Editing Reconstruction era (section)

=== Legal reconstruction ===
From its origins, questions existed as to the legal significance of the Civil War, whether secession had actually occurred, and what measures, if any, were necessary to restore the governments of the Confederate States. For example, throughout the conflict, the United States government recognized the legitimacy of a [[Restored Government of Virginia|unionist government in Virginia]] led by [[Francis Harrison Pierpont]] out of [[Wheeling, West Virginia|Wheeling]]. (This recognition was rendered moot when the Pierpont government separated the northwestern counties of the state and sought admission as [[West Virginia]].) As additional territory came under Union control, reconstructed governments were established in Tennessee, Arkansas, and Louisiana. Debates over ''legal reconstruction'' focused on whether secession was legally valid, the implications of secession for the nature of the seceded states, and the legitimate method of their readmission to the Union.{{Citation needed|date=June 2024}}

The first plan for legal reconstruction was introduced by Lincoln in his Proclamation of Amnesty and Reconstruction, the so-called "[[ten percent plan]]" under which a loyal unionist state government would be established when ten percent of its 1860 voters pledged an oath of allegiance to the Union, with a complete pardon for those who pledged such an oath. By 1864, Louisiana, Tennessee, and Arkansas had established fully functioning Unionist governments under this plan. However, Congress passed the [[Wade–Davis Bill]] in opposition, which instead proposed that a ''majority'' of voters must pledge that they had ''never'' supported the Confederate government and disfranchised all those who had. Lincoln vetoed the Wade–Davis Bill, but it established a lasting conflict between the presidential and congressional visions of reconstruction.<ref name="Foner 2009">{{Cite journal |last=Foner |first=Eric |author-link=Eric Foner|date=Winter 2009 |title=If Lincoln hadn't died&nbsp;... |url=http://www.americanheritage.com/content/if-lincoln-hadn%E2%80%99t-died |url-status=live |journal=American Heritage Magazine |volume=58 |issue=6 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120616125206/http://www.americanheritage.com/content/if-lincoln-hadn%E2%80%99t-died |archive-date=June 16, 2012 |access-date=July 26, 2010}}</ref>{{sfnp|Harris|1997|p={{page needed|date=October 2021}}}}{{sfnp|Simpson|2009|p={{page needed|date=October 2021}}}}

In addition to the legal status of the seceded states, Congress debated the legal consequences for Confederate veterans and others who had engaged in "insurrection and rebellion" against the government and the legal rights of those freed from slavery. These debates resulted in the [[Reconstruction Amendments]] to the United States Constitution.{{Citation needed|date=June 2024}}