Understanding the Controversial Policies of Reconstruction and Amnesty During the Civil War

List three parts of Lincoln’s Ten Percent Plan.

1. Voters would elect new delegates to create new constitutions and new state governments.2. All southerners, except for high-ranking officials, would be granted a full pardon. 3. Lincoln promised southerners their property would be protected, except for their slaves.

1. This statement refers to the Reconstruction Era following the Civil War, during which many Southern states were required to create new constitutions and governments in order to re-enter the Union. This process was intended to ensure that these states’ governments were loyal to the United States and its laws, rather than to individual Confederate leaders or the principles of the Confederacy. The election of new delegates was seen as a way to ensure that the governments created were truly representative of the people, rather than being controlled by former Confederate supporters. This process was controversial, however, as some former Confederates were barred from participating in these elections, and there were concerns about whether the newly created governments truly represented everyone in the state.

2. This statement refers to the policy of amnesty that was implemented in the aftermath of the Civil War. Many former Confederates were initially barred from participating in politics or holding public office, but as part of the reconstruction process, President Johnson issued a blanket pardon to all who had participated in the rebellion except for high-ranking officials. This was intended to help reunite the country and prevent further conflict, by allowing former Confederates to put their past behind them and participate in the rebuilding process. However, the policy of amnesty was controversial, as many people felt that former Confederates should not have been allowed to hold positions of power, and that they should have been held accountable for their actions during the war.

3. This statement refers to President Lincoln’s policy towards the South during the Civil War. Lincoln was determined to preserve the Union, but he also recognized that many Southerners were not personally responsible for the institution of slavery, and that many of them had been misled by their leaders. As a result, Lincoln promised that the property of Southerners would be protected, with the exception of their slaves. This was intended to reassure Southerners that they would not lose everything as a result of the war, and to encourage them to accept the terms of reconstruction and rejoin the Union. However, as with the other policies of reconstruction, there was a great deal of controversy and debate over these promises, with some Southerners feeling that they had been unfairly treated or denied their rights.

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