The+Top+Hats

Wow team Wandaroo, you guys had some good critiques. It would have really been amazing if you had put as much time into thinking out your reconstruction plan as you did into critiquing ours.
 * note from team Wandaroo*** woah...sorry if we offended you. Our critiques only look long because we worked as a group for the actual plan but individually for the critiques.

Brooke DeVore, McCauley Massie, Sydney Knoechel, and Avery Calhoun
 * The Top Hats :)**

====We have, and always will be “one nation under God”; nothing can tear us apart when we are united under the common beliefs of justice and equality. When a few of our fellow believers in these common truths stray from our united path, it is our job as a nation to ensure that they are welcomed back with the goal of becoming part of one nation and not begrudged as traitors. To punish your fellow man and to hold him to standards that can end in no other way than another tear in our nation and our hearts is not the American way. Therefore we willingly choose not to hold these men in contempt for treason but rather to help them reestablish themselves as part of our whole nation. The focus of reconstruction will not be on the past, but on the future and reunification rather than punishment. ==== ====The goal of unifying the North and the South into one Union can only be accomplished through choosing to forgive the treason of the ex-Confederates who seceded from the Union. This reborn nation must not dwell on the haunting of our past or indulge in the unsatisfying taste of punishing those who strayed from the path, but focus on helping to encourage our comrades in the South and our newly freed brothers. Bringing everyone to an even playing field is necessary for fueling the drive for this nation to succeed and move forward. While still maintaining the right of state governments we must not forget that we are once again united under common law, governing, and goals. There are still those who wish to secede in the South and we must do all we that can to increase the strength of our nation and to encourage the positive thoughts and talk of our nation as a whole and to expel the idea of isolating one part of our nation. ==== ====With this reunification has come the change of accepting an influx of freedmen into our hearts as well. Thankfully this nation has been fortunate enough to have also acquired an influx of land in our past years. The best thing our government can do for this new division of citizens is to help connect them with the land. The ideal plan is to help the freedmen move out West to settle the new land. Doing so will help relieve the pressure in the South between the freedmen and the Whites and it would also help spread out the population to areas where they could work instead of being crowded in the South. To entice the freedmen and others who need work after the war, the government will offer up sections of land for cheap prices out West, as well as establish a train system for transportation out to the new land and a way to help ship the crops back East to sell to support those who stay. The government will also build a hospital, school, church, and government building in various small townships to support the newcomers. **(How are you proposing to pay for this?!?)** To ensure the land goes to individuals who need it and is not purchased by individuals intending to build monopolies and shut out the rest of the existing population, there will be a limit on how many acres an individual can buy. To help draw primarily the new freedmen crowd, the government will ensure that freedmen population is knowledgeable relating to their civil rights. **(How are you going to do this? Use the US Army? Isn't that just like what really happened!?)** The government will explain that in the new western townships, the majority of the population will be that of the freedmen. (What do the people who live out West think of this? Do the freedmen want to move away from the South -- the land of their families for decades? Will removal be mandatory ala Trail of Tears?) Therefore, they will have a better handle on the control of the government. Rather than facing the remaining prejudices present in the south following the civil war, freedmen will be able to start fresh lives in communities that are relatively prejudice free. People who were slaves when the civil war ended will receive a small stipend from the government for five years to help support their families and buy seeds and tools to start farming. The freedmen planning on staying in the South will also have the opportunity to buy land to farm.  (Are you going to confiscate the properties of ex-Confederates to do this?) All these measures are attempts to help prevent sharecropping and the reemergence of slavery, in essence, because freedmen are indebt to the whites who owned the land. ==== ====Another step towards complete reunification and the creation of equality is the allowance of everyone to have the right to vote and hold office, despite color or gender. Before the election in 1872 it will be law that all black men who are at least eighteen will have the right to vote. However, the right to vote will be the option of the individual states to grant suffrage anytime before that. Before the election of 1876 all women will be given the right to vote and, again, states may choose to grant suffrage in advance. A new law will be instated accompanying suffrage: all officials elected to state or federal government will be required to include in their oath swearing into office that they will never attempt to influence or lead the removal of their state from the Union. Any ex-confederates who choose to run for office again after the Civil War must swear in a written statement never to attempt treason or secession from the Union. The statement will read, “I will neither aid, abed, or ignore any crime, white-on-black or black-on-white, nor will I aid, abed, or ignore any cause that is pro-secession at any time. I will also not aid, abed, or ignore anything that will cause the re-establishment of slavery in any state or territory.” Any evidence implying the breaking of this oath will lead to the swift impeachment of the official. **(How are you think this is going to go over in the South of 1868? White Southerners are going to do whatever it takes to keep "black Republicans" out of power -- and blacks not voting! Is your proposal a bit simplistic? Will it be seen as more Yankee intrusions into the "Southern way of life"? Engender more hostility between the white South and white North?)** Before ex-confederate states may rejoin the union, twenty percent of their voting population must swear allegiance to the Union. Until this percentage is reached, they will still have partial acceptance in the Union, but will be lacking the right of their own state governments (a temporary one will be implemented by the federal government) and they will not receive government money or support for reconstruction. ==== ====One of the key aspects of making the nation a more equal nation is helping every part rebuild its economy after blows suffered during the Civil War. For the South this will start with the reestablishment of their agrarian society, using paid labor that helps to employ citizens and offers a way to fuel the economy. With the supply of resources from farming, primarily cotton, the government will try to help the Southern economy build up its industry by allowing Northern companies to spread new factories to the South. ==== ====<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">. <span style="color: #e62828; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">**(Cotton prices plunged during the war and, in fact, never came up very high again after the war because of the opening of new sources of cotton on the world market -- in Egypt and India. Agriculture is never going to make much money for the South, as in fact happened in history in the late 19th century.)** <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">The companies will be offered a small tax break for every southerner they employ. This would help prevent an excess of Northerners from entering the South and taking advantage of Reconstruction. To help ship these goods, the government would higher Southerner laborers and companies to rebuild ports that were lost in the Civil War and to build new ones, further encouraging trade. <span style="color: #e62828; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Sounds like wishful thinking. Nobody has much money to rebuild; nobody is going to pay much in taxes; the South seems doomed to economic underdevelopment, as in fact happened.) ==== ====<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">The government will return almost all of the Union soldiers back to their homes and will remove all of them by one year post-Civil War. Instead of encouraging Northerners to travel down South, where carpetbaggers might take advantage of situations, the government will send a small number of educated individuals to the South to help lead and structure reconstruction projects. ==== ====<span style="color: #e62828; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">(Will they be strong and powerful and numerous enough to stand up to the Klu Klux Klan?!?) <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Southerners will be employed during this process. The only form of police from the North will be there to prevent White on Black crime and to ensure that Blacks are not prevented from voting. <span style="color: #e62828; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">(These "police" will be able to succeed where the US Army failed?!? Is this realistic in the South of 1869?) ==== ====<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Reunification will require everyone working together to better the nation and leaving no one behind. The goal is not to exclude those who we view as having once been traitorous, but rather to welcome them back with open arms, minds, and hearts. Reunification is not about our White Southern counterparts as well as our freedmen and women and even those who have immigrated to America. Reunification is about more than just helping the Southern economy and its people get back on their feet, it’s about reminding the nation just how great we are as a whole and rekindling the spirit of everyone coming together for justice and equality. <span style="color: #e62828; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">(Sounds OK on paper in 2010, Group Top Hats, but in the context of reality of 1870 in the deep South this plans sounds more than a bit implausible...) ====
 * Plan For Reconstruction:**

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Signed, Avery Calhoun, Sydney Knoechel, Brooke DeVore, and McCauley Massie


