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Battle over reconstruction. How did disagreements over Reconstruction lead to conflict in the government and the South?. The Battle is Passed Down. After Lincoln’s assassination, the battle over how Reconstruction should be done was passed to Andrew Johnson
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Battle over reconstruction How did disagreements over Reconstruction lead to conflict in the government and the South?
The Battle is Passed Down • After Lincoln’s assassination, the battle over how Reconstruction should be done was passed to Andrew Johnson • A southerner at heart, Johnson was at odds with the Radical Republicans that had a grip on Congress
Radical Republicans Andrew Johnson • Were mostly from the North • Were anti-slavery • Wanted a strict plan for Reconstruction • Had strong support from scalawags, carpetbaggers, and freemen • Was originally from the South • Was pro-slavery • Wanted a lenient plan for Reconstruction
Decision Making In Andrew Johnson’s Shoes How did disagreements over Reconstruction lead to conflict in the government and the South?
Johnson’s Background Like Lincoln, Johnson was born poor with nearly illiterate parents. He did not learn to read or write till the age of 17. Johnson was from the South and was born in North Carolina. He began as a tailor but quickly moved up in politics serving as mayor of Greenville, then a state legislator, then a representative, and finally as the governor of Tennessee. However closely he identified with his fellow Southerners' views on slavery, Johnson disagreed strongly with their calls to break up the Union over the issue. When Tennessee left the Union after the election of Abraham Lincoln, Johnson broke with his home state, becoming the only Southern senator to retain his seat in the U.S. Senate.
In the South, Johnson was deemed a traitor; his property was confiscated and his wife and two daughters were driven from the state. In the North, however, Johnson's stand made him an overnight hero. Though Johnson was deeply committed to saving the Union, he did not believe in the emancipation of slaves. By the summer of 1863, however, he began to favor emancipation as a war measure. Concerned about his chances for reelection, Lincoln felt that he needed a man like Johnson as his vice president to help balance the ticket in 1864 and get the support of the Democrats. Together, the two won a sweeping victory against Democratic candidate General George B. McClellan and his running mate, George Pendleton.
Scenario One: Creating a Reconstruction Plan • Since the Constitution did not state who should be in charge of reconstruction, Andrew Johnson and the Republican members of Congress agreed that they would work together to solve the many problems facing the nation after the Civil War. Congress ended their session and left Washington in the summer of 1865. What will Johnson do?
Option 1 Johnson will wait till Congress returns and work with them to create a Reconstruction plan. Option 2 Johnson will create the Reconstruction plan and put it into effect without asking Congress.
Option 1 Johnson will wait till Congress returns and work with them to create a Reconstruction plan. Option 2 Johnson will create the Reconstruction plan and put it into effect without asking Congress.
What Johnson Did • Created and put into effect Reconstruction plan while Congress was out of session based on his ideas (no advice from anyone else)
Scenario Two: How to Reconstruct the Society • Since Johnson decided to take matters into his own hands, he had to figure out a plan for Reconstruction. Johnson knew that many people in Congress supported the Wade-Davis Bill (The 50% Plan) but he also knew that Lincoln had wanted to reunify the North and the South as quickly as possible. What will Johnson’s reconstruction plan be like?
Option 1 • Johnson will make a reconstruction plan based on what he felt Lincoln would have wanted and what he himself wanted- a lenient plan • Option 2 • Johnson will create a reconstruction plan based on what he knows Congress wants- a strict plan
Option 1 • Johnson will make a reconstruction plan based on what he felt Lincoln would have wanted and what he himself wanted- a lenient plan • Option 2 • Johnson will create a reconstruction plan based on what he knows Congress wants- a strict plan
What Johnson Did • Johnson’s Lenient Reconstruction • Citizens received their rights and citizenship back if they swore an oath • Leaders of the army and government had to ask Johnson for a pardon • Chose a governor for each state who held elections • Most leaders were past Confederate leaders
Scenario Three: Congress Takes Action • When Congress came back into session, Republicans moved to stop the President. Congress threw out the state governments set up by Johnson. In 1866, Congress passed the Civil Rights Act, defining all persons born in the U.S. as citizens. Congress also passed the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution, authorizing the federal government to protect the rights of all citizens, and in 1867, established a military Reconstruction program to enforce political and social rights for Southern blacks.
Option 1 • Johnson will try to veto the acts he does not approve of and go on a speaking tour campaign to get the support of the people. • Option 2 • Johnson will quietly accept the changes made by Congress and continue to pursue his own policies.
Option 1 • Johnson will try to veto the acts he does not approve of and go on a speaking tour campaign to get the support of the people. • Option 2 • Johnson will quietly accept the changes made by Congress and continue to pursue his own policies.
What Johnson Did • Johnson vetoed the Civil Rights Act and bills extending the life of the Freedmen’s Bureau but his vetoes were overturned • His speaking tour to gain support was criticized because of lewd language and some drunken appearences
Scenario Four: The Tenure of Office Act • In a final blow to the president’s dignity, Congress passed the Tenure of Office Act, which stripped the President of the power to remove federal officials without the Senate's approval. This act was created so that Johnson could not fire federal officials who supported “Radical Reconstruction.”
Option 1 • Johnson will challenge the Tenure of Office Act by firing a federal official without Senate approval. • Option 2 • Johnson will get the Supreme Court to declare the Tenure of Office Act unconstitutional.
Option 1 • Johnson will challenge the Tenure of Office Act by firing a federal official without Senate approval. • Option 2 • Johnson will get the Supreme Court to declare the Tenure of Office Act unconstitutional.
What Johnson Did • Johnson challenged the act by firing the Secretary of War • Johnson was then charged for violating the act • Johnson was acquitted with only one vote missing from the 2/3 majority needed to impeach him
Timeline of Reconstruction • Complete the timeline by defining the event • When done, summarize why the event is significant or important • If done early, complete “Congressional Press” newspaper and questions • PAGE 548
Presidents of Reconstruction • Please match the events to which president’s term they took place in. Then circle the event in GREEN if this president helped cause this event or circle the event in RED if the president tried to stop this event from happening
