Reconstruction Johnson s Plans And His Battles With...

Reconstruction Johnson’s Plans and His Battles With Congress: Republican Abraham Lincoln chose Democratic Senator from Tennessee, in 1864, to be his vice presidential candidate. Abraham Lincoln was on the lookout for Southern support. He was hoping that choosing Johnson, would appeal the Southerners who never planned on leaving the union. Johnson also grew up in poverty. He hadn’t learned to write until he was around 20yrs old. He rose up to political power as a â€Å"backer† of a small farmer. In many of his speeches he rallied against â€Å"slaveocracy.† Unless something horrible happened to the president, the views and opinions of the Vice President don’t really mean that much. After Lincoln’s assassination, Johnson’s views became very†¦show more content†¦A small number of Confederate leaders were persecuted. Around 7,00 Presidential pardons were granted by 1866. Although, brutal African American beatings were frequent. But still, powerful whites strived to â€Å"conquer† freed slaves through harsh laws, which are known as the â€Å"Black Codes.† Some of the states made it mandatory to have written proof of employment for the coming year, or else the freed slave would have to go back to work on the plantation. In some states, like South Carolina, African Americans had to pay a certain tax if they weren’t servants or farmers. They weren’t even allowed to do any fishing or hunting in certain areas. African Americans weren’t able to own guns, and if they had any dogs, THEY WERE EVEN TAXED!! There was a federal agency, known as the Freedmen s Bureau, which helped slaves with their transition from slavery to Emancipation. It was â€Å"thwarted† since it tried to â€Å"provide welfare for the newly emancipated.† All of this resulted in many of the freed slaves, staying dependent on the plantation for work. Johnson’s policies were originally supported by most of the Northerners, and even some of the Republicans. However, there wasn’t any agreement on the rights of the African American’s based on the Emancipation. But a group of Radical Republicans desired that the rights be promised in the Declaration of Independence and extended to ALL free men, including the freed