Reconstruction

Readers Theatre
Participants:
Narrator 1
Narrator 2
Narrator 3
Abraham Lincoln
Andrew Johnson
Act One:
Narrator 1: It was 186 and the !i"il #ar had $ust ended% In order to tr&
to unite the nation 'resident Lincoln had a (lan%
Abraham Lincoln: The war has ended )uic*l&++ I (ersuaded the ,outhern
states to end the war so that we could (reser"e the nation%
Narrator 2: -ow did &ou do that.
Narrator 3: -ow did &ou create an eas& Reconstruction (olic&.
Abraham Lincoln: I (romised that i/ 101 o/ the (eo(le o/ a state would (led2e
their alle2iance to the 3nited ,tates o/ America and rati/& the 13th amendment4
which abolished sla"er&4 the& could /orm a new state 2o"ernment4 elect
re(resentati"es to !on2ress and /ull& (artici(ate in the 3nion a2ain%
Andrew Johnson: I su((ort that (lan as &our 5ice6'resident++
Act Two:
,oon a/ter 7eneral Lee surrendered at A((omatto84 John #il*es 9ooth
assassinated our 'resident Lincoln% 5ice6'resident Johnson was soon sworn in as
the ne8t 'resident o/ the 3nited ,tates%
Narrator 1: #ill the Reconstruction (olic& chan2e now that Johnson is (resident.
Narrator 2: No4 not reall&4 e8ce(t he /eels that the wealth& ,outherners should
su//er+
DOC A1
Andrew Johnson: :& 2oal is to humiliate the ,outhern elite% The& should
ac*nowled2e m& (ower+
Narrator 3: 9ut &ou 2rant (ardons easil&. #h&.
Andrew Johnson: I want the southerners who owned large amounts of property to ask for a
presidential pardon. 9ut I do allow the states to /orm new state 2o"ernments when
!on2ress is not is session%
Narrator 1: -ow did Lincolns assassination a//ect the 2oals o/ Reconstruction.
Narrator 2: #ell4 the& (rett& much had the same 2oals4 which was to (reser"e the
3nion and brin2 the nation bac* to2ether%
Narrator 3: The di//erence between the two is that Lincoln was easier on the
,outherners than Johnson was%
Andrew Johnson: I/ Lincoln had not been assassinated4 the eas& Reconstruction
(olic& would ha"e (robabl& continued4 but since I too* o"er the 'residenc&4 the
(olic& was a little stricter%
Act 3:
Narrator 1: ;id an&bod& else ha"e stron2 /eelin2s about the aims o/
Reconstruction.
Narrator 2: #hite ,outherners did want the war to end4 but ;I; N<T
want to 2rant ri2hts to the new =reedmen4 e"en thou2h sla"er& was
reco2ni>ed%
Narrator 3: #hat do &ou mean.
Narrator 1: :an& #hite ,outherners used "iolence and threats towards the
/ormer sla"es to intimidate and scare them%
Narrator 2: The& also (assed 9lac* !odes which too* the (lace o/ the sla"e
laws that still *e(t the /ormer sla"es /rom ha"in2 the same /reedoms as
other ,outherners%