__Team Jacob__
 * RESPONSE(S) TO TEAM PLAN:**

=

 * //Skylar Leaf://** I think your plan is a pretty good one, I like the idea of forgiving the ex-cofederates and not isolating part of the country,but your plan has some holes in it. First off where is the government going to get money to pay for freedmen to move west? You should keep in mind that we are talking about 30,00 or more freed people and to pay for them all to move west and that requires a lot of money. Also where is the government going to get all this money to make schools, hospitals and churches? All these thing require a lot of money to be accomplished. One part of you plan is very good and that is the proposal that "<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Before ex-confederate states may rejoin the union, twenty percent of their voting population must swear allegiance to the Union. Until this percentage is reached, they will still have partial acceptance in the Union, but will be lacking the right of their own state governments". I think this is a very good idea. There is on e last problem with your plan and that is how you will go about reconstruction in the South. You say that it is a good idea not to encourage northeners to go down south where "carpetbaggers" will take advantage of them but instead to send educated induviduals to lead construction project. The problem with this is that "carpetbaggers" will still take advantage of small educated groups and also it will be very hard to leads a reconstruction in the South. Even though many southerners are for reconstruction many still are against reconstruction and are still for the Confederacy in the post-civil war South. You mighrt face problems with many southerners lashing out at Northern "Yankee" reconstruction and this could result in violence. =====

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">**Amanda Yanez:**
To begin, I do appreciate that your group would rather reincorporate former Confederate soldiers into society rather then charge them with treason. However, your plan does have some flaws. To begin, though freedmen have the opportunity to buy land in the south or west, that does not mean they have the means to. Where would their money come from without sharecropping since a very limited amount even have the level of education to get a job that pays well. Yes the United States at the time had experienced a large income of land, but essentially forcing the freedmen into these areas to escape racism and bad jobs would uproot them from their homes and could result in a nineteenth century “Trail Of Tears”, not only subjecting freedmen to an unfair move across the country, but this also would foster segregation, therefore not truly unifying the country. Also, your plan for railroads from east to west would be nice but how would these be paid for? Your idea of factories in the south sound reasonable enough, but building these factories takes time and money that they south do not have and that the north may or not be willing to supply. In addition, as we have seen, the south did not exactly embrace northerners coming to the south to make a profit. In relation to voting, though it is morally correct to give everyone over 18, despite race or gender, the vote, it just cannot be done; as if white males would not be angry enough by black men getting a vote, but imagine females, both black and white being granted suffrage – it would be even greater chaos than history already experienced.


 * Jessica Lucas:** I would like to start out by saying that I like how your main goal of reconstruction is the reunification of the North and South. I also like how you plan on forgiving the Confederates. That being said, I think this plan is much too simplistic and idealistic to actually work. One major issue is the compliance of the south to go along with these ideas. It seems highly unlikely that they would comply with the idea of black people voting, and that they would take extremist measures to keep black people out of office. You say that you would elect officers to enforce these laws, but don't you think that these northen "officers"(or is that just code for Union army soldiers?) would not only offend the south, but grow tired of putting so much effort into a place so far away from home. Another major hole in this plan is the fact that there is NO money. The South is completely broke, and the North will not be willing to pay to rebuild the South and help black people. And though it wouldb very nice to give black people and women the right to vote, at this time there is way to much controversey going on in the South for them all the right to vote at once. I'm also wondering how the freedmen will just be able to fit into society so easily. The white people are angry and do not want them there. And how would they find land. You cannot force them to move West without creating a new Trail of Tears, and you cannot give them the land formerly own by whites or the whites will become extremely angry. I'm also confsed on the part where you said that you would build a hospital, a church, a school etc. How are you going to pay for this. The North won't want to help and the South is flat broke. Your plan is far too simple and unrealistic. It sounds fine on paper, but when you consider the circumstances, it would not work out.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">
Your “forgive and forget” policy has some major holes in it. You can say all you want that the North and South need to forget the past and look to the future, but how can you actually enforce this? Why on earth would the South be willing to make peace with the North when the Union completely ruined their hopes for a future as the Confederate States of America? Bitterness would be expected instead of forgiveness. Also, how would forgiving ex-Confederates work? Would they have to take an oath? Who says they will follow this oath? What will stop them from immediately returning to their old mindset and values?

