1. Abraham Lincoln Andrew Johnson Ulysses S. Grant Rutherford Hayes PRESIDENTS OF THE UNITED STATES DURING THE RECONSTRUCTION, 1865 - 1877

2.  He was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth on April 15, 1865 – just six days after Lee’s surrender to Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Court House, Virginia.  Lincoln’s “Ten Percent Plan” was the most lenient of all Reconstruction Plans – he would have allowed Southerners to create their own state governments if 10% of the population swore loyalty and the state approved the 13 th Amendment.  Lincoln’s death further embittered Northerners eager to punish the CSA. PRESIDENT ABRAHAM LINCOLN

3.  Andrew Johnson was both a Southerner and a Democrat, and is considered the “poster boy” for accidental Presidents.  Johnson’s “Restoration” plan would have banned slavery, but not given African-Americans full citizenship or suffrage.  Johnson vetoed the Civil Rights Act of 1866 and the Freedman’s Bureau Extension Act – but both were passed into law by Congressional override.  Johnson was impeached by Congress because they hated him so. He came within one vote of being removed from office, but he was not removed! PRESIDENT ANDREW JOHNSON

4.  Grant is often remembered as a poor President for his inability to control corruption in his government – especially with regards to the railroad companies.  He was, however, a true believer in the cause of civil rights for African- Americans – and thought that the Civil War would have been in vain if voting rights were not upheld.  Grant passed laws controlling Ku Klux Klan activity and hate groups, maintaining the Freedman’s Bureau, and continuing efforts to end black codes.  Grant was President when the 15 th Amendment was added to the Constitution. PRESIDENT ULYSSES S. GRANT

5.  Samuel Tilden won more votes than he did in the Election of 1876.  He became President of the United States as a result of the Compromise of 1877.  He promised to end the Reconstruction of the American South by removing soldiers from southern states and ending the Freedman’s Bureau.  While he was President, southern states passed laws (literacy tests, poll taxes, and grandfather clauses) which made it very difficult for African- Americans to vote. PRESIDENT RUTHERFORD B. HAYES