United+Spaceman+Spifs+Republic



**What is the primary goal of reconstruction? Reunification, punishment, civil rights, other? (Thesis).**

The goal of reconstruction should be broken down into several different parts: 30% of the goal should be punishment, 30% should be civil rights, 20% should be economic rebuilding of the South, and 20% should be the reunification of the country.


 * (Actual thesis)**: With the end of our great civil war now comes the time of reconstruction to our blood soaked and war ravaged nation. Now, several plans of action are attempting to prove themselves paramount to others but none truly have the correct touch and balance associated with the hand-crafted quality renowned by the United Spaceman Spiff's Republic. We exemplify decades of top shelf political experience from all areas of the spectrum which is unparalleled by any other. Without further ado we would like to introduce the primary goal of our plan for reconstruction. Our primary goals during this endeavor are the just punishments of selected individuals/groups closely associated with the recent pacified rebellion and the upholding of the Negro Man's recently acquired civil rights that many in the south seek to repudiate. We //then// look to bring the Nation back up from the ravages of war and economically reinvigorating the populous.

What should be done to the ex-Confederates? This part of the reconstruction plan is particularly tricky. We realize that if the top confederate officials, pardoned by President Johnson, are allowed to run free and unchecked, our work will be for naught because the south will still maintain its prior leadership structure. Our solution to this problem is the tagging of certain names within the confederate infrastructure so as to be able to keep a tabs on "redeemed citizens" that are especially suspicious or were deeply imbedded in secession. Several acts that are included within our plan may be attacked unfairly by the "Old South's" heroes and therefore declared null and void where control is minimal. To make sure that this situation does not occur multiple members of the former rebel government and military will more or less "disappear". This will prove more effective than open aired executions because it keeps the heavy hand of the union relatively "clean", there will be no public outcry if pinpointed individuals, not the whole south, are removed from the equation; they are counterproductive. In order to enact these //secret operations// and to keep them secret we propose the establishment of a semi-quasi policing force to be permanently embedded in the south: the Committee of State Security (CSS) seems appropriate. With the activation of this agency the Union will be able to keep a close eye on its brothers in the south without seeming like an occupation. Speaking of the devil, the enactment of the CSS is also a very cost effective form of long term "occupation" because it is known from history that complete occupations are destined to fail for being expensive, unpopular, and corrupt. The CSS would have none of these qualities. I haven't been able to keep myself from noticing that the other proposals are focused upon appeasing the south, much to my chagrin. I warn the Supreme Leader (Mr. Geib) that if any of these plans were to be chosen over the correct choice you would be risking more secession and war, but this time from the North. We won the war. What should be done for the freedmen?

The freedmen have on paper been released from the binds of slavery, but extra aid must be given to assure a stable future. Someone who only knew the fields his/her whole life would not be able to begin a completely new path alone. We aim to supply these new citizens with the tools they need to create a steady career. Rather than rob a defeated South of their land and wealth to give to freedmen, we will offer another solution. We don't want to have severe complication by giving what isn't our own. Freedmen will be given unclaimed lands in the North and South on the "frontier" to begin a career to sustain themselves and their families. We would like to offer an option that won't be abruptly halted by intolerance. Giving jobs in demand at a decent wage would be the next step to integrating freedmen into a society completely foreign to them. Prior to their freedom they had no options in their future, now we can help them maintain a home, a job and institute amendments that will allow them to vote, hold office and be an American.

Once federally owned land was given as a reparation for freedmen to farm, start a family and live at while maintaining a job, positions should be offered in local government and even as House Representatives. Educated freedmen will have an opportunity to vote and participate actively in decisions that will effect them and their community. This participation will be one more step to allow them a better understanding of, and more freedom to know about our country and how it works. With these assets freedmen will be able to live out a future that was the purpose and a major goal of our dividing Civil War. We make these choices because we had a victory, and this victory gives us the option.

Who should be able to vote and hold office in the new Southern state governments?

Before, slaves counted as 3/5 of a person. Our plan of reconstruction garuntees a freedman the voting rights of any American citizen. African Americans fought in the civil war for both sides. If a freedman could die for his country then he can surely vote for it. We give them the option to vote for who is in their best interest, as any man should be entitled, no matter what their social position or level of education. To hold office in the South, one must have had an education that has given them the abilities to read and write. A Freedman who can clearly write and read well, can in turn manage such a demanding position, as long they have the right ideas and likability that will encourage the people to vote. With these minimum restrictions, it should be possible for any freedmen desiring to help their community, to participate in a way that will value their own input and the input of his supporters. Ex confederates that upheld a high rank in the confederate army will be in no way entitled to hold one of these offices, nor will any Southern man who displays radical confederate ideals or ideals that threaten the equality of freedmen. In this way the South will be able to organize a fresh and healthy network of officials who will work to maintain and strengthen the unity of our country.

