Civil War 7 Essay, Research Paper

After the Civil War ended in 1865, the south was in total ruins. Houses were

destroyed, crops were gone, and lives would never be the same again. It

wouldn t be until years after the war that people would get their lives back on

track. Whites in the south now hated the blacks and still think they are

inferior.

The process of rebuilding that followed the American Civil War was

known as reconstruction. The war left a set of pressing questions concerning

with what to do with the South. These questions involved the relationship

with the former Confederate states and the Union; the type of punishment that

should be imposed on the ones responsible for the rebellion; the status of the

freed slaves and how to restore the South s economy. President Lincoln,

President Johnson and the Radical Republicans each had their own plans.

Lincoln started thinking about reconstruction as early as 1863. He

wanted for 10 percent of the voters in each southern state to take an oath of

loyalty to the United States. After this the state could form its own

government. The government had to abolish slavery. After this was done the

government could elect congressmen and participate in national politics. His

plan was known to be lenient; many had opposed it.

Unfortunately President Lincoln did not live to carry out all of his

plans. A Democrat was elected into office and took over. The new president

was Andrew Johnson. His plan was as much mild as Lincoln s. Johnson

wanted to restore power to the Southern states as quickly as possible. Under

his plan a majority of the voters had to pledge loyalty to the United States and

the 13th amendment had to be ratified. Southern whites quickly switched

their governments according to Johnson s plan and restricted the rights of the

newly freed slaves.

The Radical Republicans did not see things as lightly as President

Johnson did. They wanted to punish the Southern aristocracy and strip them

of their rights. They also were not pleased with the black codes. Their

intentions were to protect the freedmen s rights

In the north however, it was a total triumph. Their goal for slaves to be

free was granted. All the former slaves moved up north to try to find jobs, but

for most of them it was disappointing to see that they couldn t find work

because most of them couldn t read or write.

Before the Civil War started in 1861, Americans in the east were

starting to take advantage of the lands in the western part of the country.

People took their families their to start a new life. The west was inhabited by

so many Native Americans. Because the Americans wanted the land so much,

they killed off the Native Americans, and would later give them reservations.

After the Civil War, the south was so destroyed that they didn t even

have a government. Everyone was too busy trying to rearrange their lives.

Bridges were in ruble, train tracks were unusable, and courts, judges, police,

even taxes were absent. The economy was also horrible. Money had little

value, and even if someone wanted to sell their land, no one could buy it.

Considering that slavery was totally abolished in the south, people s

lives were totally different. They didn t have it easy anymore, where they

could just have someone do all their dirty work without getting paid, so you

can keep all the profit. Some southerners were still farmers, but they had to

work much more. Directly after the war, money had little to no value at all.

The southerners had a big affect on present day American society. The

southerners back then influenced us with their farming techniques, and even

today the south has the biggest and best farmlands in the whole country.