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After the Civil War
(1865-1870)

Reconstruction : A "Tag Team" Event

Reconstruction : A "Tag Team" Event
Reading Level
     edHelper's suggested reading level:   grades 4 to 6
     Flesch-Kincaid grade level:   7.75

Vocabulary
     challenging words:    administration, amnesty, arena, brawl, chaos, corruption, easygoing, economic, fraud, groundwork, grudge, on-going, policies, post-war, radical, re-enslaving
     content words:    American Civil War, Four U. S., President Lincoln, Vice-President Andrew Johnson, White House, Black Codes, Radical Republicans, Ulysses S., Civil War, Republican Party

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Reconstruction : A "Tag Team" Event
By Toni Lee Robinson 		  
1     At the end of the American Civil War, one problem loomed menacingly on the horizon. The southern states were a disaster. The chaos and destruction of war had to be cleaned up. The Reconstruction project became a formidable opponent in an on-going wrestling match. Four U.S. Presidents in turn dealt with this mammoth problem.
 
2     Each leader had his own ideas about what should be done. President Lincoln studied this question long before the war ended. He planned to get the South back on its feet as soon as possible. He wanted amnesty for those who took an oath of loyalty to the U.S. Constitution.
 
3     Congressmen angrily attacked his policies. They claimed that Congress alone had the power to carry out Reconstruction. In the midst of this clash came Lincoln's assassination. Round one of the contest was over.
 
4     At Lincoln's death, Vice-President Andrew Johnson entered the ring. This second round was a grudge match from the beginning. Most of Congress wanted the Southerners punished for their rebellion. They advocated a "hard peace." Johnson riled Congress by adopting policies more easygoing than Lincoln's were.

Paragraphs 5 to 14:
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