Team+Senior



The Plan

Riley Miller 1/12/10 The great project of reconstruction is an extremely complex matter with no truly good solution, only less bad ones. The goals are seemingly self contradictory, for the rights of the newly freed African Americans cannot be abridged, but the South must be reintegrated into the union. There must be justice, but not so far as it damages relations between the factions. There is no simple answer to these problems, a Gandhi-esqe approach will work little better than strictly enforced military discipline. As always, it is human nature itself that must be channeled to overcome its own evils. Treason is of course the most serious of crimes, but it would be unwise and grossly impractical to execute every Confederate soldier. Even the execution of the generals would cause a blistering anger to take over the South, more so than already exists. Other than being kept from holding public office (as I detail below) the South and its ex-generals must be treated with perhaps a lighter touch than they deserve. In this case justice perhaps must be abridged for the sake of long term unity. There will be no executions or court marshals except in the case of outstanding war crimes. Freedmen cannot be subjected to sharecropping in the long run; such would poison the South and delay its recovery. The South has been devastated by the war as we are all aware, the railways twisted and the cities burnt from one end of the country to the other, most notably by General Sherman’s tactics in the war. This can be turned to the freedmen and ultimately the South’s advantage however. The United States government will gainfully employ the freedmen and anyone else who applies to repair the southern rail ways and cities. For one thing, this avoids the pitfalls of sharecropping, as it puts real money in the pockets of freedmen (and poor whites) and entices them to higher performance with the promise of raises and personal advancement. Some assistance from the government will be used to build and run schools, but it will be understood that this money must come from the labors of the community. Racial equality will be ideal, but it can be put on the back burner for the immediate future. Just as Booker T. Washington did not concern himself so much with civil rights but that the freedmen must be able to work in skilled jobs and prosper, for a prosperous faction holds far more clout in politics so must the government understand that. We must teach the freedmen how to fish. On the subject of whom in the south may hold office it is clear that ex-Confederate soldiers may not hold an elected public office (including Senators) except under very special circumstances. A former rebel soldier may hold office at the state level if confirmed by a congressional committee formed for the purpose. Officials at the local level (mayor, sheriff, etc.) will be approved of by the states governor. And of course, obedience to the rule of law and some very stringently worded oaths will be icing on the cake. As to the South’s re-assimilation into the Union we again must use a gentler touch than justice calls for. In order for the state to even be considered it must ratify the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments and a majority of the state must swear oaths of loyalty. As I have said above, the southern economy must be restored with industry, cotton and tobacco growing will no longer support the southern states unaided. Subsidies to farms can be provided to prevent the slide into sharecropping and provide for the nation’s needs, but a new paradigm must be developed, a paradigm of industry and production. The Union troops should of course be present to police any territory that has not yet regained statehood, preserving the rule of law and persecuting the KKK. These units should be racially integrated. It is most important that the families of freedmen officials be protected pretty much 24/7. They also will be needed to protect important works like the schools and railroads. Of vital importance is protecting the fairness of the ballot box, because “if you don’t vote you don’t count.” Otherwise they should try to avoid trouble with the locals where possible and in keeping with the law. Some details still need to be worked out, but not at all a bad set of ideas considering I came up with them in the last few hours. Night Night




 * RESPONSE(S) TO TEAM PLAN:**

Critique by K.C. Crewdson (of the Falafel Kings)

I think that mainly, this plan could use some more specifics. For example, what is the majority for each state that has to swear an oath of allegiance to the Union? 51%? 99%? You’re certainly not alone in that area, though. I think most groups had that problem. Other than that, there are only a few more things I might consider. First, won’t the freedmen and poor whites have to revert to sharecropping once the railroads are finished? If everyone is “working on the railroad all the live long day,” who will grow food and cotton? Remember, the South still provided many raw materials to the North for decades. Next, where will you get the police force to protect the families of black government officials? Whites won’t be pushing and shoving to sign up, and a mostly black police force will further antagonize race relations. In a related issue, will governors have time to approve every official in every county, city and town? Some Southern states were very populous, and approving every person elected would take months. Finally, are the schools being supported by taxes? How would that work considering the extreme lack of money in the South? There wasn't an income tax in place at that time, either. Also, who will teach the students? However, I really liked your idea of trying to achieve economic equality for blacks before social equality, because that would be a big step forward but it wouldn’t antagonize the whites as much. Plus, you get props for doing this by yourself. Good job!

P.S. I would probably delete the last paragraph if I were you.