What if instead of reaching out to Johnson, Lincoln kept Hamlin as his running mate in 1864?
Given other events Lincoln is still elected. I think Hamilin would be more radical on reconstruction. In OTL in the immediate aftermath the old confederate regimes were allowed to take power. Ideally he would have destroyed the planter class with confiscations and compenston for former slaves.
So alot of the land is giving to the slaves. Would Hamilin put protections for them or some way to keep lynchings and mobs down? Though I imagine if that happens, it would be worse for the South since it'd justify harsher punishment
If he also gives land to poor, landless whites who were at best on the fence for the CSA (hence why the Confederates passed the first draft law in American history) makes sure to arm everyone and has the federal army focus on hunting down the KKK and other, similar elements he could easily create a lot of biracial yeoman communities with strong militias that become the bedrock of the New South. The total destruction of the planters' power would also help by eliminating a major source of funding, support and influence for such groups.
Hopefully he would. The Reconstruction was such a lost opportunity IOTL.Yeah, that could work. Basically have them say they can get land if they denounced the CSA and slavery while doing it as biracial thing (heck, they could even try to overcome that with a rich vs poor mentality.)
Would Hamlin do such an action? It would help out alot and make the South better in the long run.
Given other events Lincoln is still elected. I think Hamilin would be more radical on reconstruction. In OTL in the immediate aftermath the old confederate regimes were allowed to take power. Ideally he would have destroyed the planter class with confiscations and compenston for former slaves.
That's not the thread I was referencing at all. This is much newer; the one I am talking about was two or three years ago.