Although Lincoln's Plan of Reconstruction was not put into effect in
             the South after the Civil War, if it had been racism would have been
             almost completely avoided in the 20th century. Licoln's proposed plan
             was called the "10% Plan." It called for 10% of the people would voted
             in the 1860 Election to take a pledge of loyalty to the Union. This
             plan was met by harsh oppostion by the Radical Republicans in Congress
             who viewed the South as conquered territory. These Radicals said that
             Lincoln's plan was much too soft. In return, Republicans in Congress
             then moved to pass the Wade-Davis Bill in 1864. This bill required
             that a majority of the South would have to take an iron clad oath that
             the had never supported the Confederacy. The Wade-Davis bill was
             pocket-vetoed by Lincoln who was assassinated shortly after. Johnson
             took over the presidency and his Plan of Reconstruction was passes.
             Instead of Lincoln's "10% Plan", Johnson's Plan of Reconstuction was
             put into effect. Johnson's plan was much more acrimonious towards the
             South. Johnson's plan demanded that the South nullify their
             secessions, hold stae conventions, adopt the 13th amendment, re-elect
             The question of how to reconstruct the devistated South after the Civil
             War was one of immense importance in many aspects. Most would argue
             that the problems involving the South adjusting socially to the notion
             of liberated blacks was the msot heated issue. It was an issue that
             encompassed both a change in lifestyle as well as in longstanding moral
             values. Both Presdential and Congressional plans were developed in an
             attempt to ensure Reconstruction would be as smooth as a political,
             economic and social revolution as humanly possible.
             President Abraham Lincoln believed from the start of the War, and
             therefore the start of Reconstruction, that the Southern states had
             never legally seceded from the Untion. Therefore his plan ...