Abraham Lincoln's Later Life 1865-1889

This is based on an old thread of mine titled "Alternate Obituary Abraham Lincoln" In this alternate timeline, Booth is arrested for public drunkenness on the night of the assasination and in his inebreated state reveals the plot and his co conspirators, Booth is later executed for treason, and attempted murder. This is my timeline that follows those events.

Part I: Lincoln's Presidency After the War
May 1865- The remaining forces in the Confederacy surrender, Jefferson Davis captured. Lincoln manages by a small margin to pass his 10% reconstuction plan despite Radical Republican resistance. Lincoln intends to "let em up easy"

June 1865- Lincoln and Congress agree on principle on what will become the 14th and 15th amendments, and provision is made to enforce black voting rights during election times with Federal troops if nessesary. In a speech later in the month Lincoln defends the legislation by reminding Americans of the sacrifice made by blacks in the late war and the benefits of free labor and of Meritocracy in American life. Many Southern whites and more than a few in the North are none too pleased by the speech, but it is well recieved by black Americans and many Northern whites.

July 1865- Jefferson Davis is given the choice of a treason trial or exile, he chooses the latter and quietly travels to England with his family. Lincoln dispatches General Philip Sheridan with 50,000 U.S troops to the Mexican border in support of the Juarez Government.

August 1865- Conspirators trial, Booth executed, Harold, Azerodt, Mary Surratt, and Lewis Paine given prison sentences ranging from 5 years for Mrs Surratt to 25 years for Paine and Azerodt. Mary Surratt is later pardoned by President Lincoln.

October 1865- 14th amendment passed granting citizenship to blacks.

April 1866- 15th Amendment passed granting blacks the right to vote.

July 1866- The Ku Klux Klan is formed

September 1866- After many acts of violence and intimidation against blacks and white Republicans throughout the South, Lincoln orders that the Klan be suppressed by force. General U.S Grant is sent South with 40,000 union infantry and Cavalry. The Union effort is aided by an editoral circulated in papers throughout the country signed by Robert E. Lee, James Longstreet, Joseph Johnston and many other prominent Southern Leaders condeming the Klan violence and imploring citizens to adhere to law in order so that the nation can heal and the South can rebuild, by election day in November the Klan is crushed. Lincoln is grateful for southern support with Grant's approval allows any former Confederate Officers that sign the loyalty oath and wish to rejoin the United States Army they will be reinstated at the rank in which they held on April 12th 1861. This act does much to foster political goodwill for Lincoln and the Republicans.

November 1866- Republicans maintain and increase thier majority in both houses by several seats due largely to Black Republican voters in the South.
the Democratic Party gathers in dissafected whites, North and South, along with many Northern and Midwestern urban voters, supporting minimal revision in race relations and a segregation amendment is beginning to find support in party circles.


October 1867- A delegation of American Indians meet with President Lincoln to protest inefficiency and corruption in the Indian Affairs burreau. Lincoln appoints former General Joshua L. Chamberlain, hero of little round top to head the burreau with instructions to make sure that the government keeps its promises and ensure the Indians "a fair deal" despite a great deal of resistance from whites, especially settlers and thier advocates Indian reservation lands are protected by Chamberlain's devotion to his new post and enforced by the Federal Army.

April 1868- Congress passes Oklahoma Act which Lincoln signs. The Indian Territory is organized as a federally protected area for Indians in perpetuity, Plains Indians that are still in resistance to Federal authority are to be forceably settled onto reservations in Oklahoma.


November 1868- Elections, Republicans nominate Ulysses s. Grant for president and James Longstreet for Vice President. Democrats nominate Horatio Seymour for President and Daniel Sickles for Vice President. the House of Representatatives has had 14 new black representatives elected to its rank and 1 senator Hiram Revels. Grant/Longstreet win by a landslide with the Democrats carrying only Alabama, Florida, Georgia, and New York. Lincoln announces that he will return to his law practice at the end of his term in March 1869.

March 1869- Lincoln returns to Springfield to practice law with William Herndon. he will not be staying long before duty calls upon him again.

End Part I
 
So, the reserves in Indian Territory in 1865 are still to be reduced territorially?

What happens to the natives beyong the Plains?

Are the Sioux to be moved to Oklahoma?
 
Indian Reservations

Wendell: So, the reserves in Indian Territory in 1865 are still to be reduced territorially?

No, all reservations established previously are to have thier integrity guaranteed in perpetuity by the Federal Government, and because Chamberlain's in charge no more smallpox blankets and rancid meat either.

What happens to the natives beyong the Plains?