The idea of sending freedmen out west is an ideal one, but in reality it will never work. Why do you think that in reality many freedmen chose to stay in the Deep South where their ancestors had lived? If someone told you that for your own benefit you should move to Idaho, would you do so? I doubt it. Not to mention that the trek out west would be extremely dangerous and there is no telling what would happen when thousands of people marched into Indian territory. Building a railroad system without the raise of taxes is also ridiculous. America just fought an incredibly expensive war, and on top of that thousands upon thousands of men were killed. Who would pay for the materials, the wages of the workers, and is there even a sufficient enough labor force to fill the job slots? The same thing applies to building schools, churches, and government buildings. The government has no money and it is as simple as that. Would black and white kids be able to attend the same schools, go to the same churches, and work in the same government buildings? Your explanation there needs to be clearer. You also claim that “the government will ensure that freedmen population is knowledgeable relating to their civil rights.” How will this be enforced? Obviously if an entire population has been told their entire lives that they are superior to people of color, they would not magically want to live peacefully in a state of solitude and bliss. What is stopping white people from making “black codes” and stilting the rules of society to put black people once again in a position of social inferiority? Lastly, you state that “the freedmen planning on staying in the South will also have the opportunity to buy land to farm.” What exactly would this land be? Much land was ruined from union invasion, so I doubt that the freedmen would appreciate an acre of burned grass and debris. Would they get land that once belonged to white people? What would stop those people from stealing their land back or threatening the freedmen to give up the land?

As taken by a quote from your critique on team Wandaroo’s plan “Okay, now you are taking imaginary land which no one has so it can be promised to NO ONE.” You claim that blacks and women will be able to vote and everyone will live happily ever after. As if. What if white men stilt the voting process against black people and women (obviously they will because after the war there was intense racism occurring in the south)? Who will stop the Ku Klux Klan from killing people in the middle of the night? How can you convince a society that allowing for people who have been looked at as undeserving of a political voice (African Americans and women included) that suddenly their vote will make a tremendous difference politically? What if these people are uneducated? In the oath that the ex-Confederates have to take, what do you define as “treason.” Could they manipulate this term? Wouldn’t impeaching a whole bunch of southerners only cause even MORE bitterness between the North and South, not to mention making the North unfairly more powerful in government?

“Until this percentage is reached, they will still have partial acceptance in the Union, but will be lacking the right of their own state governments (a temporary one will be implemented by the federal government) and they will not receive government money or support for reconstruction.” First off, what is “partial acceptance in the Union” defined as? Your description of their rights as a partially accepted state makes it seem like they are not accepted at all. Secondly, how the heck do you plan to pay for railroads, schools, and other expensive internal improvements if some states will not reach this 20% voting population for a number of years? They will likely spiral downward from bitterness to the government that has been thrown upon them and the giant debt. I foresee a severe case of inflation.

It is a good idea to have the North spread its industry to the South, but I think- take that back, I KNOW for a FACT- that they would have no interest to risk their businesses in the South when it is currently struggling. Even a small tax break would not put a spell on Northerners. Also, who would be working these farms? This sounds ridiculously similar to sharecropping… Lastly, in a perfect world the souther n seaports would be rebuilt, but WHO WOULD PAY FOR THIS??????

Who will make sure that the rules you are have in your plan will be enforced if all of the soldiers leave the south within a year? Do you really believe that the South will be completely rebuilt by then? Who says that a small amount of soldiers left will get the job done of keeping black/white relations at peace when terrorist organizations such as the Ku Klux Klan are the most influential force in many areas? Most importantly, how is a “carpetbagger” different from an “educated individual?” Why would Southerners want to listen to these Northerners? Would they be forced to? Why wouldn’t the southern citizens just ignore the “educated individuals” or try to get rid of them?

