Reconstruction

President Lincoln has been assassinated! Fearing for his life, Vice President Johnson has fled the country. The Speaker of the House is suffering from a rare illness that has him in a coma. You are the lowly President Pro Tempore of the Senate, but in this wild chain of events, the Presidency is now yours. You are now faced with the task of reconstructing a nation torn apart by Civil War. </style> <img src=https://fords.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/1870-assassination-depiction-3b52661u.jpg </div> [[You take the job.]] [[You are scared of the reprocussions and you fake your own death, returning to your cabin in New Hampshire.]]

You are now the President of the United States. Time to save the country! [[First Crisis]]

The land in the South is up for grabs. Radical Republicans do not believe that the land should be returned to "traitors," while abolitionists believe it should be distributed to former enslaved people as a reparitive measure. Southerners are claiming their "newly discovered loyalty" to the Union. How do you approach the redistribution of land in the South? </style> <img src=https://www.blackpast.org/wp-content/uploads/prodimages/files/blackpast_images/forty_acres_and_a_mule_sharecroppers.jpg </div> [[Create a complex system of allocation in which land is siezed from slave owning supporters of the Confederacy and allocated among former slaves and government leases. These individuals will be left with a minimal percentage of the land they previously owned.]] [[Allow Southern landowners to keep the majority of their land as long as they formally pledge their allegience to the Union. Freed slaves will be allocated a small amount of land.]] [[Deem the land conflict one that falls under the jurisdiction of the states.]]

[[You have planted your foot in the camp of the radical reconstructionists. A risky political move has endeared you to a certain base while alienating you from another one. Whether or not this helps your reelection chances, you feel like you did the right thing, assuming assassination is not in your future.]]

[[The safe option. Radical reconstructionists and racists are both not thrilled, but both parties accept that they got some of their wishes. Your popularity remains fairly high, and many moderates are calling you a strong and decisive leader.]]

Despite the implementation of the 13th Amendment, a new form of slavery emerges. Southern states have protected the land of white individuals, and freed slaves are left with no choice but to work for such landowners for unliveable wages. You are very popular among the racists! However, the progressive attitude that has become more present in the country will lead to a quick electoral defeat in 3 years.

[[Managing troop presence in the South]]

[[Protecting the new landowners]]

Toeing the political line that you have drawn is not easy. Despite giving some land to former slaves, this policy must be enforced as mobs of white supremacist terrorists have been reclaiming the property. The presence of federal troops in the South is relatively low. How do you handle this situation? </style> <img src=https://api.army.mil/e2/c/images/2015/08/03/404565/size1.jpg </div> [[Release a public statement condemning the terrorism, but refrain from sending reinforcements]] [[Send more troops]]

The public is starting the see through you. You are an indicisive leader, playing for short term popularity. However, your decision is commended by enough people to maintain relative public faith. [[The Election of 1868]]

White Southerners are now calling you a tyrant. More and more people rescind their loyalty to the Union. Your popularity among this group is no different than if had you taken their land from the start. You are dealing with a stubborn demographic! </style> <img src=https://history.iowa.gov/sites/default/files/primary-sources/images/history-education-pss-caucuses-andrew.jpg </div>

The former slaveowners who were forced to cede their land are not going to do this voluntarily. Race mobs are popping up across the region, violently attacking new landowners. How do you respond? </style> <img src=https://i1.wp.com/werehistory.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/40-acres-mule.jpg?fit=1197%2C744&ssl=1 </div> [[Send more troops to the region, but rely soley on them to protect the landowners]] [[Impose martial law. Anyone caught committing acts of terrorism will be hung without trial]]

The troops do a relatively good job enforcing the law in the region. Although there are a few instances of attacks on new Black landowners, the program is successful. [[Re-election campaign]]

You are impeached before the week's end.

You are running as a moderate Republican. Your opponent, a Democrat, does not claim to be a radical racist but is set on ending Reconstruction if he were to win. How do you craft your platform? </style> <img src=https://img.atlasobscura.com/3LRY1BmEOGL4V6BhKOaPJLT6EmemKIyJ5fbPRGlGUsk/rs:fill:12000:12000/q:81/sm:1/scp:1/ar:1/aHR0cHM6Ly9hdGxh/cy1kZXYuczMuYW1h/em9uYXdzLmNvbS91/cGxvYWRzL2Fzc2V0/cy8wNDcxYjY3Y2Ew/NjczYzdmNjBfMTkw/MF9OZXdfWW9ya19w/b2xsaW5nX3BsYWNl/LmpwZw.jpg </div> [[Reconstruction is not ready to end. However, you can imagine phasing it out by the end of your second term.]] [[You double down on Reconstruction. This is what separates you from your opponent.]] [[You turn on Reconstruction. It was a successful program, but the work has been done.]]

[[You are a divisive candidate, but enthusiasm from your base propells you to a victory in the election.]]

You lose the election. You are seen by your base as an indecisive political hack.

