Johnson's Plan:

Johnson announced his own Reconstruction plan on May 1865. Johnson offered pardons to all Southerners except Confederate leaders and rich southern supporters. The eleven former slave states were to hold conventions and create new state governments. Slavery had to be abolished and Southerners were made to swear an oath of loyalty to the Union, or they were not allowed to enter back into the Union.

Johnson's plan was accepted by most people because it didn't have anything about the rights of black people. During the summer and autumn of 1865, new state governments were formed and all agreed to Johnson's plan. This was all expected of them by the North, but, in addition, the Union demanded that the rights of former slaves be preserved.

The Black Codes:

The status of the black rights soon became the most important issue of the Reconstruction. Johnson soon passed a series of laws developed by the Southern state governments called The Black Codes. Some of these codes forced blacks to sign labour contracts, which forced them to work in a job for at least a full year no matter what. Another law allowed employers of black people to whip them, and to jail unemployed blacks and hire out their children.

Whites Attack Blacks:

Between 1865 and 1866, Southern whites murdered around five thousand blacks. During the "race riots" in 1866, white mobs killed every black in sight in Memphis and New Orleans. Also in 1866, a secret organisation, the infamous , was created in Tennessee. These ("The ", for short) members wore (and still wear) white robes and hoods, and covered their horses in white bed sheets. The grew in strength rapidly and spread terror across the South. The members kicked, punched and even murdered blacks and their white sympathisers. The was formed after the war ended, and if you look at parts of The 's symbols, you will notice the "Stars and Bars" of the Confederate flag.

The Republicans:

When the Civil War was over, two large groups of the American Government, the Radicals and the Moderates merged. The Republicans wanted an entirely new Reconstruction policy, and their leaders were Charles Sumner the Senator and Representative Thaddeus Stevens.

The Republicans wanted to take strong action in protecting the rights of blacks. They thought that the only way of making an entire democratic nation, was to let blacks vote in elections. Finally, they thought that Congress, rather than the President himself, should carry out the Reconstruction. In the early days of 1866, the Republicans struck their first major blow to Johnson by forcing Congress to pass the Civil Rights Act, which assured blacks many legal rights. Johnson opposed this bill furiously and vetoed it, but he could do little to stop Congress. Congress passed the Civil Rights Act, much to the disgust of white Southerners. This was the first law ever passed in U.S. history withstanding the President's veto.

The 14th Amendment:

In mid 1866, Congress developed a 14th Amendment to the constitution, which granted citizenship to all black people. It also meant that all federal and state laws would apply equally to blacks as they would to whites. At this time, none of the defeated Confederate states had been readmitted into the Union, and Congress demanded that none could rejoin until they agreed to the 14th Amendment. Johnson practically ordered the states not to do so, and all of them agreed with him except Tennessee. Tennessee then became the first Confederate state to rejoin the Union. Finally, in 1868, all the rebellious