“The goal is not to exclude those who we view as having once been traitorous, but rather to welcome them back with open arms, minds, and hearts.” What if they don’t want to be welcomed back with open arms, minds, and hearts? What happened to all of the bitterness and hostility that the North and South had towards one another? As for people “coming together for justice and equality,” that is something you cannot force on people. After the Civil War, emotions are running wild and no one –especially the government- can magically make those feelings go away.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 11pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 굴림; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;">First of all, how are you going to enforce "forget and forgive the ex-Confederates"? Will the tension between North and South that were existed before and during the Civil War suddenly dissolve into brotherly love? Would the South willingly accept the North- that burned down their farms and houses, that destroyed their railroads, that brutally killed their husbands, sons, fathers, and brothers, and that wrecked their economy completely- as dear brothers? HOW ARE YOU GOING TO ENFORCE THIS POLICY? Would you not create more hostility and bitterness in both South and North? Why would ex-Confederates want to embrace "damn Yankees" that crushed their land and hope of creating a new government of Confederacy? Are you going to use military force to enforce this policy? If not, how are you going to prevent these forgiven ex-Confederates from going back to their old way of southern life? <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 굴림; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;">
 * Team Wandaroo- JongIn Baek**

It seems like that you are proposing a Trail of Tears except it is the blacks, not Native Americans that are forced to move out. How are you going to enforce the policy of moving the Blacks out into the West? Why would freedmen want to live out into the West where there is a high risk of danger? Why would they want to abandon their ancestors' land?

And you propose to build a hospital, school, church, etc, but how are you going to pay this? Both the North and the South are in enormous debts from the Civil War. Who is going to pay for this? Are you proposing the plan that will push government into more debts? Are you going to enforce high taxation? If so, would the nation fall into more hostility, not peace? And what land are you going to give to the blacks who will remain in the South? The burned, destroyed land by union invasion? Or are you going to confiscate lands from the ex-Confederates? If so, how are you going to ensure that the ex-Confederates would not steal the lands back from poor, helpless blacks?

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 11pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 굴림; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;">How are you going to reestablish agrarian society when both cotton and tobacco lost their power and values during and after the war? In addition, how are you going to spread the factories in the South? Who is going to pay for this? Once again, both North and South are in gigantic debts. The whole nation is in debts and nobody is going to pay much in taxes. <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 굴림; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;">

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 11pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 굴림; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;">In addition, will Northern companies invest their money into establishing factories in the South when there is no guarantee that it will be successful? Will the northern investors take such high risk? <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 굴림; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;">

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 11pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 굴림; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;">And you suggest that government will build the ports. However, who is going to pay for this? Once again, government has no money to do this. <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 굴림; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;">

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 11pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 굴림; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;">And you are proposing to give the suffrage to not only black men but also women? How would that be possible? Most northerners and southerners are still very racists and will not like the idea of giving the voting rights to "inferior negros". Especially, white southerners will do whatever they can do to keep "Black Republicans" out of power. What measures will you take against this? Would you not increase more hostility and bitterness in the South by enforcing this policy? <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 굴림; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;"> <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 11pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 굴림; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;"> Lastly, if all of the Union soldiers will sent back to their homes, who would provide security for freedmen from Ku Klux Klan? Will small police from the North be strong enough to prevent crimes or terrors against blacks, and thus ensure security and suffrage of the Blacks? How would these small numbers of police be successful while bigger, stronger U.S. army failed?

