Johnson's Plan For Reconstruction
by Grace Guarino
Overview of the plan:
- Ratify the 13th amendment
- No pardon to high ranking confederates or those owning property worth more then $20,000
Freedmen's Bureau:
- Established in 1865 by Congress to help former black slaves and poor whites in the South in the aftermath of the U.S. Civil War
- The Bureau provided food, housing and medical aid, established schools and offered legal assistance while attempting to settle former slaves on Confederate lands
(Johnson's Response)
- he vetoed it because it interfered with states’ rights and gave preference to one group of citizens over another causing issues
Civil Rights Act of 1866:
- said that all people born in the United States were declared to be citizens of the United States
- granted all citizens equal benefit of all laws and proceedings for the security of person and property
(Johnson's Response)
- He disagreed with the level of federal intervention implied by the legislation
- He tried to veto it
Black Codes:
- Rules/ Codes applied only to “persons of color,” including anyone with more than one-eighth African American blood
(Examples from SC)
- Civil Rights: persons of color now had the right to have property; to make contracts; to enjoy the fruits of their labor; to sue and be sued; and to receive protection under the law
- Labor Contracts: Contracts made for blacks that chose to work for whites requiring that the wages and the term of service be in writing so it cannot be changed
- Courts, Crimes, and Punishments: a racially separate court system was established for all civil and criminal cases that involved a black plaintiff or defendant allowing black witnesses to testify in court