The impact of the assassination of President Lincoln on Reconstruction is one of the most debated topics in American history. He actively supported the 13th Amendment, which abolished slavery and tried to equalize the rights of all American citizens by giving the vote to African Americans (Lincoln Home, n.d.). However, the assassination of the 16th President significantly slowed down Reconstruction and, in the long run, contributed to the racism still going on today.
Lincoln’s antislavery policy was gradual but quite radical. One of the main ideas of the President was that race and skin color could not be sufficient grounds for determining a person’s intelligence or social status. Above all, slavery undermined the democratic fabric of the United States by violating the fundamental rights and freedoms of American citizens. To achieve equality in 1862, the Homestead Act was passed, according to which all citizens who did not rebel against the government could receive 160 acres of land (Lincoln Home, n.d.). The law dealt a severe blow to slavery and led to a radical solution to the rural problem – the development of agriculture along the farmer’s path. On the other hand, Lincoln’s policy and the fight against slavery became the leading cause of the Civil War. Therefore, it may seem that the antislavery policy of the President was not active enough to eradicate slavery but only turned the South against the North.
The policy of Lincoln’s reconstruction plan after the Civil War was relatively benign. For example, the changes he proposed included the possibility of creating new state governments if 10% of the state’s male population took an oath to the American government and recognized the independence of the black population (Lincoln Home, n.d.). The Wade-Davis Reconstruction Bill proposed to replace Lincoln’s plan contained harsher measures against the Southern states. This law primarily focused on extending the power and strengthening the influence of the US government throughout the United States. Therefore, although slavery was officially abolished, it was still a common practice.
However, Lincoln’s assassination gave Congress enough power to pass the Wade-Davis Reconstruction Bill. As a result, the conflict in the South intensified, and the emancipation of enslaved people slowed down significantly, even despite the existence of laws. Amendments 14 and 15, which provide equal rights for black US citizens, have often been ignored. That, in turn, became the cause of racial discrimination, firmly entrenched in American society today.
References
Lincoln Home (n.d.). Lincoln on slavery. National Park Service. Web.