. "The Radical and the Republican: Frederick Douglass, Abraham Lincoln, and the Triumph of Antislavery Politics." Norton, 2007.
• Trotter, Joe W. "The African American Experience: A History." Wiley-Blackwell, 2010.