You are running as a Republican. Your opponent, a Democrat, is set on ending Reconstruction if he were to win. How do you craft your platform? </style> <img src=https://img.atlasobscura.com/3LRY1BmEOGL4V6BhKOaPJLT6EmemKIyJ5fbPRGlGUsk/rs:fill:12000:12000/q:81/sm:1/scp:1/ar:1/aHR0cHM6Ly9hdGxh/cy1kZXYuczMuYW1h/em9uYXdzLmNvbS91/cGxvYWRzL2Fzc2V0/cy8wNDcxYjY3Y2Ew/NjczYzdmNjBfMTkw/MF9OZXdfWW9ya19w/b2xsaW5nX3BsYWNl/LmpwZw.jpg </div> [[Things are going well. You can see Reconstruction ending sooner rather than later]] [[Federal troops will not leave the South until terror is absolutely eradicated. You expect to see proportional representation in government along racial lines before the South can be self-sufficient.]]

[[You win the election]]

[[You are a divisive candidate, but enthusiasm from your base propells you to a victory in the election.]]

You now have to start phasing out troops. Troop withdrawals heavily correlate with terror attacks. How do you react? [[You remain decisive, continuing the original plan despite the consequences.]] [[Fearing for the lives of Black citizens in the South, you reinstate federal troops.]]

Your indecisivness has caused your own popularity to plummet, along with the popularity of Reconstruction. You have paved the way for a anti-Reconstruction candidate to win the next election.

Securing the voting rights of Black citizens is key in achieving your goals in your second term. Race mobs often attack Black voters at polling stations. How do you handle this crisis? [[Start a firearm seizure program. Federal troops will be permitted to search the property's of all white individuals and take any weapons the might possess.]] [[Rely on federal troops to secure polling stations.]]

The federal court shuts your program down immediately. You are infringing upon the Second Amendment rights of Americans. How do you respond to the court rejecting your order? </style> <img https://image.invaluable.com/housePhotos/fontainesauction/74/722174/H0096-L286732939_original.JPG </div> [[Accept it. You have other ideas.]] [[Pack the benches with sympatheic judges. Nothing will get in your way]]

Although many Black individuals are discouraged from voting due to fear of violence, some Black candidates are winning local or state office in the South. There is even one newly election U.S. Representative. You believe that this is a slow but steady process. [[The Colfax Massacre]]

[[The Colfax Massacre]]

Now you are feared by the public. Packing the benches is an authoritarian move. Checkes and balances are obselete in your administration. Democrats call for impeachment. You have lost everyone's faith. </style> <img src=https://www.supremecourt.gov/visiting/exhibitions/GroupPhotoExhibit/images/Photo1-WaiteCourt-1882-clean_web.jpg </div>

Unfortunately for you, and the many victims, all paths in which you uphold Reconstruction and remain in office have led you here. Subduing such an angry, brutal group of people while upholding your moral vision was not a possibility. A white terrorist mob has assassinated over 100 Black individuals. How will you respond? </style> <img src=https://mediadiversityuk.files.wordpress.com/2014/12/colfax-massacre-louisiana-1873-survivors-dragging-away-the-dead-and-injured.jpg?w=640 </div> [[Impose martial law. Curfews will be put in place, federal troop presence will double, and trials will be swift and speedy.]] [[Start arming Black civilians in the area. Ultimately, they must have the ability to defend themselves.]] [[Scale back on Reconstruction. Keep troops in the South, but begin changing your rhetoric. Cleary, this was a failed idea if such tragedies can occur.]]

Southern democrats become enraged at this federal presence. There is no liberty for white individuals. They have a chance to take back federal power in the midterm electioins of 1874. [[Election of 1874]]

Violence continues. Incidents of self-defense killings are hot topics, as the region has become anarchical. Defending your choice becomes increasingly difficult. [[Election of 1874]]

The South will be reclaimed by whites. You will cement your legacy as a hardworking, morally grounded President who was unable to stop the inevitable. You will not seek reelection and enjoy the rest of your life in New Hampshire, while the Jim Crow South is formed.

Democrats storm back in the Congressional elections. Controlling Congress, they now have command over the most important component of Reconstruction--its funding. The situation is looking bleak. Do you throw any final punches? </style> <img src=https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/LIJYKLYWV5DK3OW2USALX34GIU.jpg </div> [[Claim success on the program but accept that it has reached its end. Your career will be over following the next election. You are no match for democracy.]] [[One last gasp. In an unprecedented act, you declare war on the South without Congressional approval. You will go down fighting.]] [[Compromise with the Democrats. Scale back Reconstruction but keep it alive to salvage your legacy. You will not seek reelection.]]

Federal troops raid the South. Rebel soldiers along with civilians are killed by the dozens. Unlike Lincoln, you are not seen as a defender of freedom. You are a killer. When visiting the remains of a battle in Georgia, a group of armed Rebels assassinate you in a surprise attack.

[[You pick up a taxidermy hobby in your retirement in New Hampshire.]]

[[Election of 1876]]

In a deadlocked election, the Republican candidate sells his loyalty to what remains of Reconstruction in order to be elected. Reconstruction is over, and any land, suffrage, or freedom gained by Black individuals is a risk of disappearing.

You spend your life hiking the White Mountains and pick up a taxidermy hobby. When people recognize you at the post office, you deny that you were ever in politics.

Reconunstruction ultimately ends and the South is reclaimed by white individuals.

[[You win the election]]