Reservation lands will be set aside for them if they submit to "white authority" If the are "hostiles" they will be captured and resettled on land in Oklahoma.

Are the Sioux to be moved to Oklahoma?

The Sioux "hostiles" will, the others will get reservation land in Montana, the Dakotas and Nebraska.

That probably won't work out as well in practice, but that what the letter of the Oklahoma Act is.
 
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Wendell: So, the reserves in Indian Territory in 1865 are still to be reduced territorially?

No, all reservations established previously are to have thier integrity guaranteed in perpetuity by the Federal Government, and because Chamberlain's in charge no more smallpox blankets and rancid meat either.

What happens to the natives beyong the Plains?

Reservation lands will be set aside for them if they submit to "white authority" If the are "hostiles" they will be captured and resettled on land in Oklahoma.

Are the Sioux to be moved to Oklahoma?

The Sioux "hostiles" will, the others will get reservation land in Montana, the Dakotas and Nebraska.

That probably won't work out as well in practice, but that what the letter of the Oklahoma Act is.

The only "free" land in Oklahoma in 1865 was the Cimarron Strip.
 
Oklahoma land

Wendell,

I am not familiar with the Cimarron Strip. By no other "free" land do you mean that it was settled by whites or was already parcelled into reservations at that time?
 
Wendell,

I am not familiar with the Cimarron Strip. By no other "free" land do you mean that it was settled by whites or was already parcelled into reservations at that time?

Cimarron Territory was another name for what is today the Oklahoma Panhandle.

The rest of Oklahoma had already been parcelled into Reservations by 1865.

This map may be helpful:
okinterrmap.gif
 
Oklahoma Panhandle

Looking at my trusty atlas I see just how little land there is in the Panhandle, Perhaps the government would create additional indian lands in adjacent New Mexico Territory as part of or as a later addition to the Oklahoma act, thanks for pointing that out Wendell.
 
Looking at my trusty atlas I see just how little land there is in the Panhandle, Perhaps the government would create additional indian lands in adjacent New Mexico Territory as part of or as a later addition to the Oklahoma act, thanks for pointing that out Wendell.

New Mexico Territory (or a portion thereof) would be a good choice, but perhaps better for the nativer inhabitants of the West. Perhaps the portion of the Dakota Territory west of the Missouri River is a possibility.

Or, as per OTL, the bands in Oklahoma face a land reduction, and other Indians are settled in the area.
 
Redistribution?

Perhaps a redistribution of reservation lands based on population of respective tribes. or yes, simply create more reservation lands in the Dakota Territory and or New Mexico.
 
Reservations Map

That helps me to visualise it, yep looks like the "five civilized tribes" have most of the real estate in Oklahoma barring the panhandle. Maybe "troublesome" indians end up there, and "compliant" tribes get lands elsewhere.
 
That helps me to visualise it, yep looks like the "five civilized tribes" have most of the real estate in Oklahoma barring the panhandle. Maybe "troublesome" indians end up there, and "compliant" tribes get lands elsewhere.

Possibly. Something else to consider:
1868map.gif
 
Treaty

I'm sure there would still be the Indian Wars, although with Lincoln as President and Chamberlain in my timeline, I had imagined there being less killing and exploitation of Indians than took place in OTL. maybe the alotted reservation lands would be similar in size and distribution as OTL, plus the "forced reservation" in Oklahoma's panhandle and additional lands elsewhere.
 
I'm sure there would still be the Indian Wars, although with Lincoln as President and Chamberlain in my timeline, I had imagined there being less killing and exploitation of Indians than took place in OTL. maybe the alotted reservation lands would be similar in size and distribution as OTL, plus the "forced reservation" in Oklahoma's panhandle and additional lands elsewhere.

That's certainly a possibility. How about Wyoming as an Indian area instead of any part of the Dakotas?
 
So, what happens to the indians when the whites decide that they like the land the indians are on?

Or are the American people going to continually elect a government that supports the natives?
 
Wyoming

Well it's nice and rectangular it could be alotted in tidy parcels :), Wyoming is a good option. I don't know how much land could/would be alotted maybe a fifth to a quarter of the territory, or is that too much? too little? This really isn't a subject on which I'm particularly knowledgable I'm afraid.
 
Well it's nice and rectangular it could be alotted in tidy parcels :), Wyoming is a good option. I don't know how much land could/would be alotted maybe a fifth to a quarter of the territory, or is that too much? too little? This really isn't a subject on which I'm particularly knowledgable I'm afraid.

I am suggesting that the whole of the state, sans maybe its most northwest or southest, be rendered "Indian Territory of the North".
 
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