1. Complete the chart to compare the different Reconstruction plans. President Lincoln's Plan President Johnson's Plan Radical Plan

Writing Activity

2. Suggest your own ideas for Reconstruction, and explain why they are good ideas.

Make sure your paragraph has a thesis, supporting sentences, and a conclusion. Then, check to make sure that your subjects and verb tenses agree.

Explanation:

president Lincoln: wanted to give land back to south, didn't want to punish south, wanted more freedom for slaves, wanted quick re-admission for south

president Johnson: wanted to give land back to south, gave less protection to newly free slaves than RR plan, not willing to give as much freedom to new free slaves as Lincoln, wanted quick readmission for south

Radical plan: wanted to divide land and give to newly free slaves, wanted to punish south  

Reconstruction efforts after the Civil war have been recognized as a political success however, there are a lot of things that could have been done differently. Most important for the African-American community. While slavery was completely abolished throughout the country, most former slaves could not find decent living, especially along the bible belt. Due to rampant racism still in place, African-American community was marginalized in ghettos, taking up small jobs if available. My main focus would have been to ensure that all these freed people had the same basic rights and opportunities by law.