Reconstruction Dbq

The reconstruction era is the years that came after the civil war ended. It was made to help build the nation after the terrible tragedy. Southerners thought that the northerners just wanted to help themselves and get revenge on them but the northerners said they just wanted to make the southern society like it was before.To African Americans and other races they didn't think the reconstruction was for what the others thought, they thought it was a way to help them get civil rights and power in the economy for all the slaves. They did not get what they wanted because most black people still had the same amount of power that they had before. In the end, the reconstruction helped African Americans get the freedom and equality that they wanted

It helped shape black and white people in the south. Some black people were able to get land and the bureau helped settle fights over land between the two races. Republicans had control of the reconstruction. Conservatives said the south should just take what is happening but the radicals were more complicated. They wanted to help out black people more than the whites. The moderates disagreed with the radicals. Abraham Lincoln believed southern unionists could help the south have a good government. He created a lenient policy for reconstruction. The radical republicans did not like the idea of Lincoln’s policy so they created their own bill called the Wade Davis bill that would abolish slavery, not allow confederate civil leaders and military leaders to vote and accept debts from the government. Abraham Lincoln vetoed the bill which made the radical leaders mad again. April 14th he was assassinated by John Wilkes booth that agreed with the southerners. The north believed that southerners had something to do with Lincoln’s death. After his death, Andrew Johnson became president. He came up with a plan called "Johnson’s Reconstruction

It also denied suffrage to males, which made some women angry and shocked. Lastly, it didn't let members of congress or other officials hold federal office or state unless they had a two thirds vote. The amendment wasn't approved until the congressional republicans because strong enough to approve it without the president’s approval. They passed three bills in 1867 even after Johnson vetoed them. The fourteenth amendment was soon put into the constitution. They also passed the fifteenth amendment that doesn't allow states to deny suffrage to any citizen. The radicals made a law to stop Johnson from getting in the way called limits on presidential powers. Andrew Johnson was soon impeached by the Radicals since he kept trying to deny their ideas. African Americans helped with politics in the south. They helped serve in the constitutional conventions and the House of Representatives. Southern’s soon were educated and could own land. Also they were better economically. Slaves that were released found their families and