Presidential Reconstruction:
a) Presidential Reconstruction was the policy pursued by President Abraham Lincoln and then by President Andrew Johnson.
b) It aimed to quickly restore the seceded states to the Union with minimal disruption to the pre-war social and political order.
c) Lincoln's Ten Percent Plan of 1863 proposed that a state could be readmitted to the Union once 10% of its voters from 1860 had taken an oath of allegiance to the United States and pledged to obey its laws.
d) Johnson's Reconstruction policies were similar to Lincoln's and emphasized amnesty for former Confederates, the repudiation of Confederate debt, and the protection of the rights of freedmen.
e) However, Johnson's policies faced significant opposition from Radical Republicans in Congress, who believed that they were too lenient on the former Confederacy.
Radical Reconstruction:
a) Radical Reconstruction was a more comprehensive and transformative approach to Reconstruction advocated by Radical Republicans in Congress.
b) It aimed to fundamentally reshape the social, political, and economic structures of the South to ensure the rights and equality of African Americans.
c) Radical Reconstruction policies included the Reconstruction Acts of 1867-1868, which divided the South into military districts under the control of the Union Army and established new state governments based on universal male suffrage, including African Americans.
d) The Freedmen's Bureau was created to provide education, food, and medical care to freedmen, and the Civil Rights Act of 1866 guaranteed equal rights to all citizens, regardless of race.
e) Radical Reconstruction faced resistance from white southerners who resented the federal government's interference in their affairs, leading to widespread violence and the rise of groups like the Ku Klux Klan.
Overall, Presidential Reconstruction focused on quick restoration and minimal disruption, while Radical Reconstruction aimed for deeper societal change and the protection of African American rights. Radical Reconstruction was ultimately successful in achieving its goals, but it also led to significant tensions and conflicts that shaped American society for years to come.