From 1865–1872, three Reconstruction plans (Lincoln, Johnson, and Congressional) were enacted in Georgia and three Constitutional amendments were intertwined with these plans.
Before Lincoln was assassinated, Lincoln drafted a plan that focused on uniting the nation quickly. He allowed the South readmission into the Union if 10% of the population swore an oath of allegiance to the United States. Lincoln hoped by focusing on healing and reuniting the nation, rather than punishing the South his plan would lead to a faster return to normalcy for the war-weary country. However, once killed, Lincoln’s vice president Andrew Johnson took over reconstruction efforts.
During this period, President Andrew Johnson, a native of Tennessee who remained loyal to the Union, was extremely lenient with the Southern states. His plan, based on that of Abraham Lincoln who had been assassinated in April of 1865, allowed the South to re-enter the Union if 10% of the population swore an oath of allegiance to the United States. They also were required to ratify the 13th amendment, which officially ended slavery in the United States.
Georgia, taking advantage of this moderate policy, held a constitutional convention in 1866 to secure readmission to the Union. In the new state Constitution, the Ordinance of Secession was repealed and the convention passed the 13th amendment. However, the Constitution was very similar to the one that of the Secessionist Constitution of 1861, including an amendment banning interracial marriage. Nonetheless, because the state passed the 13th amendment, Georgia was readmitted into the Union in December of 1865. This proved to be a temporary situation.
Trouble began brewing again between the Southern states and the Republican controlled Congress when several former Confederate leaders were elected back into the state and national governments. In Georgia, former CSA Vice President Alexander Stephens, and CSA Senator Hershel Johnson, were elected Georgia’s two U.S. Senators. Radical Republicans, who favored harsher punishments for the South, were horrified at having these high-ranking CSA officials in Congress and refused to seat them. Additionally, there began to be calls against President Johnson for abuse of power.
Finally, the Radical Republicans were appalled at the South’s treatment of the freedmen under laws that were known as Black Codes. Under these laws, blacks could not vote, testify against whites in court, and could not serve as jurors. With the South’s treatment of Blacks, the Congress introduced the 14th amendment, which made African-Americans citizens of the United States and required that they have the same rights as all U.S. citizens.
The next plan, Congressional Reconstruction (1866-1867) began to take shape. Georgia, along with the other Southern states were now required to ratify the 14th amendment. Georgia, along with other Southern states, refused to ratify the 14th amendment. With this action, Georgia and the rest of the South were placed under the authority of Congress, largely controlled by Radical republicans. As a result, Southern states were required to pass this amendment in order to be readmitted into the Union. With the South continuing to refuse to pass this amendment, along with the rise of the Ku Klux Klan, Congress passed the Reconstruction Act of 1867 and Congressional Reconstruction entered into its military phase. This act created five military districts in the South, with Georgia, Alabama, and Florida making up the third district.
During this period, Georgia held another constitutional convention, this time in Atlanta. During this convention, Georgia created a new constitution that included a provision for Black voting, public schools, and moving the capital to Atlanta. However, the military continued to be a presence in the state due to the continued actions of the Ku Klux Klan and Georgia’s refusal to pass the 15th amendment which gave African-American men the right to vote. Georgia was finally readmitted into the Union in 1870 when reinstated Republican and black legislators voted for the passage of the 15th amendment.