====<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 11pt;"> __**Team Wandaroo- Alison English**__ Okay, so your plan to “forget and forgive” all sounds good on paper, but how will this really go over under the circumstances? How do you know that the North and South will follow through on this plan? What do you plan on doing with the ex-Confederates after you forgive them? Must they take some sort of oath, promising the nation that they promise never to secede ever again? Moreover, from the looks of it, you will not be using your Union army troops to enforce this new way of living. Also if you plan not to dwell on “punishing those who strayed from the path”, how are you going to have order? Who is going to stop those whom still feel that the war is not over? Do you plan on forgetting and forgiving then too? What if they keep fighting, you are going to have rebellions across the states if you do. Being realistic and knowing that the North and South still have tensions between each other, how can there be peace, or for that matter success if the states at heart are still not united. I mean the South seceded from the “United States” to just become the “united states” out of state sovereignty; the South will surely not be eager to make peace. From the sounds of it, you plan to tell the South not to fight with the North, because if they do they are going to be put in some type of time out. Sadly, even then there really is no ultimatum. So you are proposing on having a Trail of Tears, except for the freedmen. Don’t get me wrong, I personally wanted to relocate them to the North western most part of Canada, and then eventually acquire the land and call it modern day Alaska (and from there they can rebuild their economy by ice fishing!). Then I changed my mind, and decided that I could just send them over to the Oregon territory, but it finally occurred that we have no money, and by relocating a large population of people would be utmost costly and difficult. Your idea of relocating however does not “relieve the pressure in the South between the freedmen and the white” but rather puts distance between them and does not solve a problem; that is called avoiding the problem at hand. I applaud the enticements for jobs and land offers. However, how do you plan to pay for the construction of a hospital, school, church, and government? How do you plan to guarantee freedmen land? Again, are you not planning to use the Union army? How will the people already living in the West feel about having the newly freedmen intrude on their lives? Where will you get the land for the freedmen to farm on? Are you going to redistribute land, thus frustrating the white planters? If blacks are given the right to vote, how will you prevent radical groups like the Ku Klux Klan from coming in and scaring the blacks into not voting? What happens if the officials break the oath they swear on, and have their state try and secede from the Union once more? In addition, the oath for ex-confederates is simplistic and overall will not go over well in the South. It will appear to Southerners of that era that the Northern Yankees are further trying to destroy the southern way of life, leading to more tension. Wait, scratch that last statement, you are trying to have the Yankees control the government and southern way of life! Yep, that will not go over well with the South. The price of cotton drastically dropped during the war as it became popular to grow in other parts of the world like India. As we learned early on in the year, the South does not believe in the urban way of living. By establishing factories, you are trying to intrude on the Southern way of life and create a Northern way of living, one with factories and future banks. In real life, taxes were enforced and that did not go over to well in the South. There was much hate among the South towards the Northern Yankees. What happens after the Union troops are returned back to their homes and there is no watchful eye over the South. What will be done about radical democratic in the South that terrorizes the blacks in the late hours of the night? How will the government pay for the “small number of educated individuals” sent to from the North to help restore and rebuild the South? So local law enforcement is supposed to be the stand in for the Union army. This is not realistic! <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">You cannot restore the Spirit of ’76 by forcing the Union to unify. This is not some high school pep rally. This was a very good attempt, but I believe that this plan is simplistic and quite far-fetched. Kudos for trying though! ---


 * __Zebra: Jessica Alcantar__** 1. The plan involves forgiving the ex-confederates and allowing holding high positions in office. How do you plan on handling the anger of the North? One has to remember that the Union did win the war and with that the ex-confederates should receive some type of punishment. Treason in my eyes deserves a consequence. 2. You plan to help the freedman move out west but how will you know for sure that the freedman will move out west. One cannot just decide to move someone out of their homes; and if they do not move west how will you handle the angered Southerners. In order for one to get land they still have to pay and after the war the south had economic troubles and even if the land is cheap, some may still not even have that money, especially blacks. Plans of establishing a train system, hospital, school, church, and government building would definitely help the south but where will the money come from? The South is deprived of money. 3. In one of the paragraphs it states that the south will not receive government money or support for reconstruction but then in the next paragraph it states that Northern factories will be spread across the south and that they will receive a tax break. Is this not support? Will the south be supported or not? If not, Will this be a true Union? Reunification? Surely one must not forget that the south is deprived of MONEY. Another plan of this group is not to encourage carpet baggers but how will your government keep them out for sure? Will it be made Illegal? If that is the case, how will you, again, handle the angered north? Another problem is the idea of sharecropping; this is why the southern economy has not completely become ruins. And when you try to prevent this the south will not have a flourished economy. Over the entire plan should be figure out where to get the money from. Also try to focus more on southern population not just the freedmen. 4. Last would be allowing anyone to run in office. The problem with this is the KKK. The only reason the KKK ever came into play is because blacks were allowed to run in office? How will the government prevent the KKK from harming blacks running in office?


