As the Civil War was coming to an end, President Abraham Lincoln began to think about how the United States would move forward. This process became known as Reconstruction. Reconstruction aimed to reintegrate the Southern states into the Union. It also focused on how the nation would progress after slavery ended.
In late 1863, Lincoln introduced a plan for Reconstruction that focused on speed and unity. His plan stated that if 10 percent of a Southern state’s men pledged loyalty to the U.S., the state could create a new government. These new state governments also had to recognize that slavery had been permanently ended. Once those conditions were met, the state could be readmitted to the Union.
Lincoln believed that the Southern states had never truly left the Union. He viewed the Civil War as a rebellion rather than a separation between countries. He thought the federal government did not need to punish the Southern states too harshly before bringing them back into the Union.
Lincoln pointed to Louisiana as an example of how Reconstruction could work. In Louisiana, a small group of voters pledged loyalty to the Union. Then, they formed a new state government and adopted a constitution that abolished slavery. Their constitution provided education for all children, regardless of race. The Louisiana legislature also voted to support a constitutional amendment that would abolish slavery nationwide.
Lincoln still supported limited voting rights for some Black Americans. In his final public address on April 11, 1865, he suggested that educated Black men and Black men who had served as soldiers should be allowed to vote. He did not call for voting rights for all Black Americans, but this position showed a shift from earlier policies.
Not everyone agreed with Lincoln’s approach. Some members of Congress believed his plan was too lenient. In 1864, Congress passed the Wade-Davis Bill. It required 50 percent of white men in a state to take a loyalty oath before they could be readmitted. Lincoln refused to sign the bill, stopping it from becoming law. He believed the bill would slow the process of restoring the Union and make it harder for Southern states to participate again. Lincoln also argued that the states had never legally left the Union, so he did not believe they needed to be formally readmitted.
Lincoln continued to support a flexible and forgiving plan for Reconstruction until his assassination in April 1865.
