Reconstruction Essay During the years of 1865 - 1867, there was a period in which people called the “Reconstruction Period”. During this period, the presidents, Abraham Lincoln, Andrew Johnson, and Ulysses S. Grant, worked to rebuild to the United States prior to the Civil War. Even though the main war was over, some considered the Reconstruction in many ways still a war. This was because the north made is a struggle because they wanted to punish the southerners who wanted to preserve their way through life. Lincoln, Johnson, and Grant all had ideas of what they believed the United States should be after the war. They worked to reconstruct and build after the construction, each with their own views. Lincoln’s main idea was to try and bring back the South into the Union. He believed their needed to be unity between the north and the south. Johnson proposed his ideas based around giving the north and the south their own freedom by allowing them to make their own decisions based on what they believe is right for their state. Grant focused his plan around enforcing more civil rights. Lincoln, Johnson, and Grant all played a huge part in the rebuilding of the United States. …show more content…
He proposed the idea of the South rejoining the Union, but that sadly failed when the drew close, right before it ended, he had no clue what to do. He then came up with a plan that gave some blacks, even if they were free or enlisted in the military, should deserve the right to vote. As a part of his reconstruction he created the Proclamation of Amnesty. The Proclamation of Amnesty helped set the ideas of Lincoln’s plan. The Proclamation of Amnesty allowed for a full pardon with the exception of high Confederate officials and military leaders. It also helped create the “10 percent” reconstruction plan that only allowed eligible voters to take a vote for a new state