The Reconstruction era depicts a period in the history of the U.S. between 1865 and 1877 that emerged after the Civil War. It targeted dealing with the slavery inequities together with its political, economic, and social legacy, as well as dealing with the challenge that resulted from the readmission of the 11 states to the Union, which had seceded prior to the emergence of the war. Starting the 20 th century, the Reconstruction served as a laudable trial in interracial democracy. The reconstruction realized tremendous changes in the political life of America. Nationally, constitutional amendments and new laws changed the federal system together with the American citizenship definition permanently (Holloway, 2018) . The paper discusses the Reconstruction by showing its origins in Lincoln’s planning through President Johnson policies on the South. It also discusses the measures that the Radical Republicans imposed and the push back of the South on them as well as how industrial slavery replaced traditional slavery.
During 1863, President Abraham Lincoln provided his pacifying plan aimed at reuniting the U.S. by introducing Proclamation of Amnesty and reconstruction. With the end of the Civil War, Lincoln noted that he heeded some plans for reconstruction after the war. The Union troops had invaded many regions in the South while serve states showed willingness in having their governments rebuilt. The proclamation aimed at addressing three major concern areas. Firstly, it offered an avenue for full pardon of property and restoration to those who participated in the rebellion aside from military leaders and Confederacy officials. Secondly, it supported the formation of a state government after 10 percent eligible voters took an allegiance oath to the U.S. Thirdly, the states in the South admitted in this manner were required to institute plans for dealing with the freed slaves in the event that their freedom had not yet been compromised. Here, the terms that governed the plan were easy for a large number of Southerners to support. Whereas slave emancipation was a challenge for several Confederates to accept, the plan by Lincoln was charitable considering the costs associated with the war. With the plan, Lincoln was taking the opportunity to initiate reconstruction from Congress. A number of radical republicans regarded that the plan was significantly easy in the event of the Southerner (History, 2019) . Nonetheless, others acknowledged it due to the prestige and leadership by the president.
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With the assassination of Lincoln in 1865, President Andrew Johnson instituted a reconstruction plan that offered the white South an opening for regulating changes from slavery to freedom while at the same time ensuring that blacks did not assume any role in the political environment of the South. The activities of the governments he developed led numerous Northerners to reject the policies by the president. The Civil War’s end found a country that lacked a stable reconstruction policy. During May 1865, Johnson pardoned all white Southerners aside from wealthy planters and Confederate leaders, even though most of them attained individual pardons later, while authorizing tem to develop new governments. The blacks did not play any role during the process. The president also required that all the land the government owned be returned to those who owned it prior to the war giving the blacks hope for realizing economic independence. Many Northerners believed that the plan b Johnson needed a chance to become successful. The course that the state governments of the South followed under the Presidential Reconstruction led many Northerners to reject Johnson’s policy. The old Sothern elites assumed power, including those who served in the army and the Confederate government. The introduction of Black Codes limited the economic options and legal rights of prior slaves severely to make sure that they returned to plantations serving as dependent farmers (Digital History, 2019) . The blacks lacked voting power or public education finances.
The Radical Republicans declined from adopting the measures that Lincoln adopted regarding them as too lenient toward the people of the South. They believed that the Reconstruction plan by Lincoln failed to exercise sufficient harshness arguing that the South was responsible for initiating the war while they deserved punishment. They embarked on efforts aimed at allowing them to gain control of the reconstruction process, redistribute land, transform the society of the South, terminate planter aristocracy, guarantee former slaves civil liberties, and develop industry. Nevertheless, the South pushed back with their conservative nature arguing that Radical Republicans exercised corruption while at the same time accepting bribes. They demanded that all ex-Confederates receive amnesty while restoring their rights for holding public office and voting (Gao, 2015) . These efforts led to the splintering of the Radical Republicans.
During the Reconstruction and with the ending of slavery after 12 years, industrial slavery replaced agricultural slavery. For instance, termination of slavery allowed slaves to realize meaningful social, political, and economic benefits. Black men would vote while at the same time holding public offices. Literacy of the blacks surged while overcoming the ones of whites in certain cities. Black churches, schools, and social institutions grew. The participation of the blacks in the public life of the south after 1867 depicted one of the most radical advancements during the Reconstruction years. However, the moment did not last long since the slaves returned to slavery. Aimed at reversing the advancements the blacks realized Redemption served as an organized initiative by white planters, merchants, politicians, and businesspersons following Reconstruction. The “Redeemers” instituted racial violence as well as state legislations to serve as tools for hindering black equality and citizenship, which the 14 th and 15 th Amendments promised. During the early 1900s, almost each state in the South hindered citizens from voting and participating in public office (Forde & Bowman, 2017) . The new racial caste system introduced in the South was not social or political, but economic, which depicted slavery during the industrial period.
References
Digital History. (2019). Presidential Reconstruction. Retrieved from http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/exhibits/reconstruction/section4/section4_presrecon.html
Forde, K. R., & Bowman, B. (2017). Exploiting black labor after the abolition of slavery. Retrieved from http://theconversation.com/exploiting-black-labor-after-the-abolition-of-slavery-72482
Gao, C. (2015). African Americans in the Reconstruction era. New York: Routledge.
History. (2019). Lincoln issues Proclamation of Amnesty and Reconstruction. Retrieved from https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/lincoln-issues-proclamation-of-amnesty-and-reconstruction
Holloway, V. (2018). Black rights in the Reconstruction era. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield.
