How were Lincoln and Johnson's views on slavery and Reconstruction similar? How were they different? What might have happened differently if...

President Lincoln and President Johnson addressed the slavery question in their plans for Reconstruction. They also had views on slavery.

President Lincoln was against slavery. He believed it was morally wrong. He also was pragmatic and knew he couldn’t end slavery when he got elected because that would lead to the secession of more southern states. He had said he would maintain slavery where it already existed if it would keep the country unified. However,...

President Lincoln and President Johnson addressed the slavery question in their plans for Reconstruction. They also had views on slavery.

President Lincoln was against slavery. He believed it was morally wrong. He also was pragmatic and knew he couldn’t end slavery when he got elected because that would lead to the secession of more southern states. He had said he would maintain slavery where it already existed if it would keep the country unified. However, he certainly didn’t want slavery to spread. In his Reconstruction plan, President Lincoln required states to ban slavery. However, he only encouraged the southern states to give the former slaves the right to vote.

President Johnson owned a few slaves, unlike President Lincoln. However, he never supported the call for secession from the Union. Lincoln chose him as his running mate because Lincoln wanted to get support in the South. President Johnson didn’t think highly of African Americans. While his Reconstruction plan called for ratification of the 13th amendment, he didn’t provide many rights for the former slaves. He preferred to let the state governments handle this issue. He also pardoned many white southerners, and under his plan, many of the former Confederate leaders would have gone back to serve in Congress. There was no mention of voting rights for the former slaves in President Johnson’s plan.

It is hard to speculate what would have happened if President Lincoln would have not been killed. President Lincoln was a skillful leader, and it is fair to assume he would have avoided the conflict with Congress that President Johnson faced. Thus, Reconstruction probably would have had a softer tone to it, and may not have been as divisive, if Abraham Lincoln would have been able to complete his second term in office. It is very likely there would have been no attempt to impeach President Lincoln, as he would have been able to work with Congress to reach a plan that would have satisfied his needs and the needs of Congress.