[Drennan Whyte]

Lincoln’s belief was that they had never left, while the Radical Carpetbagger Republicans said they DID, and had to meet conditions to RE-APPLY for statehood.

Can you quote the legislation that required that?

[sergeantdave]

“Can you quote the legislation that required that?”

The Republicans passed the Reconstruction Act of 1867, which set the conditions the Southern states had to accept before they could be readmitted to the union, including ratification of the 14th Amendment.

Congress also declared that southern states needed to redraft their constitutions, ratify the Fourteenth Amendment, and provide suffrage to blacks in order to seek readmission into the Union. To further safeguard voting rights for former slaves, Republicans passed the Second Reconstruction Act, placing Union troops in charge of voter registration. Congress overrode two presidential vetoes from Johnson to pass the bills.

[TexConfederate1861]

Read the Reconstruction Acts