Summary
The Cox Plan of Reconstruction was a proposal tied to the final stage of the Civil War, when Republicans expected the Confederate States of America to agree to peace terms or surrender on the battlefield.
Republicans blamed Southern plantation owners, the primary slaveholders in the South, for the Civil War and wanted to break their political power. Although they sought to use newly freed African Americans to their political advantage, they also wanted to ensure that white politicians maintained political control.
Meanwhile, Radical Republicans were concerned that President Andrew Johnson’s Reconstruction Plan, which did not advocate for the rights of African Americans, would hurt them in state and national elections where they were labeled as “Black Republicans.”
Jacob D. Cox of Ohio, a Union Major General and a member of the Republican Party, proposed a plan he believed would work as a compromise between Radical Republican demands for equal rights for African Americans and the refusal of those rights by Southerners and Northern Democrats.
Cox suggested removing whites from the East Coast, from Charleston through all of Florida, and turning it into an all-black territory. There, African Americans would rule themselves and enjoy equality, but outside it they would remain subject to local law as second-class citizens.
Although the plan was never proposed on a national scale, it failed to gain traction. Abolitionists in Northern Ohio approved of it, while Unionists in Southern Ohio rejected it.
Facts
- Civil War Ending: By 1865, it was clear that the Confederacy was close to defeat.
- Republican Goals:
- Republicans believed Southern plantation owners were responsible for the war and sought to limit their political power.
- They believed Freedmen could be used to their advantage in Southern politics.
- Republicans wanted to preserve the political power of white politicians.
- Key Details of Cox’s Plan:
- Jacob D. Cox was a war hero, a Major General in the Union Army, and a candidate for the Governor of Ohio.
- During his campaign, Cox proposed creating an all-black territory from Charleston through the Florida peninsula.
- He believed African Americans would be equal citizens only inside that territory.
- Outside the proposed territory, Cox accepted that African Americans would remain second-class citizens under local law.
- Failure of Cox’s Plan: The plan failed to unite Ohioans.
Significance
The Cox Plan of Reconstruction is important to American History because it tried to create a compromise between Radical Republicans, who supported civil rights for African Americans, and Southerners and Northern Democrats, who opposed them.
Timeline
- 1830s — The United States had already experienced Indian Removal, which helped make forced immigration unacceptable.
- 1865
- Republicans looked to create a Reconstruction policy that would diminish the power of Southern plantation owners and address the position of the newly freed African Americans, known as “Freedmen.”
- Jacob D. Cox of Ohio proposed setting aside a territory along the southeastern Atlantic coast and the Florida peninsula, specifically for Freedmen.
- He did this while running for Governor of Ohio.
- Cox argued that African Americans would have equality inside the territory but not outside it.
- The proposal failed because it failed to unite Ohioans.
AP US History
Definition
Cox Plan of Reconstruction — The Cox Plan of Reconstruction was a proposal made by Jacob D. Cox during the final stage of the Civil War that tried to create a compromise between supporters and opponents of civil rights for African Americans. Cox suggested creating an African American territory on the East Coast, from Charleston to Florida. The plan would have required the forced immigration of whites and blacks. The proposal failed to unite Ohioans and was largely forgotten.
Alignment
The Cox Plan of Reconstruction is part of the following AP US History sections:
