Group+One



The primary goal of American Reconstruction is the immediate reunification yeah that will work! of the United States, with Civil Rights holding a high focus in addition to this primary goal. Punishment should not be our focus, and any who pledge with their fingers crossed loyalty to the Union should be given immediate pardons for the crime of treason. Oh Goodie the world is now perfect because they said sorry. Look the sun is shinning down on my dying ficus, in the distance you can see freedman holding hands with ex-KKK members. It was like the Civil War never happened, because (dun dun dunnnn) the South is sorry!! All better guys. Its all okay! -Jackson You said that you aren't for punishment but that anyone who pledges loyalty to the Union would not be considered treasonous. What about the people that don't pledge their loyalty? Would they be condidered treasonous? Then you would punish them? How long would the punishment be? What if they never pledge their loyalty?

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 * The issue of punishment for the ex-confederates is a simple one. If one pledges loyalty to the Union, then their crimes of treason are to pardoned completely. The only men who should be tried for crimes of treason are those who refuse to return peacefully to the Union when it is the only option they have left. Punishment for other crimes, however, shall be upheld to the fullest extent the law allows. Any and all war crimes or other felonies, barring treason, are to be punished, but to no further extent than that which is set for a Citizen of the Union. How many people do you expect to pledge loyalty? Can these ex-conferderates hold office? They have committed treason, which is a felony. -Daisy A. Isn't this essentially what Johnson did? How well did that work out? -Madeline Keyes-Levine Wouldn't that allow the ex confederates to essentially get away with treason? In that case what would stop them from swearing loyalty and continuing to commit treason? -Bryn Gallagher
 * Freedmen have been oppressed for hundreds of years, and therefore will need some help to become functioning members of society. All freedmen should be reimbursed some dollar amount – per year of enslavement – as basic reparations so that they have a fiscal base to begin their new lives. Also, public education should be provided for their youth as it is to the children of white southerners. They should each be provided with one acre of farmable land, which will also help to rebuild the southern economy. Who is going to pay for the slaves reparation? The South has no money and the North does not seem willing to contribute any more as they are tired of the 'South and their issues' as well as looking to the future and more important things to contribute their money towards. -Sophia Horigan (PS: I completely messed up the numbering when I hit enter by accident hah so sorry... ) Will these school be segregated or will both black and white children attend school together? How will you combat the bullying that can be anticipated? -Madeline Keyes-Levine. What land would be given to the freedmen, would it be taken from other Southerns which would foster even more resentment for them? -Bryn Gallagher
 * Any citizen who pledges loyalty to the Union, and has not committed any felonies, should be eligible to serve in the new Governments, regardless of race or prior status in the Confederacy. They should be chosen by an election by Citizens of the states, and must take an oath to uphold the Constitution. But treason isn't considered (in this case) to be a felony? Shouldn't the treasonous folks be exactly the ones not in government? -Bryn Gallagher
 * 1) For states to regain full rights and representation, they must ratify the 13th and 14th amendments. Also, at least 25% of the pre-war citizens must pledge loyalty Again with the pledge! Whooop De DOOOO! A pledge...Big Whoop. What will a pledge solve? to the Union. Finally, any states that do not also ratify the 15th amendment will lose a portion of their representation equal to that of the ratio of blacks to total population. I would just like to point out that the "pledge of loyalty" didn't work in reality. The Wade-Davis bill called for a majority of the state's population & THAT didn't even work; the South simply had to SAY that they would respect the civil rights of African Americans, but after Reconstruction ended, civil rights was nothing but a dream. Also, states that do not ratify the 15 th amendment could simply lie about the number of blacks in a state, therefore preserving their representation. –Christopher Hanna
 * 2) The southern economy should be restored through a combination of financial aid and rebuilding to get it started, and a return to an agricultural economy. The cotton output should be easily restored to pre-war levels, as newly frees slaves will be granted land which they can farm for themselves. Simultaneously, and industry based around this cotton should be built up to provided jobs for the unemployed, as well as further boosting the southern economy. The North just spent five years fighting, so you can’t assume the average citizen would appreciate a tax hike that would go towards the very enemy they had just fought. An agricultural economy is doomed to subsistence. Besides, during the Civil War Britain started growing cotton in Egypt, India, and several other colonies. At this point, the Cotton Kingdom as the South knew it had died forever. In order not to be dominated by Northern industries, the South must develop their own industries to rival the North’s. The whole reason they lost the war was because they didn’t have enough industries and the manpower that comes from manning those very industries (Irish and other European immigrants)! This doesn’t mean a complete transfer towards industrialization is necessary, but strides must be made in the industrial sector so they can be self-sufficient. Infrastructure also must be a priority, so that the South can get its exports and imports transferred more quickly. -Karl Zablocki
 * 1) Union troops should play NO portion in the reconstruction or policing of the south. Local police who will be the police force in the south, if the Union soldiers wont? Oh I see, the southerners themselves! We'll just take their word for it. They promise to enforce the laws equally to all citizens, even blacks, just as they promised their loyally to the Union... forces should be sufficient for their duties, and the Federal Government should not smother the south to such a great extent. Southern police states would only lead to more resent of Northern domination, which is what started the war in the first place. Also, the Union Army is stretched thin enough as it is. However, bases should be set up in the South as they were before the war, and should any uprising or cases of extreme violence, such as the Ku Klux Klan arise, they may be called to settle it. With the majority of the Southerners being anti-North and against the new amendments, how would you rely on the local police forces to take a stand against the racist groups? They will either do nothing or aid in the illegal acts against the African Americans and any local governments controlling those forces will have even less power/motive to suppress the hate groups. -Abraham Lincoln, Andrew Johnson, James Bucanhan, Barack Obama, Afrojack, Skrillex, Skillet, Nickelback, Ronald Macdonald, Viet Cong, Kim Jong Ill, Johnny Dep, Buzz Lightyear, Sponge Bob, Big Bird, Oscar aka trash can dude, Mrs. Sontag, Kobe Bryant, Shaq, Lock Ness Monster, Gi Joe, King Louie, Justine Bieber.............This is for to teach a valuable lesson that was taught in first grade. SIGN YOUR NAME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Through these policies are weak, a goal of swift economic recovery should hopefully be achieved, while protecting the civil rights of the newly freed black people. Hopefully the fairness and leniency of these policies will also prevent a backlash from the Southern states, and promote the acceptance of our terms.

First off on my rant is that I believe your group is being //far// too lenient on these traitors! You are merely asking these barbarians to "pledge" their allegiance to the Union, but the word of a traitor is worth diddly squat. We all know that they would just revert to their own opinions at the first chance they get and betray the union once again. Secondly, you are seizing land from these southerners and giving them to their former slaves correct? How do you expect the south to remain quiet while their land is surreptitiously usurped by the boorish Yankee invaders and they are subjugated to their former slaves.Third, these new governments that you are constructing basically scream corruption! My final two complaints however are these: you assume too much about what people in the south will do and how compliant they will be with Northern "aggression" and who the devil will be policing and enforcing any of your new enactments?! As I said, you assume far too much for your own good in this project.--Chandler Vu