President Lincoln’s goal for reconstruction remained linked to his goal in the w
President Lincoln’s goal for reconstruction remained linked to his goal in the war-preserve the Union. His plan favored leniency, in order to as quickly as possible reintegrate the south, and gain the support of Southern Unionists (mostly former Whigs). Radical Republicans urged a much harsher course, believing that the South was unrepentant and should bear the costs of Reconstruction.
INSTRUCTIONS:
In order to prepare you must complete the following readings:
Review the following sections in Chapter 15: “Radical Reconstruction in the South” and “The Overthrow of Reconstruction” along with the linked document, taken from the writings of William A. William A. Dunning
To a distrustful northern mind such legislation could very easily take the form of a systematic attempt to relegate the freedmen to a subjection only less complete than that from which the war had set them free. The radicals sounded a shrill note of alarm. “We tell the white men of Mississippi,” said the Chicago Tribune, “that the
men of the North will convert the state of Mississippi into a frog-pond before they will allow any such laws to disgrace one foot of soil over which the flag of freedom waves.” In Congress, Wilson, Sumner, and other extremists took up the cry, and with superfluous ingenuity distorted the spirit and purpose of both the
laws and the law-makers of the South. The “black codes” were represented to be the expression of a deliberate purpose by the southerners to nullify the result of the war and reestablish slavery, and this impression gained wide prevalence in the North. Yet, as a matter of fact, this legislation, far from embodying any spirit of
defiance towards the North or any purpose to evade the conditions which the victors had imposed, was in the main a conscientious and straightforward attempt to bring some sort of order out of the social and economic chaos which a full acceptance of the results of war and emancipation involved. In its general principle it corresponded very closely to the actual facts of the situation. The freedmen were not, and in the nature of the case could not for generations be, on the same social,
moral, and intellectual plane with the whites; and this fact was recognized by constituting them a separate class in the civil order. As in general principles, so in details, the legislation was faithful on the whole to the actual conditions with which it had to deal. The restrictions in respect to bearing arms, testifying in court,
and keeping labor contracts were justified by well-established traits and habits of the negroes; and the vagrancy laws dealt with problems of destitution, idleness, and vice of which no one not in the midst of them could appreciate the appalling magnitude and complexity. William A. Dunning, Reconstruction: Political and Economic, 1865-1877 (1907; reprint, New York: Harper & Row [Harper Torchbooks], 1962), pp. 57-58.
Review and identify relevant information on the linked PBS American Experience site, Reconstruction The Second Civil WarLinks to an external site.https://mdc.instructure.com/courses/61105/files/22565659?wrap=1
Utilize at least one of the linked sources to support your discussion.
Identify and incorporate at least one additional outside source to support your discussion. In addition to the textbook, you may use any material outside of the textbook that is recommended in the Additional Reading section at the end of each chapter. You are also encouraged to do your own research and identify relevant sources. Please keep in mind that WIKIPEDIA is not an acceptable reference.
PREPARE AND SUBMIT:
Write a well-organized essay, a minimum of 700 words (but not limited to), including supporting details from the documents/textbook/other sources in which you analyze and discuss the material that has been assigned by addressing the following question:
In your opinion, were the Radical Republicans correct in their assumptions regarding the South, or could Lincoln’s approach have paved the way for a continuation of the political, social, and economic gains that African Americans had achieved during Reconstruction? Support your argument(s) including information from assigned and linked readings