Rebuilding the Government

Part 1 – Complete the following chart using information from the lesson. One example appears for you.

Somebody ... | Wanted ... | But ... | So ... |

President Abraham Lincoln | the nation to heal as quickly as possible from the Civil War and planned to reunify the nation quickly | he was assassinated in 1865 only days after Robert E. Lee’s surrender | plans for Reconstruction were taken over by Vice President Andrew Johnson, who became president after Lincoln’s death |

President Andrew Johnson | Change to the social structure of the South.

| President Johnson visited many cities and made enemies by angrily defending his plan. | Congress passed the Reconstruction Act of 1867. It would undo everything Johnson and the Southern states had completed to that point. President Johnson vetoed the bill, but Congress overrode that veto and made it law. |

Radical Republicans | To control the South until they could be sure the South would not return to its pre-Civil War ways, including slavery. | It was not clear who should make Reconstruction policy: Congress, the president, or both. | These constitutional issues fueled disagreements over Reconstruction policy. |

Southern Democrats | To encourage voting.

| When Southern leaders used other loopholes to prevent freedmen from voting, Congress required ratification of the 15th Amendment. | This amendment prevented states from denying the right of suffrage based on race, which protected the right of former male slaves to vote. |

Part 2 – Answer the following questions in a complete paragraph of your own words.

What was the main issue relating to Reconstruction that divided Republicans at the end of the Civil War? If you had been a member of Congress at the time, what type of plan for Reconstruction would you have supported and why?

The main issue relating to Reconstruction that divided Republicans at the end of the Civil War was who should control it. If I had of been a member of congress at the time, the type of...