Presidential Reconstruction

The Reconstruction period is one of the most pivotal periods of our nation's history. If done correctly, the South could join the North peacefully, and African Americans could have equal rights without segregation. Sadly for our nation, the guiding light of the Civil War, "Our Captain," President Lincoln was murdered before he could accomplish his goal for Reconstruction. Our country's reconstruction was left with the incompetent Andrew Johnson. Thankfully, Ulysses S. Grant took over the presidency after Johnson's woeful term to help rebuild relations with the South and promote Civil Rights. 

Johnson was so ineffective because he stood in the way of reconstruction. Not even a year into his term and Johnson vetoed two acts that gave African Americans more rights. These acts were the Freedmen’s Bureau Act and the Civil Right’s Act. Johnson vetoed these acts because  he said Congress had overstepped their boundaries. These vetoes would be the beginning of Johnson’s woeful presidency and eventually lead up to his impeachment. Another law Johnson made sure did not get passed was the Fourteenth Amendment. This amendment gave the right to vote for African Americans and would not let Confederate leaders from holding federal or state offices unless permitted by two-thirds of Congress. Johnson encourage Southern States to reject this amendment because he believed it was too harsh on Confederate leaders. The ironic thing is that Johnson believed the Confederate leaders should be punished for rebelling. Another ironic thing is that all Southern States except for one rejected the amendment, and that one was his home state of Tennessee. 

Radicals were becoming tired of Johnson’s constant vetoing of laws so they began looking for ways to impeach him. Afraid of Johnson firing Radical Secretary of War, Edwin Stanton, Congress passed the Tenure of Office Act which stated the president could not dismiss one of his cabinet members without the consent of the Senate. To test this act out, Johnson fired Stanton. This enraged the Radicals, so they brought 11 counts of impeachment against Johnson. In the end, Johnson was not impeached. He was found “not guilty” with a vote of 35-19. He was one vote away from being impeached.

Ulysses Grant was elected president in 1868 and reelected in 1872. Grant came into office during an incredibly difficult time in American history. The civil war was over, and the country was grappling with how to rebuild and reunite in the wars aftermath. As president, Grant was determined to follow Lincoln's policy of reconciliation with the south rather than one of retribution. He also wanted to make sure that the federal government preserved the sacrifices of the war by sustaining a strong union while at the same time protecting the newly freed slaves and preventing former reconstructive Confederates from gaining power in the South. In the beginning of his presidency, Grant continued the policies of congressional reconstruction, and he used the military and federal legislation to protect black citizens. He also wanted to help the Republican Party floors in the south, go on attainable without black floaters at least a portion of the white voters.

President, Ulysses S. Grant destroyed the Ku Klux Klan to protect the lives of the freed former slaves. He did so by regulating and temporarily putting the KKK to an end. He passed various laws and regulations which ended up bringing soldiers into the south to regulate them. President Grant called this the Ku Klux Klan Act in 1871, which stopped a lot of the violence that the Klan was causing. Against strong political opposition, Grant also protected freed slaves. President Grant stood for the absolute protection of the freed black race in the face of Southern Democratic political, social and cultural tyranny. But with the controversial presidential election of 1876 came the “Compromise of 1877," which gave the presidency to the Republican candidate in exchange for the removal of Grant’s federal soldiers from the South along with the return of complete control of the region to the racist Southern Democrats. This end of the Reconstruction period enabled the Klan eventually to rise again and to terrorize and murder African Americans until years later.

The president in office during the time of reconstruction were Andrew Johnson and Ulysses Grant. To evaluate the two presidents we must look at their successes and failures. Johnson's presidency was full of failures from the start. With his vetoing of the Freedman’s Bureau and the Civil Rights Act, he showed he was not planning on an fast and easy reconstruction. The next mistake for Johnson was the 14th amendment, he encouraged southern states to vote against the amendment that would give the African Americans the right to vote. His sympathy and almost support for the South was his downfall in his presidency, he believed that the confederate leaders were being treated too harshly. His president is viewed as a failure, it only hurt the vulnerable country at the time.

Ulysses Grant was next in office and had big plans for his presidency. Grant used his military tactics to make sure the South did not rise against it. Although Grant was a great military leader, he was not president material. His presidency has successes in the protection of blacks, but he was not used to not having to answer to anyone, and thus lead to problems with congress. Not being able to have complete power did not sit well with Grant, and lead to a stand still with congress. His presidency was successful in different areas, in the protection and of African Americans he was very successful because of it was almost a war, but in the political area he failed. Grant had little experience in politics and gave many high positions to friends and family, this corruption is the biggest failure in his presidency. Grant compared to Johnson was a very successful president and was the base of the Union of our country after the war.

In the end, the original idea of the Reconstruction was not fulfilled with Presidents Johnson and Grant. Johnson dug himself and the following presidents a giant hole by vetoing Civil Rights Reconstruction Laws. Due to his failure, our country had to go through a period of segregation.