The End Of The Civil War

1) Lincoln introduced the first Reconstruction scheme, the Ten Percent Plan, thus beginning the period known as Presidential Reconstruction. The plan decreed that when one-tenth of a state's prewar voters had taken an oath of loyalty to the U.S. Constitution, its citizens could elect a new state government and apply for readmission to the Union. In addition, Lincoln promised to pardon all but a few high-ranking Confederates if they would take this oath and accept abolition. The plan also required that states amend their constitutions to abolish slavery. Conspicuous in this plan was the stipulation that only whites could vote or hold office.

Lincoln’s plan for presidential reconstruction was to restore relations between the North and South. He wanted to pardon all Confederate states and promised to protect private property rights. He saw that states seceding from the Union was hurting America’s economy. He proposed his “10 Percent” plan that required only 10% of votes of Congress in order for the state to be re admitted back into the Union. He also wanted to establish the Freeman’s Bureau in order to provide land and aid the freed slaves.

The American Civil War, also known as the State’s War, was a conflict that arose mostly from the issue of slavery, but deep down was due to economic differences between the North and the South. The South seceded from the North and created their own self-government due to their belief in the lack of state’s rights versus the federal government and what they saw as a weakness in the Articles of Confederation. While the Confederacy of the United States depended on slave labor for their economy in regards to plantation farming of cotton, tobacco and rice, the Union, whom represented the United States of America, was a booming manufacturing industry due to railroads and machinery that allowed them to easily surpass the output of the South’s

In December of 1863, Abraham Lincoln proposed the 10 Percent Plan as the first plan for Reconstruction. In the plan, a Confederate state would be readmitted to the Union, with a new government created, once ten percent of the state's voters had declared loyalty to the United States. These people were also required to uphold emancipation. Lincoln said that it would be "a cruel and an astounding breach of faith" for anyone to not abide by the laws of emancipation (qtd. in Goodwin 588). Anyone who took this oath received a full pardon unless they had been a Confederate official. Lincoln also thought that the entire abolition of slavery, not just in Confederate states, should be made by a Constitutional amendment. However, this plan was more of a way to try to diminish the power of the Confederacy during the Civil War than a plan to be enacted after the war was over. It was officially put into motion in some parts of Union-held territory in the South, but it was never truly supported by locals and Congress didn't recognize is it.

After four years the Civil War ended in 1865 the next problem was the reconstruction of the torn apart United States. It was a slow start especially for government reconstruction but had Abraham Lincoln been president instead of Andrew Johnson presidential reconstruction may have proved to be successful. Along with the reconstruction came “radical” changes to the United States as well. This flared both Southern and Northern racial attitudes causing conflict between the two once again. These problems were just the beginning of reconstruction leaving behind the historical legacy we have today.

The Reconstruction of the United States was an experiment in interracial democracy. The Civil War victory by the North brought to a close the establishment of slavery but, in turn, opened Pandora's box. The questions and answers pertaining to economical, political, and social equality for freedmen had yet to be addressed on a practical level. The Southern states, still bitter from defeat and economic stresses, strongly rejected the societal transformations thrust upon them. The Northern states' focal point remained on the necessary political powers by which to enact constitutional amendments, therefore empowering the federal government with the capabilities to enforce the principles of equal rights. On paper, slavery was abolished, but in reality, African-Americans were once again enslaved on a ship without the security or knowledge of what the next port held for them. The Civil War had not truly ended. It was still active under the guise of Reconstruction, but now coats and flags of many colors existed, and battles were merely fought on alternate battlefields. A war of ideas lacking in substantial practicality resulted in repetitious battles being won and loss. The motivating forces that set Reconstruction into motion were for the most part the North's quest for unification among states', and the emancipation of slaves. However, the primary objective of Reconstruction was to grant political, economical, and social opportunities for the freedmen. The

negative effects, but the point was to bring the country back together, and it succeeded in doing so. Under Abraham Lincoln’s plan for Reconstruction, when one tenth of the population of a state took an oath of allegiance to the United States and abolished slavery in their state, they could be readmitted into the Union (Mending a Divided Nation). His policy seemed lenient to many, but the

The Civil War was a devastating war with many casualties for both sides. The physical side of these wounds is widely written about and there is a lot of detail on the topic. John E. Talbott decided to write about the mental side effects of the Civil War instead. He uses different sources to prove his claim that Civil War soldiers and veterans suffered from “shell-shock” or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, or P.T.S.D. He shows how those effected by these disorders acted, how they were seen by those around them, and how they were treated by the public or government by analyzing articles written during or after the Civil War.