 * Nicole Pablo** Hi, I’m Nicole J . I don’t know if you read my introduction blog or not (there are so many of us), but it’s nice to work with you. My critique is " short and sweet" since, again, there are so many of us critiquing. How will you propose to encourage “our newly freed brothers” (I’m assuming slaves) when ex-confederates are not punished – wouldn’t everything just go back to the way it was before? I mean, wouldn’t white supremacy be stronger than it already was? Will the freedmen be satisfied when you uproot them from their “homes” in the South and isolate them elsewhere? How will the law be enforced, for example the Force Acts of 1780 and 1781, preventing hate groups like the Ku Klux Klan. Okay, so the ex-confederates can be reelected into office, and perhaps a written statement is enough to prevent secession; but by being able to hold office they will have a large amount of influence over the South. The spirit of the Confederacy is therefore given a chance to rekindle their burnt out flame. And though slavery has been banished, will they as ex-slave owners, enforce that law if they are in control? And freedmen voting – KKK? Correct me if I’m wrong, but the South supposedly had “paid” labor after the war: sharecropping. But it didn’t work out because 1) there was no available money and 2) the recently freedmen were taken advantage of and went bankrupt. How much would it cost to build however many factories in the south?

==== Your plan contradicts itself. You said you were going to give land to freedmen but then you said that there will be a limit to the amount of land that each individual can buy. The freedmen don’t have money, they were slaves, and they won’t be able to purchase any land even if they wanted to move west. You said, “To help draw primarily the new freedmen crowd, the government will ensure that freedmen population is knowledgeable relating to their civil rights,” but how will you enforce it? If you bring in the Union Army, how will you deal with the KKK, and if you don’t, white southerners will just ignore what you say. Also, establishing communities that are mostly black people is causing segregation, how does this unify the nation? How will freedmen have the opportunity to buy land in the South? First, they don’t have money and second, all the good land is taken by white people. ====
 * Team Estrogen //Audrey Lee//:** I like that your plan focuses on a future of unity of one nation but the ex-Confederates are getting off too easy. Will the high officials of the Confederacy be able to hold positions in Congress and the Senate? How do you plan on “encouraging our comrades in the South and our newly freed brothers”? The South is still bitter and hostile. Their attitude is that even though they lost the war, they are determined to win reconstruction. How do you plan on bringing positive thoughts and erase years and years of racism? How do you plan to move all the freemen out west and onto land that is already being given away by the Homestead Act? What of the freedmen that want to stay in the south because it’s their home? Won’t it be another Trail of Tears? How much land will you offer to the freedmen and how does separating blacks and whites unify the nation? The nation just went through a war, how will you raise money to build a hospital, school, church, government buildings and railroads in the new lands and what about the ones that were destroyed in the South by Sherman? ====

==== If you give African Americans the vote and opportunity to hold office, how will you deal with the KKK and ensure that they can safely vote and hold office? If blacks are given the vote in 1872 and women are given the vote in 1876, isn’t that too much change in a short period of time. We need to remember that during that time it was a radical idea to give a black person the vote, let alone a woman. How will you have the support of the people? If you don’t have support, your plan won’t go anywhere. ====

