HIS 405 Week 4 Disscussion: Civil War and Reconstruction

Student Name

Chamberlain University

HIS-405 US History

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Date

Civil War and Reconstruction

The Civil War

The Civil War presented unique strengths and challenges for both the North and the South. The North held significant advantages in population, industrial capacity, and access to supplies. A steady influx of immigrants to the North augmented its workforce, contributing to military, agricultural, and manufacturing efforts. The inclusion of escaped freedmen in the Union military provided an additional and reliable pool of recruits. The North’s industrial dominance ensured a steady supply of essential goods, such as gunpowder, while its superior railroad system facilitated the swift transport of soldiers and resources. Furthermore, the Union Navy effectively blockaded the South, limiting its ability to import critical supplies like food, clothing, and weaponry.

On the other hand, the Confederacy benefited from more experienced military leaders, professionally trained soldiers, and militias skilled in surviving on the land. Their intimate knowledge of local terrain, including mountains and rivers, gave them a strategic edge in evading Union forces and launching successful offensives. The Southern population shared a unifying determination to preserve their way of life and independence. However, the North faced internal divisions over slavery and war politics, while the South’s unity strengthened their cause, drawing support from poor white Southerners who perceived the conflict as a defense of their livelihoods rather than the interests of slaveholders (Keene, 2011, p. 377).

Reconstruction

Reconstruction efforts varied significantly under the leadership of Abraham Lincoln, Andrew Johnson, and the Radical Republican Congress. Lincoln’s Ten Percent Plan aimed to reunify the Union quickly by offering pardons to Southerners who pledged allegiance to the Union and supported emancipation, except for high-ranking Confederate officials. Once 10% of a state’s voters took this oath, the state could establish a new government and receive federal recognition. Lincoln’s approach was conciliatory, intending to reduce post-war resentment and expedite reunification.

Andrew Johnson, Lincoln’s successor, sought to hasten the return of Southern state governments. He offered full amnesty and restored seized property to Southerners who pledged allegiance to the Union, with the exception of wealthy Confederate leaders, who were required to seek a presidential pardon personally. Provisional governors were appointed to organize state conventions, and states were required to ratify the Thirteenth Amendment and hold elections. However, Johnson’s leniency allowed many former Confederate leaders to regain power, leading to the enactment of Black Codes that restricted the rights of freedmen.

The Radical Republicans in Congress, in contrast, sought to impose harsher measures on the South. They required new state governments to be formed only if a majority of voters took an “ironclad” oath affirming they had not supported the Confederacy. High-ranking Confederates were stripped of citizenship and suffrage, and states were only readmitted after proving their commitment to Union values. Congress viewed Johnson’s policies as too lenient and countered them by rejecting Southern officials, barring former Confederates from office, and passing measures like the Civil Rights Act to protect freedmen’s rights and suppress resistance.