DBWI: Abraham Lincoln had been killed

IOTL, famously, President Lincoln was almost killed by actor John Wilkes Booth in 1865, had it not been for one guard who spotted Booth at the door to the box, and managed to disarm him. What would have happened if, for whatever reason, Wilkes had successfully shot Lincoln? How would Reconstruction have gone down? Your thoughts?
 
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IOTl, famously, President Lincoln was almost killed by actor John Wilkes Booth in 1865, had it not been for one guard who spotted Booth at the door to the box, and managed to disarm hm. What would have happened if, for whatever reason, Wilkes had successfully shot Lincoln? How would Reconstruction have gone down? Your thoughts?
Well, Johnson could have been harsher in the South than Lincoln was. Lincoln Had been critzised later in that he was not harsh enough and accused of appeasement- especially after it was known, that a famous actor tried to murder him- for the Southern cause. But he later on defended his policy despite Southeners still hated him with passion. To this day historians argue which policy would have been best regardin Reconstruction. At least Ex-General Longstreet became friends with him- there are many Letters between the two men. Longstreet even attended Lincoln's funeral in 1901.
 
Well, Johnson could have been harsher in the South than Lincoln was. Lincoln Had been critzised later in that he was not harsh enough and accused of appeasement- especially after it was known, that a famous actor tried to murder him- for the Southern cause. But he later on defended his policy despite Southeners still hated him with passion. To this day historians argue which policy would have been best regardin Reconstruction. At least Ex-General Longstreet became friends with him- there are many Letters between the two men. Longstreet even attended Lincoln's funeral in 1901.
Indeed. It was an amazing eulogy too. That said, I doubt Johnson would have bee n more harsh, being a Southerner himself. What about Robert Lincoln's political career? How would it be effected by his father's death? He saved our nation during the Great European War, ya know.
 
Don't forget, in his second term Lincoln was the one who advocated and brought to fruition (against considerable oposition from his own party) the rail link through the defeated South from across Texas and the Arizona Territory to San Diego, California. It truly proved, as Lincoln said at the driving of the last spike ceremony in El Paso, to "bind the South to the Union with a band of iron". Many of the Freedmen who worked on the project later acheived considerable prominence in the settlement of the southwest.
 

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Well, Reconstruction will go on for a hell of a lot longer. You need to remember that OTL it ended relatively soon, by presidential decree in 1881. But with Lincoln gettng killed by a southern sympathiser? It might lead well into the 20th Century.

I imagine the democrats would be screwed. There's no way Tilden get's elected in 1880 and reelected in '84. Which means there's no way Hendricks takes over in '86 and picks Custer as VP, which in turn leads to Custer in '88.

A whole different political spectrum, really crazy.
 

Md139115

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Don't forget, in his second term Lincoln was the one who advocated and brought to fruition (against considerable oposition from his own party) the rail link through the defeated South from across Texas and the Arizona Territory to San Diego, California. It truly proved, as Lincoln said at the driving of the last spike ceremony in El Paso, to "bind the South to the Union with a band of iron". Many of the Freedmen who worked on the project later acheived considerable prominence in the settlement of the southwest.

OOC: the central route of the Union Pacific and Central Pacific was one of Lincoln’s campaign planks in 1860, and construction started on it in 1862. They were already a good third of the way done by our POD.
 
Well, Reconstruction will go on for a hell of a lot longer. You need to remember that OTL it ended relatively soon, by presidential decree in 1881. But with Lincoln gettng killed by a southern sympathiser? It might lead well into the 20th Century.

I imagine the democrats would be screwed. There's no way Tilden get's elected in 1880 and reelected in '84. Which means there's no way Hendricks takes over in '86 and picks Custer as VP, which in turn leads to Custer in '88.

A whole different political spectrum, really crazy.
The lack of one of the worst Presidents in history will change a lot. But, yeah, the Dems are probably screwed. What about President Roosevelt? We may never see the Great Realignment of the 1900s. No abolishment of the Electoral College, no rise to power from the Progressive or Socialist parties..Different world, certainly.
 
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