Reconstruction was the process of rebuilding the South and restoring Confederate states to the Union after the Civil War from 1865 to 1870. During this period, Kirk Holden worked to reform North Carolina against opposition from former Confederate leaders. Lincoln initially wanted an easy reconciliation and asked only that the South free slaves, disband the Confederate government, form new state governments, and exclude former Confederate leaders from power. However, after Lincoln's assassination, Congress passed harsher laws under Radical Republicans to punish the South, while Southern states passed Black Codes restricting African American rights.

1. Reconstruction
By: Ryan Kost

2. What it is
Reconstruction was the steps taken to restore the Southern states to the
union and rebuild the South. Reconstruction lasted from about 1865
through 1870. After the Civil War the south was defeated, and the
South was pretty much nothing but ruined land.

3. Kirk Holden
During the years after the Civil war Kirk Holden was the most important
person in the state. Holden worked really hard to reorganize an reform the
state, to great opposition from the leaders who had taken North Carolina
into the Confederacy. In the end, Holden’s reforms were compromised by
violence and intimidation.

4. Lincoln’s Plans
In the South plantations and homes were burned during the war. The
fields were left unattended. The Confederate money was worthless. The
Southerners felt very beaten. Because of this Lincoln wanted to make it
easy for the Southern states to rejoin the Union. Many Northerners
were angry over this.

5. What Lincoln Asked
Lincoln asked only four things of the Southerners.
1. to free the slaves
2. Confederate government disband
3. new state governments for each Southern state be formed
4. no former leaders of the Confederate or high ranking officers could be a part
of the new government

6. Lincoln’s Death/New
President
A lot of people up North Thought Lincoln was being to easy on the
South. On April 14, 1865, five days after the Confederate army
surrendered, Lincoln was killed at Ford's Theater in Washington. The
Vice President Andrew Johnson became President. He tried to go ahead
with Lincoln's Plans in Congress.

7. Southern States
A group called Radical Republicans in congress wanted to punish many
slave states and passed many laws that were hard on the south. Slave
states made laws called Black Codes. These were to keep African
Americans from voting, serving on juries, getting jobs, owning land, or
going to school.