William T. Sherman issues directives for Federal troops to seize abandoned land along the Atlantic coast and redistribute it to newly freed slaves. These become the most radical military orders of the war.
Category: Slavery
The Thirteenth Amendment: Debate Begins
The U.S. House of Representatives opens debate on a constitutional amendment abolishing slavery that had been defeated last year. Supporters highlight moral imperatives, while opponents raise concerns about implications for states’ rights.
The Wade-Davis Bill: Executive Response
Abraham Lincoln is presented with a bill outlining the congressional plan to readmitting the Confederate states to the Union. His decision whether to approve this bill outrages many within his own party.
The Wade-Davis Bill: Congressional Reconstruction
The U.S. Congress passes a bill intended to supersede Abraham Lincoln’s lenient plan for readmitting Confederate states to the Union. This mandates a much more punitive process of readmission, but it will require Lincoln’s approval to become law.
The National Union Convention Adjourns
Delegates to the National Union Convention re-nominate Abraham Lincoln for president as expected. Delegates draft a platform dominated by the Republican Party, but they opt to replace the current vice president with a southern Democrat supportive of the war effort.
The Radical Republican Convention
Disgruntled Republicans gather in Cleveland, Ohio, to nominate a presidential candidate that could defeat Abraham Lincoln in the upcoming election. But the convention proves less successful than many had hoped.