Reconstruction Plans and Problems

Lincoln's Reconstruction Plan (1863)
- Required that 10% of the voting population in Southern states swear loyalty to the Union.
- Southern states needed to abolish slavery.
- Confederates granted amnesty except for high-ranking officials.
Wade-Davis Bill (Radical Republicans)
- Proposed by Radical Republicans due to belief that Lincoln's plan was too lenient.
- Required a majority (over 50%) of a state’s voting population to swear loyalty.
- States had to abolish slavery.
- Confederates who volunteered could not vote or hold office.
- Lincoln vetoed the Wade-Davis Bill.
Andrew Johnson's Plan
- Following Lincoln’s assassination in 1865, Andrew Johnson took over as president.
- A majority of a state's voting population had to swear loyalty.
- States had to ratify the 13th Amendment (abolishing slavery).
- Southern states rapidly re-entered the Union but elected former Confederates to Congress, leading Radical Republicans to refuse to seat these representatives.

Freedmen's Bureau
- Established by Lincoln to aid formerly enslaved people in rebuilding their lives.
- Greatest success: establishment of schools.
- Connection to Atlanta: establishment of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) such as Clark Atlanta and Morehouse.
Radical Reconstruction
- Led by Congressmen Charles Sumner and Thaddeus Stevens.
- Passed the Reconstruction Act of 1867 to institute military occupation of the South and disband state governments that refused the 14th Amendment.
Military Reconstruction
- Divided former Confederate states (except Tennessee) into five military districts.
- Ensured that voting rights and other civil rights were enforced.

13th Amendment
- Outlawed slavery everywhere in the United States.
14th Amendment
- Overturned the Dred Scott decision.
- Guaranteed citizenship and rights to individuals born in the U.S. and within its jurisdiction (excluding Native Americans).
- Guaranteed equal protection under the laws.
15th Amendment
- Guaranteed the right to vote without discrimination based on race, color, or previous condition of servitude.

Political Influence of Freedmen
- Under Radical Reconstruction, freedmen gained the ability to vote and hold office.
- Between 1869 and 1880, 16 African American men were elected to Congress.
- Notable figures:
- Hiram Revels (Mississippi) - took over Jefferson Davis’s former seat as Senator.
- Blanche K. Bruce (Mississippi) - first African American elected for a full term in the U.S. Senate.
Republican Dominance in Southern Politics
- With many former Confederates disenfranchised, Republicans held significant power in state politics, composed of:
- Freedmen
- Southerners against secession
- Northerners who moved South to assist in rebuilding.
1876 Presidential Election
- Ulysses S. Grant (Republican) won six former Confederate states.

Decline of the Republican Party
- By the 1870s, the Republican Party lost favor as the North became weary of Southern reform efforts amid economic downturn.
Amnesty Act of 1872
- Restored voting rights to previously disenfranchised Southerners.
Contested Election of 1876
- Samuel Tilden (Democrat) won the popular vote.
- Rutherford B. Hayes (Republican) narrowly won the electoral college.
- Allegations of corruption arose over electoral votes from Southern states still under military control.
- A Congressional committee was formed to resolve the contested votes in favor of Hayes.
Compromise of 1877
- Democrats negotiated the end of military Reconstruction in exchange for accepting Hayes as president.