Lincoln going for a Third Term would be an interesting butterfly, but he is also astute enough to follow the two-term precedence (its not technically a rule, per say, but more of a guideline) and he might not want to break that. Its hard to really say what he would do, but grooming a successor like Grant, and also advising him would be the way to go, in all honesty.

Another thing I hadn't thought about was that Lincoln was also an ex-wig. They were certainly wary of the powers of the president becoming too great. Grooming a successor seems more Lincoln's style with that in mind.
 

Md139115

Banned
It's something I'm playing with. I may very well take it out if I decide it's too stupid or if it messes with the overall direction of the timeline. He will be sentenced to the gallows prior to the other stuff with the idea I'm playing with.

Honestly, I think you should run with this. First, it's too early to start making substantial revisions to your TL. Second, this is an opportunity for you to differentiate your TL from all of the other Lincoln Assassination POD TL's. Third, it would be a genuinely epic plot device. I mean, the world lost its collective mind back in 1981 when the Pope forgave the man who shot him and visited him in prison. If Lincoln were to pardon all of the conspirators (or all except Powell, who had seriously wounded Seward and his son) on the grounds that their actions were against him and it is within his rights to forgive and forget, then Lincoln would so astonish the devout in both North and South as to render him politically unassailable, and to damage the cause of the die-hards in the South. It would also declare that the war was over far better than any proclamation or parade.
 
Reconstruction Begins
May 28th, 1865, 10:00 AM
The White House
Excerpt from the diary of David Dixon Porter


It was with some tentativeness that I sat down for the meeting. President Lincoln was very civil and offered his guests refreshments but I must admit that I still felt some nervousness. I was expecting to be asked for advice on what path to take the nation when my knowledge was confined to the practice of waging war.

My mood was somewhat eased when the President began with a joke though I can’t really remember what it was. It was good whatever it was, the President has a way of making one feel welcome.

Mr. Lincoln then asked us what the situation was in the South. The relationship between the negroes and the recently defeated Confederates. I informed him from my perspective of limited information that there was certainly a level of animosity. General Grant and General Sherman, from their more experienced standpoints, echoed much the same.

Our conversation went on for a little while. Mr. Lincoln would ask of logistical matters and of the state of the troops and the navy and enquire into any unmet needs. Then the conversation shifted after Mr. Lincoln asked what the sentiment of the Southerners was towards colored troops.

This remark caught the attentions of General Sherman which resulted in him asking: “What do you mean by that Mr. President?”

The President replied, “I simply mean, is the authority of the military respected in the occupation.”

One could tell Sherman disliked the line of questioning but he did not speak out right away. Finally, General Grant answered the President’s question answering, “Response to colored troops has been unwelcoming at best Mr. President.”

Mr. Lincoln nodded. “White troops I presume are having fewer issues.”

Grant answered in the affirmative.

Then the President posed somewhat cautiously “And what about together?”

Grant was somewhat confused in his meaning but Sherman nearly exploded. “Mr. President you can not! You best withdraw colored troops from the South altogether.” Mr. Lincoln remained silent whilst meaning alluded Gen. Grant and myself. “Mr. Lincoln you can not integrate troops.”

Mr. Lincoln smiled and nodded, looking somehow content despite the weight of the office atop his shoulders. He was a wonder. He responded, “General Sherman I’m not proposing we give the negro 40 acres and a mule.” Mr. Lincoln said the remark in jest, but one could tell that Gen. Sherman did not take kindly to it.

Gen. Grant interjected at that moment, by the looks of his face he appeared quite surprised, “Mr. President if I may, it may be far too soon to institute such an idea. The dust of war has barely settled. Forcing blacks and whites to march together…”

Gen. Sherman interrupted, “We’ll have regiments fighting themselves instead of maintaining the peace.”

“Have colored regiments not fought just as well as white ones General?” The President posed.

