USA: +1 508 290 1604 
Sign in
QUESTION
Required Resources
Read/review the following resources for this activity:
- Textbook: Chapter 15, 16
- Lesson
- Minimum of 1 scholarly source (in addition to the textbook)
Initial Post Instructions
For the initial post, craft a response comparing the three (3) Reconstruction plans:
- Proclamation of Amnesty and Reconstruction (10% Plan) – Lincoln
- Andrew Johnson’s Reconstruction Plan
- Congressional Reconstruction Plan (Congress)
Then, address all of the following for your selections:
- Analyze if the South should have been treated as a defeated nation or as rebellious states.
- Explain how the American culture and society changed in the North versus the South during Reconstruction.
- Analyze the impact of the Compromise of 1877 that ended Reconstruction on African-Americans.
ANSWER
Reconstruction Era and its Effect to American Culture
President Lincoln’s main goal was to unite the North and South. He proposed a ten percent plan to achieve this goal. Lincoln was offering pardon to citizens of the Southern states with the exemption of political and military leaders. It required ten percent of voters in the 1860 election to take an oath of loyalty to the United States (Corbett et al., 2016). In addition, they were to free enslaved people according to the 1863 Emancipation Proclamation. After taking the vows, the states were to draft new constitutions. (Section4, 2003b). The radical republicans did not want to deal leniently with the defeated confederates. They tried to rebuild the South and punish the rebels. As a result, they were against the ten percent plan.
Andrew Johnson’s Reconstruction Plan
Like his predecessor, Andrew Johnson wanted to reunite the Union with the confederates quickly and proposed a lenient plan like President Lincoln’s. The reconstruction plan offered pardon and amnesty to the rebels (Corbett et al., 2016). The Union had confiscated land and property from the confederates after their defeat in the civil war. Andrew Johnson’s plan offered to give back their lands and property except for their enslaved people. The only requirement for the Southern states was to assert allegiance to the United States constitution. In addition, Southern states were to annul their secession intentions.
Reconstruction Era and its Effect on American culture
Like the ten percent plan, the high-level political leader, military personnel, and high-class citizens paid more than 20,000 dollars for nonexempt possessions. (“Presidential Reconstruction” , 2003). The plantation owners were included as they held a big role in the rise of rebellions in the South. The plantation owners had to ask for a pardon from Johnson himself for them to earn back their rights. One of the main downsides of this Reconstruction was that it did not give African- Americans equal rights as the Whites. In some states, they did not have the right to vote or participate in juries. Others had no right to own or lease land.
Congressional Reconstruction Plan (Congress)
Congress disagreed with President Johnson’s reconstruction plan and views. In July 1866, the Fourteenth Amendment was presented to the legislature for validation. The Amendment stated that all persons, black and white, born or natured in the states, could become citizens. The Amendment ensured that African Americans could be citizens and that they could be protected by federal law. (President Andrew Johnson vetoed the Amendment, but Congress was able to gather enough votes to pass the Amendment.
In 1867, there was the Military Reconstruction Act. It had federal troops assigned to the southern states and ensured that the Fourteenth Amendment was upheld. Martial law was enforced in these states. The requirement for the states to rejoin the Union was that they had to ratify the Fourteenth Amendment and draft new constitutions. Congress fought for equal rights for all people.
Reconstruction Era and its Effect on American culture
Analyze if the South should have been treated as a defeated nation or rebellious states
The South did not concede to the defeat. The war might have stopped, but they continued to fight for their beliefs. This is shown after the assassination of President Lincoln and the other simultaneous attacks on the Union government. South states continued to rebel against the federal government’s laws in the form of black codes and attacks on public schools that provided opportunities for black people.
Explain how the American culture changed in the North versus the South during the Reconstruction
The reconstruction era was marked with cultural changes such as the creation of public schools that enrolled both Black and White students. State governments increased funding for orphanages, hospitals, and asylums. To support these services, the government introduced land tax, which most Southerners resented. America built a culture that enabled people of color to be citizens with equal rights as Whites
In Southern states, Blacks could serve in leadership positions, including county commissioners, constables, sheriffs, registrars, city council members, etc. The Southern leadership also strived to remove hateful Black codes, undo the work of White supremacists, and increase opportunities for free people. Many enslaved people embraced the joys of family reunions and gender norms. Those who had been separated from their families went to find their long-lost partners and renew their vows. Enslaved people from other states also migrated south to become part of the larger Black community.
Despite these cultural changes, the South remained male-dominated unlike the North. Men were patriarchs and women lived under men’s authority and protection. The ideal woman in Southern states conformed to the traditional gender roles and was subservient and domestic (Corbett et al, 2016, p.314). In contrast, women in the North were demanding reformation, including taking up roles as educators of children.
Analyze the impact of the compromise of 1877 that ended the Reconstruction of African Americans
The compromise was an event that marked an end to an era of fights and disagreements between the North and South states. They agreed that one southern democrat would be appointed to Hayes’s cabinet. From their negotiations, they decided to remove troops that were in the South. Democrats were to control the placement of workers in different government jobs in the South. The Republicans, on the other hand, were to upgrade federal help in Texas and the Pacific railway and retract troops in the South. This showed that both the North and South could work together. However, the democrats did not hold up their end of the deal. Black people living in the South still underwent discrimination.
References
Corbett, P. S., Janseen, V., Lund, J., Pfannestiel, T., Vickery, P., & Waskiewicz, S. (2016). US History. OpenStax.
Presidential Reconstruction. (2003). Digital History. https://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/exhibits/reconstruction/section4/section4_presrecon.html
To get your original copy of this completed paper, please Order Now
Related Topics
Stepping Stones to The Civil War
