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Introduction to Reconstruction
The Reconstruction period was a time of great debate and struggle in the United
States. The relationship between the presidency and Congress was a major point of
contention, with each branch having different ideas about how to handle the
Reconstruction process.

The Role of the Presidency and Congress

The presidency, led by Andrew Johnson, wanted to take a more lenient approach to
Reconstruction, while Congress wanted to take a harsher approach. This led to a
struggle between the two branches, with Congress ultimately overriding Johnson's
vetoes and passing legislation that he opposed.

Lincoln's Plan for Reconstruction

Abraham Lincoln had a plan for Reconstruction that was called the 10 Percent
Plan. This plan was considered very lenient and required the following:

The southern states to abolish slavery

10% of the population to swear loyalty to the Union and denounce their acts of
secession

The 10 Percent Plan was a plan for Reconstruction that was proposed by
Abraham Lincoln. It was considered lenient because it only required a
small percentage of the population to swear loyalty to the Union.

Comparison of Reconstruction Plans

The following table compares the Reconstruction plans of Lincoln and Congress:

Plan Requirements Goals

10 Percent Abolish slavery, 10% of population Lenient, allow southern states

Plan to swear loyalty to Union to quickly rejoin Union
Harsher punishment of southern Punish southern states for their
Congressional
states, more stringent requirements role in the Civil War, ensure
Plan
for readmission to Union equality for African Americans

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Key Players in Reconstruction

The following individuals played important roles in the Reconstruction process:

Abraham Lincoln: Proposed the 10 Percent Plan for Reconstruction

Andrew Johnson: Became president after Lincoln's assassination and opposed
Congress's Reconstruction plans
Congressional Republicans: Wanted to take a harsher approach to
Reconstruction and punish the southern states for their role in the Civil War

Challenges of Reconstruction
The Reconstruction process was challenging because of the different opinions and
goals of the presidency and Congress. The following were some of the challenges
faced during this time:

Balancing the ticket: The practice of selecting a vice president who brings
something to the table that the president lacks
Readmission of southern states: The process of allowing southern states to
rejoin the Union after the Civil War
Equality for African Americans: The goal of ensuring that African Americans
had equal rights and opportunities in the United States## Introduction to
Johnson's Plan Johnson, a Southerner from Tennessee, was chosen by Lincoln
to be his vice president. This was a strategic move to represent the Union and
the South coming together after the Civil War. Johnson was a unionist who
stayed loyal to the Union even when Tennessee seceded.

Johnson's Background
Johnson was a politician from the South who did not leave with the Confederacy. He
continued to attend Congress in Washington DC, representing Tennessee. This
made him an ideal candidate for Lincoln, who wanted someone who was a loyal
unionist but also from a Southern state.

Johnson's Plan for Reconstruction

Johnson's plan had several key components:

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At least 50% of the people in each state had to swear loyalty to the Union and
denounce their act of secession.
Each state had to ratify the 13th Amendment, which abolished slavery.
The South had to repudiate their war debt.

Repudiation of War Debt

Repudiation of war debt means that the debt is canceled and does not
exist anymore. It is null and void and will never be paid back.

The South would not have to pay back their war debt, but this would also mean that
they would not be able to borrow money from other countries or individuals in the
future. The North did not want to pay the South's war debt because it would be like
recognizing the Confederacy as a legitimate government.

Reasons for Repudiation

The reasons for repudiation were:

The United States did not want to recognize the Confederacy as a legitimate
government.
The United States did not want to absorb the South's war debt and have
taxpayers pay for it.

Reaction to Repudiation
The reaction to repudiation was mixed:

Group Reaction

Common people Did not care about repudiation

Government Cared about repudiation because they had loaned money to the
officials Confederacy
Cared about repudiation because they had loaned money to the
Private businesses
Confederacy

Congress and Johnson's Plan

Congress was not in session when Johnson was implementing his plan for
Reconstruction. This meant that Congress could not make any laws or interfere with
Johnson's plan.

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How Congress Works

Congress is not in session 24/7. They have a congressional calendar that
sets the dates for when they are in session and when they are not.