==== When you said that ex-confederates who run for office must swear not to attempt treason and secession from the Union, those are just words that can be broken. The punishment of impeachment is too easy on the transgressor and will only ex-confederates take this oath or every person? ====

==== One year will not be enough to change generations of racism, and how long do you plan on sending educated individuals to the south? Even the police in the south probably hold prejudices against blacks just as the majority of southern men and they can’t be at all places at all times. The police cannot protect every black person. ====

==== If the South is not able to receive financial support from the government, how will it recover from the war? Their economy is already devastated. They have no money. Isn’t allowing northern companies to spread south kind of like the carpetbaggers. Northerners will not be welcomed and their safety may even be endangered. ====

You need more specifics. Specify how you will carry out parts of your plan like how you’ll transport the freedmen or how you will unify the nation, where you’ll get the money to build transportation systems and infrastructure, and where you'll get the money to rebuild the south. Your plan sounds idealistic. In a perfect world where everyone was willing to cooperate, this plan would work but in reality, the south was hostile towards blacks and the “Yankees,” and they were not willing to comply with northern policies whatsoever. This was a very sensitive time and a few years would not enough to erase years and years of racism no matter what measures were taken.

- I like your idea of unification, moving forward and not looking upon the past. With your basic “pardon” of all of the Ex- Confederates, you are basically acting like Johnson. Did that work? No. So that part of your plan will not work. How will this part of the plan go over with the Northerners? - The southerners will not be open to their new “brothers” and to move forward. That is why they created the Klu Klux Klan. We may be under common law but that does not mean that some will follow the common law. - How much money will it cost to send these freedmen to the new land? They need money for carts, food, and supplies. Are you going to tax the country? If so, the people will not want to pay for it, especially the Southerners who will probably oppose it strongly. Notice that after the war, some of the freedmen left for a while then went back to their plantations. They also do not have money. They tried to do that, but it never worked. - The freedmen being able to vote will not go well with the southerners. I doubt the southern states will grant suffrage. Also, they would probably put up a fight when the time came for voting rights to be granted. Again, let me reiterate that the Klu Klux Klan will cause havoc. Also, the South will not accept the black politicians. They are still sore about losing “the cause”. They are not open to much change at this point. - The country does not have any money to support this part of the plan!- How is the police any different than the Union army?! How are you going to pay for it? I like the whole: “Unification of the Nation”, but a lot of your plan involved compliance with the Southern states and the use of much money which involves taxes. I do not think this plan would work. It would probably cause as much problems as the original plan. Which we abandoned.
 * Michelle Stassforth**- I am really sorry! I feel bad. I am kind of a critique freak. Sorry if I seem too harsh!

Overall I liked the “Unification of the Nation” of a future of unity of one nation idea, but most of your plan consisted of conformity with the southern states and the use of money. To begin with I do not think that forgiving the ex-confederates and giving them permission to withhold high positions in office is going to go well with the Northerners. After all the North did win the war and with that said, the ex-confederates should receive some sort of punishment for treason. It would seem unjust to let treason slide between the cracks. You are letting the ex-confederates get off to easily.
 * Lizbeth Molina-**

Your plan also mentions that it will help the freedmen move out to the west. How do you plan on moving the freedmen there? Why are you going to take the freedmen out of their land and move them somewhere else? Where are you going to get the money to transport them? Remember the south was in an economic distress after losing the war. So where are you also going to get enough money to build churches, hospitals, schools, train systems, and a government building? Are you going to raise taxes in the North?

Lastly your plan mentions that you would allow anyone run for office. Yet, what are you going to do with the KKK. The reason they came into the picture was because we had allowed the African Americans run in office. How are you going to let African Americans run in office without having the KKK take matters into their own hands? <span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Calibri,helvetica,sans-serif;">

// Hey ya'll its McCauley Massie // // Just wanted to defend some points made, the oath cited above will be included in the oath of office, for example the oath would follow " //// I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States. //// " //