tes, in these cases the slaves simply walked off the plantations. Yet after his plan unfolded Lincoln made certain that he offered support for the southern states, in order that their transition back to the Union be smooth. On December 8 he issued his Proclamation of Amnesty and Reconstruction. In it he offered pardon to any former Confederates who would take the oath to support the Constitution of the United States and the Union of the states thereunder.KHe further stipulated that when persons equal in number to tenth of the votes cast in the presidential election of 1860 had taken oath and established a government. Lincolns plan excluded all Negroes from participation either in oath-taking, voting, or holding office. Governments under presidential reconstruction were to be governments by white men. (Franklin, 17)Therefore, Lincoln was certainly acting in his own presidential interests and in the best interests of a White male dominated society not in the interests of a better, more equal, society. Even when the former slaves thought they had allies, the motives behind their allies actions did not concern their best interests at all.On April 15, 1865 President Lincoln was assassinated and Andrew Johnson was sworn in hours after his death. This change in leadership could be seen as a turn for the worst as far as support for the freedmen was concerned. Although Johnson fully supported the Union and its principles he was in no way against Southerners. In fact, it was under his administration that the rebel states were readmitted into constitutional relations with the federal government when that portion of the peopleKwho are loyal had written a constitution and established a government under it. (Franklin, 31) For this reason alone, Johnson was considered very lenient toward those states in the Union which had rebelled. These states did not receive the punishment that should have been handed down to them for committing the ...
