[DiogenesLamp]

You think Johnson pressured the army to do that? Lincoln made his purpose clear before he died.

On the other hand, do you think the Southern states did that voluntarily? I find that hard to believe, because the long standing narrative was that they fought a war or something to preserve slavery, so it strikes me as implausible that they would simply give up something they supposedly sacrificed so many people to protect.

[DoodleDawg]

You think Johnson pressured the army to do that? Lincoln made his purpose clear before he died.

And continued to do it from the grave. We get it.

On the other hand, do you think the Southern states did that voluntarily? I find that hard to believe, because the long standing narrative was that they fought a war or something to preserve slavery, so it strikes me as implausible that they would simply give up something they supposedly sacrificed so many people to protect.

Yes because in 1865 the Southern state legislatures that voted to ratify were made up primarily of Unionists. The former Rebs didn't begin to infest them until after the rebellion was over.