The Right to Vote

Printer-friendly version

Looking at the various Reconstruction Plans outlined in the text, it should be apparent that many ideas were tried. President Abraham Lincoln's plan was to emigrate Blacks to Africa, not to free slaves and have them stay in the United States and compete for resources. Despite the common perception that Lincoln freed the slaves, he did not. The Emancipation Proclamation did not free a single slave. The Proclamation was designed to open the Union Army to black soldiers. It did mention that slaves were free in states in rebellion against the Union, but Lincoln had no control over those slaves and he made no effort to free the slaves in states he did have control over. It was Andrew Johnson, Lincoln's successor, who forced through the 13th Amendment to the Constitution, which actually freed slaves. In 1858, Lincoln stated:

I will say, then, that I am not, nor ever have been, in favor of bringing about in any way the social and political equality of the white and black races—that I am not, nor ever have been, in favor of making voters or jurors of Negroes, nor of qualifying

them to hold of�ce, nor to intermarry with white people; and I will say in addition to this, that there is a physical difference between the white and black races which I believe will forever forbid the two races living together on terms of social and political equality. And inasmuch as they cannot so live, while they do remain together there must be the position of superior and inferior, and I, as much as any other man, am in favor of having the superior position assigned to the white race.

Does the statement above make Lincoln a racist or a realist? You decide for yourself. What is important to keep in mind is the fact that the Emancipation Proclamation had an ulterior motive and Abraham Lincoln did not free the slaves, at least not all of them. We can give him credit for setting a national tone. And, that is important.

President Lincoln and his successor, President Andrew Jackson faced an awesome challenge as the War came to an end, how to treat the states that had rebelled against the nation. Should they be treated as prodigal children who had just strayed and their return to the nation should be embraced? Or, as traitors who had attempted to destroy the nation through acts of treason? When we look at the Reconstruction plans, it is apparent which plan took which philosophy.

Radical Reconstruction, was Abraham Lincoln's plan. Lincoln did not want to punish the South. Just give them a tap on the wrist and in essence say "now don't do that again." He wanted to bring the South back to normal membership as members of the Union as quickly as possible (without slaves, of course). But, he was killed before he could institute the plan. His successor, Andrew Johnson, picked-up Lincoln's banner, but was not popular enough to push it through Congress. He tried but his efforts ultimately led to his impeachment.

Congress, which at the point did not include any members from the Southern states, was controlled by the so-called Radical Republicans (note: the Republicans of this Era were ideologically, the Republicans of modern times). These men (no women in Congress at this time, remember women are not given the right to vote until 1920), were angry at the South for the devastation the War had caused and wanted to punish it severely. They wanted to do things like deny the right to vote to anyone who had supported the Confederacy and make the states apply for re-admission to as a state to the Union. Perhaps most important, they wanted immediate and full rights for newly freed slaves. They got their way for twelve years until a backroom deal was struck between members of Congress to end the stalemate in the 1876 Presidential election.

The Compromise of 1876 effectively ended Reconstruction completely. It pushed southern blacks were relegated to conditions that were not much better than slavery and southern men were put back in charge of their states.