     Congress decided to punish the South for their continuous resistance to Reconstruction by scrapping Johnson’s failing plan, and establishing Congressional Reconstruction. Congressional Reconstruction was by far the most vindictive, and therefore most loathsome to the South. Over the course of ten years, Congress passed the 13th Amendment (abolishing slavery), and established the Freedmen’s Bureau in March of 1865 (providing food, medical aid, and education to freed people). It passed the Civil Rights Act of 1866 (granting citizenship to blacks, and authorizing the federal government to protect their rights), the 14th Amendment ratified in 1868 (solidifying the Civil Rights Act by defining citizenship and guaranteeing equal protection under the law), and the Reconstruction Acts in 1867. The Reconstruction Acts established Radical Reconstruction, namely by dividing the South (excluding Tennessee) into five military districts, headed by northern generals. Once fifty-one percent of the voting population had taken an oath to the constitution, all qualified voters (including blacks) could elect

The purpose of this paper is to show the events surrounding the end of the American Civil War. The two sides which were at war was the union and the confederacy. Which was basically the United States separated into 2 sections going at war with each other. In this document, I will speak about those people who were involved on the battlefield towards the end of the war.

After the Civil War, the fact that slavery was abolished might seem to be the end of the story; however, the problems derived from the abolishment of slavery had yet to be addressed. During the Reconstruction Era, these problems were reflected on the political, social, and economic aspects. Which played several major roles in shaping America from the late nineteenth into the twentieth centuries.These three aspects, political, social, and economical, affected one another so much that they were inseparable. The beginning leniency of Andrew Johnson all the way to the Confederates and later the political conflict between Johnson and the Radical Republicans, and lastly, the political struggle between Republicans and Democrats. It all resulted in the ever-changing policies toward the freed people. These different policies had strong effects on the society, especially the freed people. Although some of the policies, such as the abolition of slavery and several Constitutional Amendments were beneficial to the rights of freed people, the sudden increase of freed people brought about the separation of black and white and many other social issues. Thus the real equality among people still had yet to be achieved. The economy also affected the society and the politics. The depression of the economy after the Civil War made people focus on their own situations, instead of worrying about the freed people. For example the people were distressed about getting money and how to provide for

The Civil War is known as a turning point in America, the road to ending slavery, while first turning a nation against each other.

Before the Civil War started, the North and the South argued on two main topics: slavery and state rights. In my opinion, it was because of slavery that state rights were argued. When Western territories were annexed from Mexico, they were admitted to the Union with the condition that that slavery be banned through the Wilmot Proviso (History.com). Because of this, slave states felt they were unfairly treated and outnumbered. The religious fervor of the Second Great Awakening also gave way to new ideology. Combined with the growing abolitionist sentiment, Northern states began taking action against Southern states. Because their rights as

In 1863 during the Civil War and Lincoln’s presidency, Lincoln came out with “Lincoln’s 10% Plan.” The plan stated that if you were aloud to vote in 1860, therefore not black people, then you were able to swear an oath. The oath was to promise to be loyal to the Union. Ten percent meant that 10% of each states voters needed to accomplish this in order to be apart of the union again. The southerns also needed to agree that slavery was illegal. Once Lincoln made a plan for reuniting the states, his next plan was to reunite the white and black people within the United States.

After the Civil War, the South was in ruins and America was on the road to Reconstruction. America was now faced with the challenges of overcoming Southern resentment, restoring the Union, and determining the meaning of black freedom. The process of reconstruction would be complicated and complex and would involve readmitting the Southern states that had seceded from the Union; physically reconstructing the South; and integrating the freedmen into America’s society. Various plans for Reconstruction were involved: Lincoln’s ten percent plan, the Wade-Davis Bill, Johnson’s Reconstruction Plan, and the Congressional Reconstruction Plan. Although the blacks gained their freedom after the war, their lives did not change drastically. The Reconstruction Era had brought upon change to the southern states as freedmen were able to work for themselves and had the ability to have their own families, but that does not mean that they were equal to the whites. The Thirteenth Amendment that was passed under Lincoln’s presidency formally abolished slavery and involuntary servitude but when his presidency was passed on to Andrew Johnson, the freedmen did not have as many rights. He did not pay any mind to the newly freed blacks in the South and in turn, the Southern states were able to pass the “black codes” which restricted the freedmen’s rights. This placed the blacks under a strict law and although they were not slaves anymore, they were living in fear. It wasn’t until the radical