“That’s beside the point, Mr. President. No matter how they fight, colored units and white units are different. They act differently. You can’t possibly expect to produce units that mix both kinds.” Gen. Sherman protested.

The President and Gen. Sherman debated back and forth for a few moments while Gen. Grant furrowed his brow in thought.

I decided to wade into the conversation, “Mr. President, I don’t presume to know the needs of the army, but in the navy negro sailors have served beside whites and duty was carried out regardless of creed. Outside the battle zone, there is division as is to be expected.” I failed to see the President’s purpose in engaging in such a potentially explosive pursuit, but I had to offer my input.

Mr. Lincoln nodded. Sherman brought up the fact that we were in peacetime and that troops would constantly be outside of the zone of battle, but Mr. Lincoln did not respond. Gen. Grant finally uttered, “Mr. President, an experiment can be conducted, but I’d advise against anything else at this point.”

“Thank you, General. An experiment is all I ask. I’d like to know if a regiment with a white face next to a black face is enough to command respect owed towards United States troops.” The President smiled and then the meeting continued onto other subjects.
***
Excerpts of 'From Traitor to Patriot: The Life and Legacy of Governor John Wilkes Booth'

In the month of June 1865, Booth lost all friends and allies.

The charges against Edmund Spangler and Mary Surratt were dropped after it became apparent that neither of them was involved in the planning of Booth’s plot. Despite their avoiding trial, neither of the acquaintances wanted to have anything to do with Booth, the man who’d tried to kill the President.
...
Arnold, Atzerodt, Herold, Mudd, and O’Laughlen all betrayed Booth to save their own skins. They spilled all they knew of Booth at their own trials and whilst testifying at Booth’s own. They told of his plot to kill the President. Of his declarations of loyalty to the South. They revealed his secrets and fears. All was told to the nation. In exchange, they received imprisonment, 10 years being the lowest sentence. It was better than the gallows though. Powell said all that the others had, but he was still unable to escape the noose. It only emphasized where Booth was headed.
...
'The Trial of the Century' lasted only 4 days, but no limit of excitement and intrigue occurred within that time frame. Witnesses included Ulysses and Julia Grant and the attempted assassin’s own co-conspirators. Booth was charming yet he could give a look that turned veins to ice. He was intelligent yet cutting. He was a heartthrob. As a result, the courtroom was packed with reporters, young women wanting to catch a glimpse of the dashing rogue who’d tried to kill the President, and ordinary citizens wanting to witness history.

The media storm consumed the public attention, obscuring the first steps of Reconstruction the Lincoln administration was undertaking. The way the trial consumed the nation, one may figure that there was no Civil War in the first place if it weren’t for the testimony of Booth.

John relished in the treatment. He was an actor and he was ready to give the people what they wanted. Despite knowing where he was headed in the end, Booth couldn’t resist praising the South and decrying the tyrant Lincoln. “I knew that if I failed, that death would at least bring freedom to me from the ape lover’s reign.” Booth stated to the pleasure of the courtroom audience. Booth was truly an excellent actor. His fear was completely obscured by his charm.​

***
Excerpt from Act 2, Scene 7 of the play ‘Semper Tyrannis’ written by John Wilkes Booth

The Soldiers standing on both sides of Booth grip his arms tightly as they lead him up to the steps to the gallows. He maintains his composure, though he is terrified. The soldiers turn Booth to face forward. The hangman silently places the noose around Booth’s neck as he fights to keep himself together.

Prison Commander: John Wilkes Booth, you have been found guilty of treason, conspiracy to seize and ransom and later attempted assassination of the President of the United States. You are hereby sentenced to death on July 4th, 1865. Do you have any last words?

Booth: (barely holding his composure) Sic semper tyrannis.

The Commander nods to the hangman. The hangman pulls the lever. The trapdoor opens and Booth drops. The noose isn’t fastened correctly. Booth twitches, choking.

