Was Reconstruction A Success Or A Failure Essay

The Civil War left the South in ruins, socially, economically, and literally. The Confederacy’s currency was destroyed, people were debating if colored people deserved rights, and the towns inhabiting the South were left in shambles. President Abraham Lincoln proposed reconstruction plans before his assassination, allowing the country to prevent another Civil War. These plans included the Freedman’s Bureau, an organization which helped former slaves start their lives as free men and the Ten Percent Plan, where a state would be readmitted into the Union if 10% of voters swore loyalty to the Union and swore against slavery. However, America’s ability to recover after their internal war was challenged as President Andrew Johnson came into power

after President Lincoln’s death. In comparison to President Lincoln, President Andrew’s conservative beliefs, persistence, and inability to compromise with Congress ended up recreating the main cause of the Civil War: slavery. Due to his actions, it is clear that reconstruction was a failure during President Andrew Johnson’s term, and after being impeached he should have been removed from office.

President Lincoln passed the Emancipation Proclamation which ended slavery in rebel states and created the Freedman’s Bureau. Unlike President Lincoln, President Andrew Johnson passed several laws supporting slavery and racism and even vetoed laws he disagreed with. For example, Johnson vetoed the Freedman’s Bureau because he believed colored people had less rights than white people. Additionally, he passed the Black Codes that limited the promised rights of African Americans. According to the Black Codes it states, “All persons of color signing contracts of labor shall be known as servants and their employers shall be known as masters.” However, that is exactly slavery yet the term “slaves” is replaced with “servants.” President Johnson even firmly believed that politics were made for and only white people. Thankfully, Congress passed the Civil Rights Act of 1866, nullifying the Black Codes and simultaneously giving equal rights to all except for women and Native Americans. Johnson then vetoed the act stating it was “...an invasion of

states’ rights and would cause ‘discord among the races’.” Even though people agree that the Civil Rights Act would obviously cause conflict among racist white people and African Americans, federal government should have the power to choose who has rights instead of each state. This is because when travelling from state to state, it would be very complicated as colored people would be treated differently everywhere they go, and it would be simpler for people to be treated equally everywhere. Plus, President Johnson allowed former Confederate officials to work in office even though the nation needed to move forward from slavery, not recreate it. The constant battle between Congress and President Johnson raged on through the Fourteenth Amendment, the Military Reconstruction Act, and the Tenure of Office Act with the president vetoing or violating the new laws. Finally, Johnson was impeached as Congress outlined eleven articles to charge him with, and the reason behind impeachment being “high crimes and misdemeanors.” Unfortunately, President Johnson was impeached, but never removed from office even though he was obviously not fit for president.
In conclusion, President Andrew Johnson’s term as the nation’s leader was a failure because Congress had to fix issues for him, and he attempted to backtrack the nation into what it once was.

Congress kept cleaning up his messes, like nullifying the Black Codes through the Fourteenth Amendment. President Johnson even kept imposing slavery, angering the North and pleasing the South, just like what occurred before the Civil War. Additionally, the president’s actions enforced segregation and the Ku Klux Klan formed during this time period. Little did President Johnson know, segregation and the violent attacks due to the KKK would continue through to 1900s, negatively affecting people through discrimination for decades. Bigotry still lives on today through police brutality and racial profiling, too. Anyways, reconstruction of the South and continuing what President Lincoln desired was a failure due to President Andrew Johnson’s persistence of keeping slavery alive and refusal to do what was best for the

nation.