- Initiated by President Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War to begin the process of reconstructing the Southern states.
- Focused on restoring the Union with minimal disruption to Southern society and economy.
- Implemented through the issuance of proclamations and executive orders by President Lincoln and later President Andrew Johnson.
Goals of Presidential Reconstruction:
- Reestablish federal authority in the South.
- Abolish slavery and grant civil rights to African Americans.
- Provide amnesty to white Southerners who took the oath of allegiance to the Union.
- Reintegrate Southern states into the Union as quickly as possible.
Congressional Reconstruction:
- Period of Reconstruction that followed Presidential Reconstruction and was driven by the Republican-dominated Congress.
- Marked a shift in the approach to Reconstruction, with a focus on ensuring the rights of African Americans and transforming Southern society.
- Implemented through the passage of various Reconstruction Acts and constitutional amendments.
Goals of Congressional Reconstruction:
- Protect the civil rights of African Americans, including suffrage.
- Reform Southern state governments to ensure representation for freedmen.
- Confiscate land from wealthy landowners and distribute it to freedmen.
- Rebuild the South's economy based on free labor.
- Reunite the country while ensuring that the former Confederacy could not regain its power.
Key differences:
- Presidential Reconstruction was initiated by the President, while Congressional Reconstruction was driven by the Congress.
- Presidential Reconstruction aimed to restore the Union quickly with minimal changes, while Congressional Reconstruction sought to transform Southern society and secure the rights of African Americans.
- Presidential Reconstruction was more lenient toward former Confederates, while Congressional Reconstruction was more assertive in imposing conditions and changes on the Southern states.