Presidential Reconstruction was the phase of Reconstruction in which President Andrew Johnson initiated policies to quickly readmit the former Confederate States to the Union. Johnson appointed temporary Governors to oversee the drafting of new state constitutions, and he agreed to recognize each state that complied with constitutional requirements for statehood and ratified the 13th Amendment. The plan allowed many former Confederate leaders to regain political power and lacked protections for the civil rights of newly freed African Americans. The plan was heavily criticized by Radical Republicans for its leniency.
Presidential Reconstruction appears in the following entries on American History Central:
- Cox Plan of Reconstruction
- Joint Committee on Reconstruction
- Lincoln’s 10 Percent Reconstruction Plan
- Reconstruction Acts
- Redeemers
Presidential Reconstruction appears in the following AP US History sections on American History Central:
