History of Civil War

History Essay
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When Abraham Lincoln became the president in 1860, the southern states felt that the northern states would control them. During the Civil War, the 11 southern states (in 1860-61) decided to separate from the Union; thus conducted all their activities as a separate government and carried out the major war. The 11 southern states separated from the Union (United States) to their preserve political liberty, states’ rights and slavery. However, the Union did not accept the secession. President Lincoln was convinced to fight in order to ensure that the southern states remained part of the Union (United States). The Union made a successful achievement by defeating the southern states which led to the end of the civil war in 1865, and therefore giving about 4 million slaves their liberty. However, the process of reconstructing the southern states during the reconstruction period faced certain challenges.
The end of the Civil War resulted into the abolishment of slavery, although it left unanswered questions how the 11 southern states would carry out their internal activities after reconstituted into the Union. The reconstruction simply meant that efforts created in the U.S between 1865 and 1877 in order to reconstitute the economic, legal, social and political systems in the southern states, which had seceded from the Union. This paper aims to explain how the civil war and reconstruction did politically, economically and socially reconstitute, not just simply preserve the Union.
The South was completely ruined when the Civil War ended and its economic and social order, which founded slavery, was completely destroyed. The United States had the responsibility of reconstituting 11 southern states to restore their positions as part of the Union and to be rebuilt with loyal governments. Moreover, the United States also had to redefine the roles of the freed slaves in the southern states. Reconstruction efforts started during the Civil War. The efforts of the federal government was more than simply preserving the Union, but to ensure that the seceded southern states were reconstituted and restored to become part of the Union. Being a republican leader, President Lincoln began creating plans for the reconstruction of the southern states during the Civil War since the Union soldiers settled in larger regions of the South. Lincoln wanted to restore the Nation to become together as rapidly as possible. During 1963, President Lincoln created the plan for the Reconstruction that expected the federal new constitutions to abolish slavery. Lincoln declared amnesty and reconstitution of southern states occupied by the Union soldiers. The amnesty offered pardon to the southern states that would vow to support the Union and its constitution. During 1865 January, the Congress passed the constitution that would eradicate slavery in the United States. In 1865 December, the congress passed the Thirteenth amendment to abolish slavery in a formal manner.
In 1865, the Civil War ended, and a week later Abraham Lincoln was assassinated. Andrew Johnson, being the vice president, became U.S president and continued the Lincoln’s principles. In 1865 April, Johnson declared his plan for reconstruction that incorporated the need to remain loyalty to the United States and eradication of slavery which southern states were expected to comply with prior they could be reconstituted as part of the Nation. Johnson’s amnesty proclamation was stricter than of Lincoln’s, it suppressed all former civil and military officers of the southern states and all individuals who owned property valued more than $20,000 and confiscated their estates. The intention was to develop a political shift in the southern states from the old planter aristocracy to the small artisans and farmers and it pledged to achieve a revolution in the southern states. Johnson created his plan in operation when the congress adjourned in 1865 April to December. The southern states (assisted by the republicans) held meetings to abolish the principles of succession and the need to eradicate slavery. Their newly created laws approved the thirteenth amendment approving the freedom of enslaved African Americans. By the time 1865 ended, the Southern states had redeveloped civil governments. However, the whites (in the south) had greater control than the blacks; they therefore restored all newly elected state laws and passed legislatures (called “black codes”) that limited rights and freedom of the blacks.
The northern states were disappointed believing that the victory achievements made were being lost due to Johnson’s relaxed policy. Johnson attacked leaders of the south and vetoed their reconstruction measures. Johnson created measures that passed the Freedmen’s Bureau B...