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.
Tag: Andrew Johnson
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.
Restoring Unionism in the South
Federal authorities try implementing President Abraham Lincoln’s “Ten Percent Plan” in many states. The plan involves loyalty pledges and supervised elections meant to establish Unionist governments in several southern states. Lincoln suggests for the first time that black men be given the right to vote, but the issue remains contentious.
Reconstruction Gets Under Way in Tennessee
Unionists assemble to start the process of restoring Tennessee to the Union. Military Governor Andrew Johnson calls for settling the slavery issue and initiates plans to shape relations between the races post-emancipation.
An Act to Secure Homesteads
Abraham Lincoln signs a bill into law giving away 160-acre plots to settlers who agree to tend to the land for five years.
The Crittenden-Johnson Resolution
Congress approves a resolution to define the purpose of the Federal war effort.