President andrew johnson

The Politics of Reconstruction

By HaleySelvidge

  • The Ten-Percent Plan

    The Ten-Percent Plan
    In December of 1863, Abraham Lincoln announced his Proclamation of Amnesty and Reconstruction. This would pardon all Confederates (not high-ranking Confederate officials) and would make them swear allegiance to the Union.

  • The Wade-Davis Bill

    Radicals responded to the Ten-Percent plan by passing the Wade-Davis Bill, which proposed that Congress be responsible for Reconstruction. It declared that for a state government to be formed, a majority of those eligible to vote in 1860 would have to take a solemn oath to support the Constitution.

  • Andrew Johnson Elected President

    Andrew Johnson Elected President
    In 1865, Andrew Johnson was elected the 17th President of the United States. On top of being President, he was also a congressman, governor, and U. S. senator.

  • Presidential Reconstruction

    Presidential Reconstruction
    In May of 1865, President Johnson announced his plan of Presidential Reconstruction, which declared that each of the remaining Confederate states could be readmitted into the Union only if they withdrew their secession, swore allegiance to the Union, annul Confederate war debts, and ratify the Thirteenth Amendment to abolish slavery.

  • The Civil Rights Act of 1866

    The Civil Rights Act of 1866
    The Civil Rights Act of 1866 gave African Americans citizenship and forbade states from passing discriminatory laws (black codes). The Civil Rights Act returned the African American citizens' rights to carry weapons, serving in juries, testifying against whites, etc.

  • The Fourteenth Amendment is Drafted

    The Fourteenth Amendment is Drafted
    The Fourteenth Amendment stated that "all persons born or naturalized in the United States" would be made U. S. citizens. However, this did not give African Americans the specific right to vote.

  • The Tenure of Office Act

    This act stated that the President could not remove cabinet officers without the consent of the Senate. The purpose of this was to protect Secretary of War Edwin Stanton.

  • The Reconstruction Act of 1867

    The Reconstruction Act of 1867
    The Reconstruction Act of 1867 was an act that divided the other ten former Confederate states into five military districts. However, Andrew Johnson vetoed this act.