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

====In order to be recognized as a state, the Southern states must meet several terms: first, the states must sign a bill acknowledging that they lost the war and must comply with the terms of the victor at a rate of 50% or higher; second, the states must accept the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments acknowledging the rights of their former slaves; third, the states must accept financial help from the North to aid them in rebuilding their economies. These simple prerequisites will reinforce to the Southern states that they both lost the war and belong to a larger, more unified power: The United States of America. We are anxious to accept the Southern states back into the Union, but will not shy away from reminding them of the price they must pay for rebelling against the Union in the name of slavery.====

How should the Southern economy be restored? With the South effectively burned to the ground along with its economic strength by the fires of General Sherman, the Southern economy is a dramatically important part of preserving the Union and not fully stirring up a hard resentment for the victory of the North. With so many people left homeless, widowed, and without slaves or land to continue their previous ways of life, measures must be taken to reinvigorate the population torn apart. The first issue that arises is need of funding. With a bit of idealism, we hope to work out international loans from our European allies, and sell it as an investment in a more permanent USA, offering stronger trade (mainly exports) in the years to come. Along with this, the 30% Plan will initiate, where we will begin a new set of laws and amendments that the once rebellious states must ratify (see previous question) in order to be accepted back into the Union as a full state with the rights they previously enjoyed. On top of this, with the use of Union troops, taxes will be raised on states unwilling to ratify these laws, amendments and acts (such as 13th, 14th and 15th amendments) by at least 30% of their voters, and once this occurs, the state will be subject to minimal taxation for a period of 2 years. The incentive for ratifying, is that states who do will qualify for Federal Financial Aid, in which we will allocate funds towards rebuilding major cities damaged in the war that are vital to the economy of the South, as well as instituting (if funds permit) a railroad system connecting all portions of the USA, West, North and South, connecting such cities as New York and Atlanta to stimulate economics between the North and South, once Atlanta is repaired.

Along with this, we plan on offering free land in the Western unorganized territories, and also the usual State admission process seen before the war (territory to state). Freedmen will be notified of their options such as passage to the West, North or Canada if they wish to remove themselves from the South, and a volunteer organization or Freedmen's Bureau could be commissioned to handle this process as well as educate and offer our nation more learned workers for a rapidly industrializing world. What role should Union troops play in policing, governing, or rebuilding the South?

The troops should be used sparingly in the Reconstruction process. They should be used only in a few cases: if the Southern states are uncooperative or unwilling to follow the guidelines for state re-admittance; if the Southern states are unwilling to follow the new 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments; if the Southern states are unwilling or uncooperative in following the new Civil Rights proposals. In these cases and these cases only shall troops be used, seeing as the purpose of Reconstruction is to unite and rebuild these United States of America. The troops also should be used in aiding the newly freed African American slaves in reaching their new land in the West, if need be. The South needs to be reminded that they lost the war, and that they most now comply with the terms of the victor, but they also must be reminded that we share common roots. We are all Americans, but the use of armed forces must be an option to remind them of the terms with which they must comply in order to be recognized as such.

**Re-state the primary goal of reconstruction. (Thesis re-stated)**

Overall, our plans have been made to preserve the Union threatened by Southern secession attempts and create a stronger, more unified nation, rather than a country divided by two mentalities or political parties. We feel that our resources will best be focused in the proper dealing with previous high ranking Confederate officials, as well as enforcing Civil Rights. These are the most important, as the Civil War was fought over slavery essentially, along with preserving the Union, and we wish to guarantee rights to freedmen after the 13th amendment, while still keeping an eye on the originally rebellious political leaders in the South. The point though is that our goal is not to uproot the entire Southern lifestyle, merely updated to correlate with the standards of modern society as seen in the North and Europe, as to bring the USA into a new century being a major power of the world.

Hey guys. My name is Will King and here are my thoughts and comments on your project.

First off, I would like to say that I think you have done an excellent job on this project. I found your thoughts and ideas rather interesting, and I actually enjoyed reading them. Second, all of my comments are strictly opinionative and are purely for the sake of the project.

What should be done to the ex-Confederates? I am having a difficult time finding anything in this paragraph that I agree with. It sounds to me that you are suggesting that Union Government should make certain Confederate officials “disappear”, which I can only assume you mean secretly assassinated. To me, this idea seams particularly harsh and unnecessary. However, I do feel as if it would be necessary to incarcerate particularly un-willing officials that would not agree to follow the new regulations set by the Union, otherwise, they would continue to portray the ideals and beliefs that they did prior to the war. I am, however, not so opposed to having a policing force in the South in order to keep amity. The only thought concerning the police force would be that it was not all Northerners and that some trustworthy Southerners would be able to join, just to make it seem less like the North is trying to oppress and occupy the South.

What should be done for the freedmen? I completely agree with just about everything that you have said here, my only questions/comments would be: Wouldn’t the African Americans end up living in the same areas separate from the rest of society, causing more segregation? And How would the African Americans attain the jobs with segregation and racism still being so prevalent?

Who should be able to vote and hold office in the new Southern state governments? I agree, the freedmen should have the right to vote, however, the only limitation should be literacy. I feel that if a person—freedmen or not—is not educated enough to read then he or she is not educated enough to make a logical decision when voting. Otherwise, your thoughts seem rational and very likely to work.

What requirements must be met before states regain full rights and representation? All in all, I agree with your ideals, however, I think that 50% seems rather high. It is hard to get half of just a group of friends to decide where to eat dinner. I just feel as if, it would be much harder to get the Southern states to agree and be accepted, which could ultimately be catastrophic—the quicker all the states are accepted the better.

How should the Southern economy be restored? I really liked the idea about high taxation of southern states that were unwilling to compromise. This would not only bring in a source of revenue for a devastated economy, but also work as an incentive to join the union again (VERY good idea). The one concern that I would have with your ideas, would have to be the fact that European allies would be willing to hand out money to an unstable country in which a major civil war just occurred. If foreign countries agreed, it could pan out nicely, however, if the union was unable to pay the countries back, it could potentially make the national debt skyrocket forcing the economy even lower.

What role should Union troops play in policing, governing, or rebuilding the South? Couldn’t have said it better myself. The longer Union troops are in the South, the more likely they are to feel as if they are being occupied or oppressed, which brings nothing but trouble. Union troops should be somewhat of a last resort.