Courier: (running from off stage) Wait! Halt the execution! Halt the execution! By order of the President halt the execution!


***
Excerpt from the diary of John Wilkes Booth

The sensation of hanging is the worst feeling imaginable. It was pure agony. The earth dropped away and I plunged into hell. The rope squeezed my fleshy throat, slowly crushing the life from my body. The tendril burned into my skin. My body screamed for it to end. I wanted life. My body wanted death. The tears from my eyes stuck the black hood to my face, further blocking my airways.

The agony went on forever. It was endless. Finally I felt myself begin to slip away to eternity when I was jerked upwards.

The pressure was removed somehow. The bite of the rope removed. I choked. I sobbed. I was pulled back onto the platform. I collapsed to the floor and bawled like a babe.​

***
Abraham Lincoln’s decision to pardon Booth and his fellow conspirators (barring Powell) continues to be a subject of debate for historians.

Some claim that Lincoln did it to gain support for his reconstruction plans. Others say it was done to create a definitive end to the war and to attempt to forge a new path of national unity. He may have even done it to distract from the United States Integrated Troops experiments.

Regardless of his reasoning, the monumental act of forgiveness would only further strengthen the legend of Lincoln. Despite protests from all of his advisors, Abraham could not stop contemplating the idea. At the eleventh hour he reached a decision that arguably, made him beyond reproach.
 
Last edited:
Okay, I'm not going to lie - I'm really loving this. The idea of a surviving and redeemed Booth is fascinating, and I really want to see how you pull it off! :)
 
I'm thinking that universal male suffrage will be pursued.

Better make that "impartial suffrage".

It can't be universal, as that would oblige western states to give the vote to Chinese, and eastern ones to give it to illiterate immigrants. You could, of course, have something like the 15th, providing that any literacy or other tests must apply impartially to all races. Senator William W Stewart of Nevada proposed an amendment along those lines in 1866, sugaring the pill with another clause giving universal amnesty for participation in the war.

There will also definitely be a continued Freedmen's Bureau. I might have a slightly later Klan start as the South becomes gradually more resistant to Reconstruction.

Yes. Lincoln won't veto the Freedman's Bureau Bill as Johnson did. Presumably it will continue till about 1872 as OTL.

The election of 1868 should be an interesting one, Johnson is definitely not going to be running in it.

He's an even less likely choice than OTL. Vice Presidents were hardly ever chosen. Not that it matters, as Grant will certainly win regardless of who is running against him.
 
He's an even less likely choice than OTL. Vice Presidents were hardly ever chosen. Not that it matters, as Grant will certainly win regardless of who is running against him.
Hih! The only successful ones who graduated to President were Jefferson and Van Buren....

Abraham Lincoln’s decision to pardon Booth and his fellow conspirators (barring Powell) continues to be a subject of debate for historians.

Some claim that Lincoln did it to gain support for his reconstruction plans. Others say it was done to create a definitive end to the war and to attempt to forge a new path of national unity. He may have even done it to distract from the United States Integrated Troops experiments.

Regardless of his reasoning, the monumental act of forgiveness would only further strengthen the legend of Lincoln. Despite protests from all of his advisors, Abraham could not stop contemplating the idea. At the eleventh hour he reached a decision that arguably, made him beyond reproach.

You could still get the hardline radicals thinking less of him for this though....
 
You could still get the hardline radicals thinking less of him for this though....
.

Would it still matter what they thought?

The Radicals got their opportunity because Andrew Johnson was vetoing even moderate Republican measures, and the moderates could not override his vetoes without Radical votes. So they had to accept enough of the Radicals' ideas to get them on board. Take Andrew Johnson away, and the moderate Reps now only need a simple majority, not two-thirds. This they can probably get.
 

Md139115

Banned
***
Excerpts of ‘From Patriot to Traitor: The Life and Legacy of Governor John Wilkes Booth’

In the month of June 1865, Booth lost all friends and allies.

