Reconstruction Plans
The point of reconstruction after the Civil War was to rebuild the South and restore the Southern States to the Union as quickly and easily as possibe. During the war, the South had difucult times trying to get mmoney to fund their armies and also the people at home. There was not enough to go around so their economy took a leap downward. Building back up the South and restoring their economy was going to be a diffucult thing to do.
Lincoln's Plan
Abraham Lincoln
President Abraham Lincoln's reconstruction plan mainly had two steps. His first step was to pardon all southerners except for high-ranking civil and military leaders after taking an oath to the United States. The second step was when 10% of southern voters in each state had taken the oath of loyalty, the state would be permitted to form a legal government and join the Union. Congress and many northerners thought that Lincoln's plan was not harsh enough and that they wanted the South to be punished. Lincoln was assassinated shortly after not signing the congress bill made to punish the South.
Johnson's Plan
Andrew Johnson
Andrew Johnson's plan was similar to Lincoln's plan but it was a bit more harsh on the South. Those in the South who had owned property worth more than $20,000 or those who had held high civil or military positions had to apply directly to the president for a pardon. Radicals still disagreed with the plan and still said that the South deserved even more punishment. After some pressure, Johnson established that the southern states had to approve the 13th Amendment (abolish slavery) before rejoining the Union. The states also had to declare invalid their ordinances of secession. They also had to promise not to pay back individuals and/or institutions that financed them during the Civil War.
Congress's Plan
Congress's plan was the most harsh on the South because the Congress believed that the South should be punished. Therefore it was not as easygoing. First, Congress passed the 14th Amendment which granted citizenship to the freedmen and forbade states from denying them their rights and made the states ratify it before joining the Union. Secondly, each state was assigned to a region under the command of a federal governor and kept watch on by the military. Georgia, Florida and Alabama were all placed in the 3rd military District governed by General John Pope.