Preserving White Supremacy: Confederates sought to maintain the unequal power dynamics that existed before the war, ensuring white dominance over African Americans. This included measures to disenfranchise African American men, restrict their access to education, and limit their opportunities for economic and political participation.
Restoring the Pre-War Social and Economic Order: Confederates worked to revive the plantation economy and the social structure that supported it. This meant opposing land redistribution, which could give formally enslaved people access to land and economic independence, and pushing back against efforts to establish public education for all.
Minimizing the Rights of Formerly Enslaved People: Confederates resisted granting full civil and political rights to formerly enslaved individuals. They opposed the ratification of the 14th and 15th Amendments to the US Constitution, which guaranteed equal protection and voting rights for all citizens, regardless of race.
Receiving Amnesty: Many Confederate leaders and supporters sought赦免for their role in the war and wanted to be restored to their pre-war positions of power and influence. They pursued measures such as the issuance of presidential pardons and the removal of political disabilities imposed on former Confederates.
These objectives illustrate the desire of confederates to limit the changes brought about by the Civil War and preserve their traditional social and political system.