The charges against Edmund Spangler and Mary Surratt were dropped after it became apparent that neither of them was involved in the planning of Booth’s plot. Despite their avoiding trial, neither of the acquaintances wanted to have anything to do with Booth, the man who’d tried to kill the President.
...
Arnold, Atzerodt, Herold, Mudd, and O’Laughlen all betrayed Booth to save their own skins. They spilled all they knew of Booth at their own trials and whilst testifying at Booth’s own. They told of his plot to kill the President. Of his declarations of loyalty to the South. They revealed his secrets and fears. All was told to the nation. In exchange, they received imprisonment, 10 years being the lowest sentence. It was better than the gallows though. Powell said all that the others had, but he was still unable to escape the noose. It only emphasized where Booth was headed.
...
John Wilkes Booth was the subject of ‘The Trial of the Century’. The trial lasted only 4 days, but no limit of excitement and intrigue occurred within that time frame. Witnesses included Ulysses and Julia Grant and the attempted assassin’s own conspirators. Booth was charming yet he could give a look that turned veins to ice. He was intelligent yet cutting. He was a heartthrob. As a result, the courtroom was packed with reporters, young women wanting to catch a glimpse of the dashing rogue who’d tried to kill the President, and ordinary citizens wanting to witness history.

The media storm consumed the public attention, obscuring the first steps of Reconstruction the Lincoln administration was undertaking. The way the trial consumed the nation, one may figure that there was no Civil War in the first place if it weren’t for the testimony of Booth.

John relished in the treatment. He was an actor and he was ready to give the people what they wanted. Despite knowing where he was headed in the end, Booth couldn’t resist praising the South and decrying the tyrant Lincoln. “I knew that if I failed, that death would at least bring freedom to me from the ape lover’s reign.” Booth stated to the pleasure of the courtroom audience. Booth was truly an excellent actor. His fear was completely obscured by his charm.​

***
Excerpt from Act 2, Scene 7 of the play ‘Semper Tyrannis’ written by John Wilkes Booth

The Soldiers standing on both sides of Booth grip his arms tightly as they lead him up to the steps to the gallows. He maintains his composure, though he is terrified. The soldiers turn Booth to face forward. The hangman silently places the noose around Booth’s neck as he fights to keep himself together.

Prison Commander: John Wilkes Booth, you have been found guilty of treason, conspiracy to seize and ransom and later attempted assassination of the President of the United States. You are hereby sentenced to death on July 4th, 1865. Do you have any last words?

Booth: (barely holding his composure) Sic semper tyrannis.

The Commander nods to the hangman. The hangman pulls the lever. The trapdoor opens and Booth drops. The noose isn’t fastened correctly. Booth twitches, choking.

Courier: (running from off stage) Wait! Halt the execution! Halt the execution! By order of the President halt the execution!


***
Excerpt from the diary of John Wilkes Booth

The sensation of hanging is the worst feeling imaginable. It was pure agony. The earth dropped away and I plunged into hell. The rope squeezed my fleshy throat, slowly crushing the life from my body. The tendril burned into my skin. My body screamed for it to end. I wanted life. My body wanted death. The tears from my eyes stuck the black hood to my face, further blocking my airways.

The agony went on forever. It was endless. Finally I felt myself begin to slip away to eternity when I was jerked upwards.

The pressure was removed somehow. The bite of the rope removed. I choked. I sobbed. I was pulled back onto the platform. I collapsed to the floor and bawled like a babe.​

***
Abraham Lincoln’s decision to pardon Booth and his fellow conspirators (barring Powell) continues to be a subject of debate for historians.

Some claim that Lincoln did it to gain support for his reconstruction plans. Others say it was done to create a definitive end to the war and to attempt to forge a new path of national unity. He may have even done it to distract from the United States Integrated Troops experiments.

