ABSTRACT
Early Reconstruction began in 1863, after President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, which freed the slaves in the rebel states only, a tactic utilized to end the war. Different visions of Reconstruction were held by different factions within the Republican Party, in command in all of the elected branches of government. Within the newly reclaimed states, Republicans were elected to office and efforts were made to create a free labor economy. Slaves had a material value in the marketplace and a dead slave was a substantial economic loss, especially after the United States withdrew from the international trade in human lives. As the Civil War continued, Negroes remained no more than chattel in the South but were vital to the region’s economy. The Civil War brought devastating destruction to the South, and Congress, recognizing the need to jumpstart the economy, allocated resources for rebuilding railroads and seaports.
