What was Andrew Johnson's central idea on Reconstruction?
My central idea on Reconstruction was simple: 'The Constitution as it is, and the Union as it was.' The war was fought to preserve the Union, and once the rebels laid down their arms, they were still Americans. Their states, having never legally left the Union, needed to be brought back into their full standing. I believed the people of the South, once loyal governments were established, should decide their own affairs, including the status of freedmen. This government was established by white men, for white men, and the Constitution gave Congress no power to dictate the rights of citizens within a state beyond the basic guarantees.
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