Introduction to US History/Rebuilding a Nation

Type classification: this is an essay resource.

Work by: Aaqib A. (January 2022)

Instructions

Compare two of the suggested plans for reunifying the nation.  Options include

1. Abraham Lincoln’s plan
2. Wade Davis or Congressional Bill
3. Andrew Johnson’s suggestion
4. Military Reconstruction Act [ultimately utilized]

The Military plan took 12 years and Reconstruction didn’t end until 1877; do you think any of the other plans would have worked better and/or quicker?   If it were you rebuilding the nation, which option would you have used –OR do you have a better idea?

Other questions to consider while writing your Essay?  Please answer at least one of them.

1. How would you treat the southerners living in the former Confederacy? Friend or foe?   What if some of those southerners are family? related to you or your spouse?
2. Would you demand Revenge for the deaths of so many northern soldiers or would you offer empathy to the southerners who also suffered losses themselves of family members?
3. How do we, as a nation, best help freedmen (and women) adapt and adjust to a life of freedom? How do we educate, re-locate and teach them to prosper in the world of 1870? Who’s going to pay for that assistance? And what if they refuse the offers- because of generations of mistrust and disrespect.

It is “open book” and you may use internet sites—but if you use alternate sources, they must be cited at the end of the essays.

Essays

In all honesty, I don't think any better solution could've been made up for this scenario. The Civil War was detrimental. Although it lasted for only four years, the impact it had on our nation was painful. Thousands of lives were lost, families broken, and the whole country is in a state of disarray. However, the Military plan is superior in comparison to the plan presented by President Johnson - and ultimately was the best plan possible.

In Johnson's plan, he appointed a Union-based governor to organize the political parties in Southern USA. Additionally, the state governments had to pledge to the US, ratify the 13th Amendment, and get rid of their Act of Secession. They also were not allowed to pay back the owed salary of the Confederate generals. Although Johnson had the right idea, strict measures needed to be taken. The Military plan required them to ratify the 14th and 15th amendments additionally. The "Union-based" politicians were separated into 5 regions of the South and took direct measures into improving the South's environment. I think this was just as strict as it needed to be so that the Union policies and standards were to be spread to the South. Monitoring the South was also essential in order to prevent any uprises or rebellions. Also, a presumably overlooked part of the Military plan was the check on the executive branch with the Tenure Office Act. The Tenure Office Act required that the president must seek the Senate's permission in order to remove a senate appointment. I believed this was a good law for this time period as it assured that the president, either from the North or the South, wasn't going to have too much power in controlling Congress. This was especially for the South, who were in disarray and in despair over losing the war and losing their slaves - but the North also needed this too as they were skeptical of Johnson.

Lastly, as a president, the best action is to forgive rather than exact revenge. Revenge, in a form of execution or imprisonment, would lead America into a dictatorship vs. the republic that it was intended to be when it was first founded. The Confederates, although slavery is not logical whatsoever, had a good reason to defend their values and their liberties as they felt their culture was being threatened by the election of Lincoln into the presidency. Lincoln promised protective tariffs for the North and away westward for the West, but nothing for the South. They rightfully believed their cries were not being heard and seceded as a result. They've lost their family, their homes, and their past lives just like the Union soldiers did - so why treat them any different? Now, obviously, in the case of a refusal to pledge oath/rebellious behavior, action should be taken promptly - but unnecessary and additive punishments are not what's going to bring the country back together.

Citations

• "US History" OpenStax Textbooks Chapter 3.3, P. Scott Corbetta, accessed Jan. 12, 2022.