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**History** In the history of the United States, Reconstruction Era has two uses; the first covers the entire nation in the period 1865–1877 following the Civil War; the second one, used in this article, covers the transformation of the Southern United States from 1863 to 1877, with the reconstruction of state and society in the former Confederacy. Three amendments to the Constitution affected the entire nation. In the different states, Reconstruction began and ended at different times; federal Reconstruction policies were finally abandoned with the Compromise of 1877.

Reconstruction policies were debated in the North when the war began, and commenced in earnest after the Emancipation Proclamation, issued on January 1, 1863. Reconstruction policies were implemented when a Confederate state came under the control of the Union Army. President Abraham Lincoln set up reconstructed governments in several southern states during the war, including Tennessee, Arkansas and Louisiana, and experimented with giving land to ex-slaves in South Carolina.

President Andrew Johnson continued Lincoln's lenient plans despite the widespread bitterness over Lincoln's assassination. Johnson appointed new governors in the summer of 1865, and quickly declared that the war goals of national unity and the ending of slavery had been achieved, so that reconstruction was completed. Republicans in Congress refused to accept Johnson's lenient terms, rejected the new members of Congress selected by the South, and in 1865-66 broke with the president. A sweeping Republican victory in the 1866 Congressional elections in the North gave the Radical Republicans enough control of Congress that they over-rode Johnson's vetoes and began what is called "Radical reconstruction" in 1867. **Point of Divergence**  Lincoln was shot at the Ford Theater in attempts to be assassinated. Surprisingly he pulled through after being shot twice in the back. After leaving the hospital Lincoln continued his plans with a minor set back. He soon after made a speech declaring his intentions on the war and the wanted outcomes of the war.He also discussed the goals for creating equality and ending slavery. **Lincoln's Plan**  By December 1864, the Lincoln plan of Reconstruction had been enacted in Louisiana and the legislature sent 2 Senators and 5 Representatives to take their seats in Washington. Congress didn't refuse to count any of the votes from Louisiana, Arkansas, and Tennessee, even though some were in the mind of rejecting Lincoln's Reconstruction plan. Soon after his goals for reconstruction were achieved. To ensure that all rights were fair and followed. **Freedman Rights** Abraham Lincoln came up with the idea to write a code(laws)that had to be followed to ensure equality amongst all. The Laws were called [|Freedman Rights.]The Freedman rights even overthrew the Civil Rights Act of 1866, Congress decided the Freedman rights were fair, easy to follow and would allow Freedman to catch up in society. The laws touched on several topics from lawsuits, marriage, illegal acts, to injustice treatment. **Civil Rights Act Vs. Freedman Rights**  Although the Freedman acts and the Civil Right Act of 1866 were similar. The Civil Rights Act showed it was been illegal in the U.S. to discriminate in jobs and housing on the basis of race. On the other hand, federal penalties weren't provided, so that was left to the individuals involved to solve. Because those being discriminated against had a limit to access to legal and financial help, this left many victims of discrimination without help which led to under the table violation, mistreatment and discrimination. Once Congress was aware of the dangers they would face if this continued. The Freedman Rights overthrew The Civil Rights Act of 1866. Lincoln's flexibility and superior political skills with Congress and citizens helped solve Reconstruction without any difficulty....................... **In a Jam Without Abraham**  After showing no leniency towards people of hate or anti-change, the people of the united states became united. Since then there has only been few discriminatory acts. Statistics show that if Lincoln would not have survived the shooting, the amount of cases in relation to discrimination would increase annually. Since Lincoln survived and America has been in the habit of treating each other equally the little acts of discrimination we do have, statistics show it decreases annually.

Abraham Lincoln's unexpected survival surely changed America and he will always be remembered for his great political skills and care for every citizen in the United States of America. Without his survival imagine all the hate crimes Americans would encounter.
 * Sources**

http://www.sciway.net/afam/reconstruction/blackcodes.html

http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/reconstruction/index.html

http://chnm.gmu.edu/courses/122/recon/chron.html

http://cwmemory.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/abraham-lincoln-shooting.jpg

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e2/RedX.svg/500px-RedX.svg.png

http://hrcafe.typepad.com/my_weblog/2008/03/new-discriminat.html