Battle for Freedom essays

Battle for Freedom essays The goal of the North was to create an equal opportunity for the Blacks, giving them political power, economic power, and providing them with education. The Civil war was among the first steps in the direction of reconstructing the South. There were many things that took part in the derivation of the Civil War. One of the things was Slavery. Slavery had been a part of life in America since the early colonial period and became more acceptable in the South than in the North. Southern planters relied on slaves to run larger farms or plantations and make them profitable. This did not sit well with many Northerners who felt that slavery was uncivilized and should be abolished. Likewise, the people of the Southern states did not agree with Northern peoples views on slave ownership. They viewed themselves as superior to the blacks. This discontentment alone created unrest and grounds for a war. The war lasted from 1861 to 1865, with the North being the victor the next step was to rewrite the wrong and place laws in motion that would maintain the values of the North. President Lincoln had a plan for Reconstruction which supported the ideas of the North. Lincoln outlined his plan in his Proclamation of Amnesty; this ten percent plan required that ten percent of the voter took an oath to the Union than they could organize a government, providing that it abolished slavery and allowed blacks to be educated. After Lincolns plan Pres. Johnson created a plan. Johnson was from the South and favored slavery he was a confirmed racist. Pres. Johnsons plans for Reconstruction were to restore the authority of the southern states to the Union. Unfortunately for him, many of Johnsons plans were unpopular and eventually overturned. The 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments aided the Norths vision of Reconstruction. The amendments provided a series of advantages for the Norths ideal Union. More specifically the 13th amendment aboli...