The period known as the Reconstruction of the Southern States, spanning from 1865 to 1877, represents a tumultuous and pivotal era in American history following the devastation of the Civil War. This critical time was marked by determined efforts to integrate nearly four million newly freed slaves into civil society as citizens with full civil rights, and to transform the eleven former Confederate states to facilitate their readmission into the Union. The success and failures of Reconstruction continue to be debated, underscoring its profound and lasting impact on the nation’s social and political landscape.
The Unforeseen Presidency of Andrew Johnson
Tragedy struck just hours after President Abraham Lincoln’s assassination, as Andrew Johnson of Tennessee assumed the presidency on April 15, 1865. Johnson, a Southern Unionist, had been chosen as Lincoln’s running mate in 1864 partly to unify the nation and counter accusations of the Republican Party being sectional. However, his presidency proved to be profoundly problematic. Many contemporaries described him as coarse, obstinate, and politically inept, traits that became particularly detrimental during a period demanding exceptional tact and wisdom.
A monumental question loomed over the victorious North: how should the former Confederate states be reintegrated? Were they still states of the Union, having merely rebelled? Had they forfeited statehood and become territories subject to federal authority? Or were they merely
