The Reputation of Presidents Takes a Hit in Their Second Term

[AussieMick]

I think we can make some assumptions about what Lincoln would have done during Reconstruction based upon what he was doing and saying throughout his life. He was very keen on compensated emancipation. Many other nations used it to enable slave owners to be compensated. Sure, to many of us (me anyhow) find it a bit obscene to be giving $$$ to people that had made their wealth out of human misery ... but these were assets that Govts had previously allowed people to own and now those Govts were saying You must give them up.

If slave owners had been compensated the Govt would have had arguing power to say We've done the right thing- now You must do the right thing and treat freed slaves humanely.

A major problem for the South (as I understand it) was that the War had brought massive poverty ... and this continued for many decades. Compensation for the slaves would, yes, have been a huge impost on the national economy. But, like the Marshall Plan for Europe after WW2, the $$$ could have been used by the South to re-build and the massive poverty could have been addressed ... rather than lasting until, what, the 1960's. And that 'huge impost' could have been wiped out and the potential resources (brains, labour, initiative, etc ) of all peoples (regardless of skin colour) in the South would have been effectively used.