Reconstruction

The End of the Civil War Robert E. Lee surrenders to Ulysses S. Grant on April 9, 1865 The issue before the nation is how to reintegrate southern states and former slaves into the new union. Reconstruction is the term that we use for the years from 1865 until 1877.

Lincoln’s Plan for Reconstruction Lincoln favored leniency for the former confederate states. In 1863, Lincoln presented the Proclamation of Amnesty and Reconstruction Called “The ten-percent” plan Any state in which 10% of the population took an oath of allegiance to the United States would be admitted back into the Union. States would reform their governments and rejoin the country as before the war. This angered Radical Republican who favored punishing the south more severely.

Lincoln is Assassinated On April 15, 1865 President Lincoln and his wife, Mary Todd Lincoln went to the theater to see a show. The plan to kill the President was actually a part of a much larger plot to destabilize the government of the North. A well known actor, John Wilkes Booth, was chosen to assassinate Lincoln. The plan was supposed to also kill Secretary of State William Seward, General Ulysses Grant and Vice-President Andrew Johnson. During the play Booth shot Lincoln in the back of the head, rendering him unconscious.

Andrew Johnson is President Johnson is sworn in as President three hours after Lincoln dies. Johnson was from Tennessee Served as Congressman, Governor and Senator from that state Johnson is chosen by Lincoln to be Vice-President when Lincoln runs for re-election in 1864. Johnson is a Democrat and Lincoln liked the idea of a national unity ticket to help unify the country.