Regardless of his reasoning, the monumental act of forgiveness would only further strengthen the legend of Lincoln. Despite protests from all of his advisors, Abraham could not stop contemplating the idea. At the eleventh hour he reached a decision that arguably, made him beyond reproach.

Wow, you actually used my idea... Holy cow, I actually made a contribution to this site! If I can follow up, the next scene you have Booth in should be the mother of all fights against his brother, Edwin. Edwin had just been saved from getting run over by a train only a few months prior by none other than Robert Lincoln, so he liked the Lincoln family almost as much as his brother hated them. In OTL, Edwin essentially went full dammatio memoriae on his brother, burning all pictures of him and forbidding anyone to speak the name "John Wilkes" in his presence. Since he is one of the few people that JWB genuinely respects, it could start him on the path to redemption.
 
Wow, that's super awesome info. I feel like I've heard somewhere about Edwin's encounter with Robert, but I hadn't really connected the dots. What a great way to push him towards redemption. Thanks.
 
Edwin had just been saved from getting run over by a train only a few months prior by none other than Robert Lincoln, so he liked the Lincoln family almost as much as his brother hated them.
um. Technically correct, but it was Edwin who saved Robert from being run over by the train.
 
The American Limbo: June 1865 - November 1865
Quotes from Abraham Lincoln

“General Howard, for the negro to earn a wage, he must be treated as a white man. For a negro to be treated as a white man, he must stand in the way of the white man’s wage.” Letter to Oliver O. Howard

“If this nation is to rebuild, blood, sweat, and tears will be needed. The efforts of both the newly freed and those now questioning their freedom must be relied upon. The internal improvements of the United States must be repaired and built anew.” Speech given upon announcing the Cooperation Proclamation

“To heal this nation, we as a people must be first and foremost, American.”

“Secretary Stanton, if we wish to reunite this nation, we must allocate resources to creating labor.” Letter to Edwin Stanton

“I am of the opinion that man is free to live, work, and pursue freedom within the United States where he chooses. That being said, it is better for men with no desire to grow intellectually to remain within their sphere of origin. The weak minded should remain in the country.” Letter to Schulyer Colfax

“The negro should have the option of remaining in the countryside. Compelling the negroes to migrate to cities of this nation would be cruel and displace them from their family and history.” Conversation with Ulysses S. Grant

***
The months of 1865 following the end of the Civil War are often forgotten and neglected, however, understanding these months is crucial to understanding the history of Reconstruction. This period is commonly referred to as "The American Limbo" due to the lack of strong legislation and because of the uncertain direction for the nation. Readmittance of the Southern States, suffrage, and the physical state of Southern infrastructure were all issues that the nation needed to answer.

Though Abraham Lincoln wanted to reunite the United States as quickly as possible, he feared that acting too drastically could result in the nation slipping back into slavery. In July 1865, Lincoln issued an Executive Order that expanded powers of the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands. The ‘Cooperation Proclamation’ as it came to be known as gave the Bureau the power to purchase and sell land within former Confederate states and gave it the responsibility of repairing and constructing infrastructure that had been damaged or destroyed during the war. As a part of the war department, the Bureau did not require a congressional budgetary bill to utilize it’s expanded power. Though there was some criticism of the proclamation, no political action was taken against it. Attacking Lincoln in July of 1865 was political suicide following the Booth Plot Pardons.

Additionally, Lincoln ordered the Bureau to deal with poor Southern whites and to make land trades with the wealthier Southerners. During The American Limbo, land plots were sold to freedmen and to poor whites. The provisions of land distribution for the Bureau that had originated in Sherman’s Special Field Order 15 were modified by Grant on Lincoln’s orders. The language was altered so that land could be given to a group of “three heads of families” instead of “three respectable negroes, heads of families”. Sherman was angered by the idea that his order had evolved into something that perpetuated race mixing, however, as a good soldier he did not make public statements or even discuss his feelings with other officers.

