Reconstruction Questions...

1. I think that Congress should be responsible for Reconstruction rather than the President. Congress has more of a widespread influence, and by placing Reconstruction solely in the hands of the President allows for only HIS opinion to shine through. With Congress taking control, more voices would be heard and more states and people would have a hand in Reconstruction.

2. The Southern states that seceded needed to be dealt sort of like a misbehaving child. They needed to be handled gently (to not anger them into staying away from the Union) yet firmly (to not give them so much power that they feel that they could rebel again). This balance of treating them fairly and harshly would prevent further rebellion and entice the states to rejoin without much struggle.

3. The government secured and protected the interests of ex-slaves in many ways. Most apparent, they passed the Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth Amendments, guaranteeing many rights for blacks that they did not have before. Many blacks gained their freedom during the Civil War era and were turned out to fend for themselves. Because of this, the Freedmen's Bureau was formed and started to dispense aid to many former slaves. This was only some of the many laws that were passed by Congress to help African Americans.