This meant that Johnson was able to implement his plan without any input from
Congress. The congressional calendar is set in advance and takes into account the
time it takes for Congress members to travel to and from Washington DC.##
Presidential Power and Reconstruction The president has the power to call a special
session of Congress if he sees fit for any reason. According to the Constitution, the
president can convene Congress at any time, even if it is not scheduled to be in
session.

Reconstruction Plan
During the time when Congress was out of session, President Johnson started
handling Reconstruction on his own. He put out a Reconstruction plan to the
southern states and started moving forward with it.

Pardon Power
The president has the power to grant pardons to individuals for federal crimes.

A pardon is the forgiveness of a crime and the cancellation of the relevant

penalty or punishment. It does not necessarily imply innocence, but rather
serves as a way for the president to exercise mercy or rectify a perceived
injustice.

Some key points about the president's pardon power include:

The president can pardon anyone for any federal crime without question
Once a pardon is granted, it cannot be revoked
The president's pardon power is not limited to specific types of crimes or
individuals

Johnson's Pardons
President Johnson granted blanket amnesty to all Confederates who owned less
than $20,000 of property. He also granted pardons to higher-ranking Confederate
officials who personally requested them.

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Reconstruction and the 13th Amendment

President Johnson claimed that Reconstruction was over by December 18, 1865, and
that all southern states had been readmitted to the Union. The 13th Amendment,
which abolished slavery, was ratified as part of this process. However, the
amendment contains a loophole that allows for slavery to continue as a punishment
for a crime.

Black Codes
The southern states started making black codes, which were laws that heavily
restricted the freedoms of African Americans. These laws included:

Vagrancy laws, which made it illegal not to have a job

Laws that restricted travel and employment opportunities
Laws that imposed harsh penalties for minor crimes

Convict Lease System

The convict lease system was a practice in which state prisons in the south would
lease out prisoners to work on projects such as rebuilding railroads. The prisoners
would not be paid for their work, and the prison would receive payment instead. This
system was often used to accumulate wealth and rebuild the southern economy.

Sharecropping and Debt Peonage

Many African Americans were forced into sharecropping, a system in which they
would work on land owned by a white overseer and pay them a percentage of their
profits. This system often led to debt peonage, in which the sharecropper would
become trapped in a cycle of debt and be unable to escape.

The following table summarizes the key points about sharecropping and debt
peonage:

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Term Definition

A system in which a farmer works on land owned by someone else

Sharecropping
and pays them a percentage of their profits
A system in which a person becomes trapped in a cycle of debt and
Debt peonage
is unable to escape
White
A person who owns the land and oversees the sharecroppers
overseer

Some key consequences of sharecropping and debt peonage include:

African Americans were often forced into these systems and had limited
opportunities for advancement
The systems perpetuated racism and inequality
The systems led to the accumulation of wealth for white landowners and the
perpetuation of poverty for African Americans## Reconstruction Plan The
Reconstruction Plan was a lenient plan that allowed Southern states to be
readmitted to the Union. However, some states did not follow the plan, and
their actions had significant consequences.

Non-Compliance of Southern States

Some Southern states refused to comply with the Reconstruction Plan. For example:

South Carolina refused to condemn secession, which is the act of a state

withdrawing from the Union.
Mississippi refused to ratify the 13th Amendment, which abolished slavery.

The 13th Amendment states that neither slavery nor involuntary

servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall
have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States.

Although Mississippi's refusal to ratify the 13th Amendment did not have legal
consequences, as three-fourths of the states had already ratified it, it reflected the
state's attitude towards the Reconstruction Plan. In fact, Mississippi did not officially
ratify the 13th Amendment until the 1990s.

Black Codes and Sharecropping

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During Johnson's Reconstruction, several states, including Georgia, implemented

Black Codes and sharecropping systems. These systems were not enforced by the
federal government, but rather by individual states.

System Description

Black Codes Laws that restricted the rights and freedoms of African Americans
A system in which farmers worked on land owned by someone else
Sharecropping
and received a portion of the crops as payment

Confiscated Land
During the war, the Union Army confiscated a significant amount of land in the South.
The plan was to distribute this land to freedmen to help them start a new life.
However, Johnson returned much of this confiscated land to its original owners,
which undermined the plan to provide 40 acres and a mule to freed families.

The phrase 40 acres and a mule refers to the promise of land and
resources given to freed slaves to help them establish themselves as
independent farmers.

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