In practice, trios of black families and trios of white families ended up receiving separate plots of land more often than not. In rare instances, truly desperate white families partnered with black families to sign deeds with the Bureau.

The Bureau had more success in construction projects. With the authority to rebuild infrastructure, the Bureau contracted out projects to private individuals and businesses with the condition that employees were paid the same wage. Contractors attempted to simply hire only white workers but in most cases this proved to be impractical. The contracts that the Bureau awarded were mostly tasks that were the responsibility of slaves prior to emancipation; road maintenance and construction, agricultural work, and more. Many whites viewed the work as beneath themselves, those that did accept the jobs did not number enough so that tasks could be completed on time. Contractors were forced to hire blacks as well as whites.

Initially, contractors still found ways to discriminate. White employees were given titles with added trivial responsibilities so as to pay black employees next to nothing. Violence was threatened upon blacks by their white co-workers so that they would not inform Bureau inspectors of their mistreatment. In response the Bureau grew shrewder and stricter. Contracts were made more specific and complex. When contractors continued to find loopholes, the Bureau began issuing contracts with specific clauses that ruled that white and black employees had to be paid the same wage. Surprise inspections were also instituted and any contract violations were punished severely, often with the revoking of contracts. Eventually, the Southern elites who were purchasing the contracts submitted to the Bureau’s requirements for egalitarian hiring by the end of 1865. With no other sources of income due to the ravages of the war, at least no other sources that provided the same dividends as the Bureau’s contract system, Southern businesses were forced to accept black employees.

***

img003.jpg


A group of soldiers in the United States Integrated Troops experiment. The soldiers photographed are musicians. It was thought that if an Integrated Troops band could learn to work together, that an example would be set for other soldiers assigned to USIT regiments.


***
With Lincoln’s Cooperation Proclamation, the political wings of the United States were required to reassess their goals. The Radical Republicans, in particular, were faced with a conundrum. What was to be the fate of the freedmen? The Radicals were hesitant to allow full suffrage for freedmen. Charles Sumner favored literacy requirements on voters while Thaddeus Stevens believed that unconditional suffrage was a necessary sacrifice to allow African Americans to protect themselves from a resurgence of slavery.


The Radicals were united in their belief that the South needed to be punished for secession. However, by December all Southern states had repealed secession and begrudgingly ratified the 13th Amendment in step with Lincoln’s Ten Percent Proclamation. Additionally, the moderate Republicans stood firmly with Lincoln. After internal struggles, Stevens and Sumner finally came to agree to devote the efforts of the Radicals to settling the issue of Suffrage and protecting the rights of blacks. Attacking the moderates (and by extension Lincoln) would lead to a decline in popularity for the Radical wing. By December, they agreed to implement Sumner’s literacy test proposals. Literacy tests, with stipulations that they be the same for both races, would be easier to implement with the amount of influence the Radicals had. Additionally, Stevens grew less concerned about a regression into slavery as the Freedmen’s Bureau became more powerful.


The Democrats experienced their own limbo in 1865. The growing power of the Freedmen’s Bureau served as a threat to Democrats and middle and upper-class Southerners. The Bureau provided another form of acquiring land for poor whites that was independent of the upper class’s prices. It was feared that poor whites, with more agency thanks to the Federal Government, would shift their loyalties to Republicans. However, it was feared that completely neutering the Freedmen’s Bureau would lead to civil unrest and rioting as the War Department was one of the few pillars of stability within the South. Taking away the organization that was providing the poor with work, land, and normalcy. Limbo in the South was also far more chaotic than in the North. Respected Southerners gave contradicting speeches consecutively, one day blaming the Southern Upper classes for the failure of the rebellion and the next day singing the praises of the Planters. Poor Southerners worked enthusiastically beside freedmen while acting upon and expressing white supremacist views outside of the work environment. Jefferson Davis had disappeared. By the end of 1865, the Democrats realized that they needed to provide, or at least appear to provide, services to the poor if they wished to uproot the Freedmen’s Bureau.

