Reconstruction In The Southern States

What were the most important political and social legacies of reconstruction in the southern states? The biggest issue of reconstruction was the question of how the government was going to deal with the north and south, and how it would rebuild its relationship after the north beat the south during the war. Dealing with the former slaves was also going to be a big part of reconstruction for the south. How would they treat them now? The South was beaten and its economy was in horrible shape. The south was still furious and having the northern troops there didn’t make it any better. The madness was from the changes made for African Americans and the fact that they now had their “freedom”. Lincoln had a dream; he was trying to make a plan to give amnesty to those swearing an oath of allegiance. When the state got 10 percent of the vote for the allegiance, it could start building its state government again. Louisiana and Arkansas both got the 10 percent, but the radicals in congress wanted even more. The radicals pushed a bill that would transform everything in the south, but Lincoln used his pocket veto to get rid of the bill. Congress made the thirteenth Amendment to abolish slavery all together and made the freedman’s Bureau to help
Andrew Johnson became the new president, a war Democrat from Tennessee. Andrew Johnson was even harder on the South than Lincoln was, not on the entire South but more on individuals, Johnson decided while congress was not in session to grant amnesty on most of the southerners. The people of the political elite and the richer land owners were not part of the pardon, but later on Johnson pardoned most of them. Johnson made temporary governors to start making new governments in the southern states. In December, Johnson was saying that “restoration” was virtually finished. A lifelong Democrat, Johnson sympathized with his fellow white southerners and was