The+Perpetual+Motion+Squad

**What is the primary goal of reconstruction? Reunification, punishment, civil rights, other? (Thesis)** Our primary goal to reconstruction is to ensure the rights of the free African Americans. To ensure their safety we would like to have the Union army stationed in the south. This will also help to preserve their rights in case a conflict appears. If conflict does appear - and this is especially targeted at the Ku Klux Klan - the prosecutors will be heavily fined. In addition, we believe it is the best idea if we ease into complete equality between whites and blacks; baby steps are the key here. In addition, we believe that a state can once again have full rights and representation of they ratify the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments and have at least 25% of the population in that state accept the terms and conditions of re-entering the Union. And, we plan on having a loan system available to both black and white Southerners for the purpose of farming to allow the South's economy to restore itself. What should be done to the ex-Confederates? We think that the ex-confederates should have their rights like any other citizen of the Re-United United States. We don’t think they should be sent to prison, or fined large amounts of money, or banished from the country, or anything of the sort. Too harsh of a punishment for being “traitorous” would just cause an elevated sense of hatred and sectionalism, and the South would feel more oppressed than they already do. Our only restriction on the ex-confederates is that anyone at the rank of general or above would be on “probation” where they would not be allowed to hold political office. Once reconstruction concluded and the economy was back on track, that probation could be reevaluated. If the ex-confederates found themselves in a position where they had very little money and land, they would also be allowed to receive a small but helpful loan from the federal government and in some cases a piece of land further west to get them started (there would be financial cut-off point for receiving the loan, and approval would be on a case by case basis). They would be required to pay back this loan in a certain number of years. This would hopefully benefit the economy and the Southern view of the federal government. Read more about the system under, “How should the Southern economy be restored?”

What should be done for the freedmen? The freedmen’s safety and rights need to be protected in the South. Union troops must be constantly present in the South to preserve those rights. The freedmen would have full civil rights, including the unrestricted right to vote. African American voting areas would be established, and although it would not be against the law for them to vote in a standard voting place, having a safe African American voting area guarded by Union soldiers would allow them to feel more secure and less intimidated by the racism in the South, especially when it comes to voting and politics. Freedmen would be able to receive the same federal loans as poor white Southerners, which would allow them the money and land they need to get a new life started. However, we also plan on implementing a law that requires anyone who is running for political office to have graduated from secondary school. We understand that this would disqualify almost all African Americans that just recently were freed from slavery, but we do this for a few reasons: #1, so that political leaders, both black and white, are educated; #2, so that we EASE the South into the bi-racial democracy that we want for the future; and #3 to encourage the upkeep of public schools and the education of more people in the South. If additional free public schools are needed, they would be funded by the federal government with tax dollars that are collected from both the North and South.

Who should be able to vote and hold office in the new Southern state governments? When we talk about whom should and should not be able to vote we believe that freed black slaves should be allowed to vote. This of course was a problem before with people in the south and the KKK so now we also plan to have separate voting stations for black people where the white people cannot harass the black for going to. We also propose that a few of the black voting stations be guarded by a few union army soldiers for protection. Now to talk about whom will hold office and whom shall not we believe that no one over the rank of General that served in the confederate army nor any political leader that voted to secede from The United States cannot run for any kind of office such as president, congress, senators, governor, etc. Our reconstruction plan has these requirements because we do not want these same leaders to lead the South into more conflict as we rebuild our nation.

What requirements must be met before states regain full rights and representation?

As previously contested, we wish to set up agreements that freedmen MUST be given rights. As stated in the 13th, 14th, and 15th Reconstitution Amendments, slavery is to be completely abolished and permanently outlawed, black people should be allowed citizenship, and no citizen should be denied their right to vote, regardless of “race, color, or previous condition of servitude,” i.e. slavery. Any state, North or South, wishing to receive the full rights and representation of this Union must agree to ratify and uphold these amendments. The South must agree that to be placed in any political position of power, a candidate must not have voted to secede from the Union and must not have been a general or above in the Confederate army. As stated earlier, they are to be on “probation,” in order to quell any fears of further rebellion by placing a former pro-secessionist in office. The states must agree that the Ku Klux Klan or any other reactionary, vigilante, white supremacy terrorist groups of the sort who act upon their racism will receive a heavy government fine, or else be subject to time in jail. This will be enforced by Northerners, so that Southern prejudice against perceived “black rule” would not hinder the judiciousness of the affairs. The states must also agree that public schools will be set up in both the North and the South, with temporary segregation. Separate but EQUAL will be strictly enforced, with tax dollars from the North and South, and after 5 years the two races will be integrated into one school system. This is not to continue separation of black and white, but to reduce violent aggravation in this delicate time. We must remember that rampant racism still exists. But ultimately, we must show our people that we are all deserving of rights, education, equality, and our own respective pursuit of that fickle friend we call happiness. We realize that agreeing to such subjugation will take a toll on the South, but we wish to move our newly United nation forwards. We want to be sensitive to the needs of our people while still taking into account past abominations, and the dangers of moving back into the depths of our shadowy history. We can in no way allow for murders to take place at the hands of white supremacists, despite any quixotic intents to uphold honor and restore our previously “glorious” nation to its former refinement, or for past slaves to be treated as anything less that equals. All of us are to be treated equally, North or South, black or white, and any state refusing to agree to such mandates cannot regain full rights and representation. But agreeing to these policies will take humility on the part of the South, and so we hope our agreement to give out loans to any Southerner who wishes to start up farms and reboot their shattered economy will lessen the burden and soon put the North and South on equal footing financially. States must agree to all said terms and policies by at least 25% in order to be given the full rights and representation that any honorable citizen is worthy of.

How should the Southern economy be restored? In order to restore the Southern economy, we believe that the federal government should give loans to Southern farmers whose homes and crops were destroyed by the war. Any resident of the South (black or white) who has not been convicted of a high crime (i.e. murder) and earns less than $400 a year would be eligible for the loans for the purpose of farming and sharecropping. The object of the loan is to help the recently devastated south get back on their feet and become prosperous. For the first three years of reconstruction, residents of the Southern states would be allowed to pay taxes at the same rate they were paying before the war. After three years, however, their taxes will be raised gradually until they match that of the North. The point of the economic policy is to show the South that the North is interested in helping them rather than hurting them, and to ensure a successful country for generations to come. We understand that this puts a financial strain on the North, but in the long run it would benefit both parts of the country. What role should Union troops play in policing, governing, or rebuilding the South? In order to maintain the rights of freedmen, it is necessary to have a presence of Union troops stationed in Southern towns. Union soldiers would be stationed at polling places in order to secure voting rights. Union soldiers would also be granted the right to protect freedmen from the KKK through the use of force when absolutely necessary. They are also able to give a fine of $2000 to anyone proven to be working with a white supremacist terrorism groups. If they refuse to pay this fine, the Union soldiers can throw the terrorists in jail. The goal is to minimize violence as much as possible and slowly withdraw the troops as the South becomes more stable. Although the presence of Union troops will create animosity amongst Southerners, we feel it is more important in the long run to protect the rights of freedmen. **Re-state the primary goal of reconstruction. (Thesis re-stated)** Our primary goals of reconstruction are to ensure the safety of blacks as we slowly ease them into equal status with all other citizens, heavy fines for committing crimes, a loan system to ensure the growth of the South's economy, and full representation from a former Confederate state once it has ratified the amendments necessary and had a 25% state-population agreement for terms and policies of the Union they decided to reenter.