***​

Excerpt of ‘From Traitor to Patriot: The Life and Legacy of Governor John Wilkes Booth’


After his pardon, John Wilkes Booth faced a crisis. He’d been forgiven by a tyrant. Booth went into his own Limbo. Nearly everywhere he went in public he was received with boos, jeers, and even thrown objects. The hatred was too much for Booth resulting in his turn to the bottle. He became disheveled and unrecognizable. He wandered the cities, drinking away his money and his life. He could find no work nor any ally.

OOC: Thanks to @Md139115 and @Mikestone8 for providing ideas and critique.

OOC2: It's been a while. This post has been updated with a little more detail.
 
Last edited:
With the proviso that literacy tests be the same for blacks and whites, this will cause a real problem for southern whites. OTL prior to the ACW schooling in the south for the general population was well behind the north. During and after the ACW abolitionists sent teachers to the south to teach literacy to freed slaves, and this was done under the aegis of the Freedman's Bureau when this came in to being. For the poor whites, if they want to vote they like to become literate, which might mean attending the new schools with former slaves. For the wealthy whites, would they be willing to tax to provide public schools so poor whites could be educated without the need to go to schools run by abolitionists/Freedman's Bureau. The upper class whites would have to tax themselves to come up with the money to provide these schools, which they were unwilling to do both before and after the war OTL.

For the upper/middle class whites the conundrum is pay to educate poor whites, or see only black voters emerge as literate. For the poor whites, if "public" schools are not provided then either attend school with former slaves to become literate or remain illiterate and not vote. BTW I assume, like OTL, literacy tests wil only be used in the south not the north like OTL.
 
With the proviso that literacy tests be the same for blacks and whites, this will cause a real problem for southern whites. OTL prior to the ACW schooling in the south for the general population was well behind the north. During and after the ACW abolitionists sent teachers to the south to teach literacy to freed slaves, and this was done under the aegis of the Freedman's Bureau when this came in to being. For the poor whites, if they want to vote they like to become literate, which might mean attending the new schools with former slaves. For the wealthy whites, would they be willing to tax to provide public schools so poor whites could be educated without the need to go to schools run by abolitionists/Freedman's Bureau. The upper class whites would have to tax themselves to come up with the money to provide these schools, which they were unwilling to do both before and after the war OTL.

For the upper/middle class whites the conundrum is pay to educate poor whites, or see only black voters emerge as literate. For the poor whites, if "public" schools are not provided then either attend school with former slaves to become literate or remain illiterate and not vote. BTW I assume, like OTL, literacy tests wil only be used in the south not the north like OTL.

Yes the literacy tests will just be in the South. As for the rest of your post, you just highlighted what I'm going for. That's the conundrum I'm trying to make for the South.

I'm moving in a direction where the Freedmen's Bureau will have more power in the South and provide services for the poor whites as well as the freedmen. The Democrats will have to work to restrict the power of the Bureau and appeal to the poor whites so they don't bleed votes to the Republicans.
 
Will there be any change to the Republicans' policy on tariffs?

They were the protectionist party, ie the one making people pay more for manufactured goods. Has a poor southern white any more reason to vote for that than a planter?
 
Uhh, Just a little nitpick, but hanging brings death by breaking the neck, not strangulation. It might be more realistic, if somewhat melodramatic, to have the reprieve arrive just seconds before the trap drops. Keep up the good work. I'm really enjoying this.
 
Uhh, Just a little nitpick, but hanging brings death by breaking the neck, not strangulation. It might be more realistic, if somewhat melodramatic, to have the reprieve arrive just seconds before the trap drops. Keep up the good work. I'm really enjoying this.
But there are many cases where it doesn't sit right around the neck and instead of snapping it the person is simply strangled to death, that's why they say 'hung by the neck until dead'.
 
Top