ernment of the United States may be restored, and that peace, order, and freedom may be established, I, Andrew Johnson, President of the United States, do proclaim and declare that I hereby grant to all persons who have, directly or indirectly, participated in the existing rebellion [exceptions] amnesty and pardon, with restoration of all rights of property, except as to slaves, upon the condition that such person subscribe the following oath. do solemnly swear I, that I will henceforth faithfully support, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States. tion, pp. 9-10. -McPherson, Reconstruc On the same day he appointed William W. Holden Provisional Governor of North Carolina, with powers and duties as follows: I, Andrew Johnson, .. do hereby appoint William W. Holden Provisional Governor of the State of North Carolina, whose duty it shall be to prescribe such rules and regulations as may be necessary and proper for convening a convention, [and also] with authority to exercise all the powers necessary and proper to enable such loyal people of the State .to restore said state to its constitu Similar action was taken for the other States. The president, by proclamation, also provided for the recall of the proclamations establishing martial law, blockade, the suspension of the Habeas Corpus, etc. In other words, during the summer of 1865 he had taken almost all the steps necessary to restore the States to their "practical relation" to the Union, by December, when Congress should come together. Almost immediately on its assembling there were signs that there was to be a struggle between Congress and the President. However the Congressional plan was not fully matured and enacted into law before March 2, 1867. In the meantime the State governments set up under President Johnson's plan continued to exist with some power, but subject to suspension whenever Congress might direct. The first part of the Congressional plan with which the President agreed was the passage of the 13th amendment. The second part was the 14th amendment. The great struggle, however, came over the following law, which contains the substance of the Congressional plan of Reconstruction: WHEREAS, No legal State governments or adequate protection for life or property now exists in the rebel States [named], therefore, Be it enacted, etc., That said rebel States shall be divided into military districts and made subject to the military authority of the United States districts provided for.] [Five SEC. 2. That it shall be the duty of the President to assign to the command of each of said districts an officer of the army and to detail a sufficient military force to enable such officer to perform his duties and enforce his authority. SEC. 3. That it shall be the duty of each officer to suppress insurrection, disorder and to this end he may allow civil tribunals to take jurisdiction of and to try offenders, or, when in his judgment it may be necessary for the trial of offenders, he shall have power to organize military commissions for that purpose. SEC. 4. [Speedy trials and no unusual punishments.] SEC. 5. That when the people of any one of the rebel States shall have formed a constitution of government in conformity with the Constitution of the United States in all respects, framed by a convention of delegates elected by the male citizens of said State, twentyone years old and upward, of whatever race, color, or previous condition, . . except such as may be disfranchised for participation in the rebellion, and when such constitution shall provide that the elective franchise shall be enjoyed by all such persons as have the qualifications herein stated for electors and when ratified by a majority vote [accepted by Congress] and when said State shall have adopted the amendment, known as fourteen, and when said article shall have become a part of the Constitution of the United States [then the State admitted to privileges of other States]. SEC. 6. [Any existing government provisional only. .]—McPherson, Reconstruction, pp. 191, 192. This bill and all other supplementary bills were vetoed by President Johnson, but all were passed over his veto, and thus became the law of the land. By 1870, under the series of acts of which the one cited is the most important, all the rebel States were again in full operation, and represented in Congress. The final outcome of the struggle was the impeachment of President Johnson. The Senate failed to convict. Congress triumphed, however, in its policy. QUESTIONS. 1. Was Lincoln anxious to avoid war? 2. Point out the real difference he notes between the North and the South. 3. Did he wish the Republicans to yield their ground? 4. Was it possible for the two sections to agree? 5. What phrase had Lincoln used before this to characterize the nature of the struggle? 6. How had Seward characterized it? 7. How did Lincoln feel toward the South? 8. Give quotations to prove your position. 9. What would be "coercion" of a State according to Lincoln? 10. What did he think the nation might do? 11. How did Lincoln mean to treat slavery in the States? 12. What did he mean by leaving them alone? 13. Did Lincoln seem to think war was necessary? 14. What was the matter? 15. What advice did he give to the people of North and South? 16. Could they take it? 17. Are Lincoln's positions in these extracts and in those given last month consistent with one another? 1. How did President Buchanan explain the troubles? 2. How could the difficulties be settled? 3. Did he believe then in the "irrepressible conflict" doctrine? 4. Which proved to be right? 5. Did he believe the South might secede on account of President Lincoln's election? 6. Did he recognize the right of secession at all? 7. How could the States get a redress of grievances? 8. Should anything be done to permit secession? 9. Why not? 10. How did he propose to settle the trouble? 11. Compare ideas of Lincoln and Buchanan. 1. What State passed the first Ordinance of Secession? 2. What relation to the action of the State in 1788? 3. Who acted for the State? 4. Apparently did the State expect war? 5. If not, why not? 6. What did the State offer to do? 7. What was to be the future relation? 8. Judged by the extracts given last month, why did secession take place? 9. What attempt did Virginia 'make to prevent secession? 10. How far were many of the Republicans, Lincoln included, ready to go to prevent war? 11. Compare the proposed Thirteenth amendment with the existing one. 1. How did Lincoln attempt to satisfy the South that secession was not justifiable? 2. How did he propose to treat them? 3. Who would be responsible for war if it came? 4. Commit the last paragraph of his inaugural. 5. Can you find another paragraph more eloquent than this? 1. How did the Cabinet feel in regard to aiding Fort Sumter? 2. Why such feelings? 3. Any changes in sentiment between March 15 and March 29? 4. What is the most important letter in this number? Why? 1. How did Lincoln propose to treat the Southern States after the Rebellion was suppressed? 2. What important thought in the Gettysburg speech? 3. Under what power did Lincoln claim the right to issue the Emancipation Proclamation? 4. Would Congress have had the same right? 5. How did Lincoln propose to secure the abolishment of slavery? 6. When would slavery have been ended by his plan? 7. What arguments did he use to sustain his plan? 8. How did the country first receive the Emancipation Proclamation? 9. What did Lincoln believe in regard to the States having ever been out of the Union? 10. When did Lincoln last speak concerning Reconstruction? 11. What policy did President Johnson claim to follow in regard to Reconstruction? 12. What was the great difference between the Congressional plan of Reconstruction and President Johnson's? 13. What do you understand by Reconstruction? 14. Name the principal elements in the Congressional plan. 15. Who could vote in reconstructing the seceded States under President Johnson's plan under the Congressional plan? 16. Write an essay on President Lincoln in the war, using only the material here given. |