Hannibal Hamlin's Successful Reconstruction
* Hannibal Hamlin, Lincoln's first Vice President, a Radical Republican senator from Maine, would have been a far better president than Andrew Johnson during Reconstruction. Hoping to win Democratic votes, Lincoln replaced Hamlin with Johnson, a Democrat from the south. At Lincoln's death, Johnson the raging racist and drunk took power, to the tragedy of American history. Up to 50,000 political murders by racist terrorists took place in five years, almost all of them unpunished. (See Section Six.)
* For Johnson fired almost every Union general trying to enforce the law and protect Blacks and anti racist whites from terrorism. He forced the return of confiscated land turned over to former slaves, stripping them of the chance at economic self sufficiency. Finally, Johnson pardoned virtually every Confederate traitor.
* For Reconstruction to succeed, three things had to happen:
* 1. The laws had to be enforced. US troops had to stay in place and increase in number. If not enough troops were not available, then Blacks and anti racist whites had to successfully arm and defend themselves from white supremacist terrorism.
* 2. Blacks had to be truly independent, economically self sufficient, and have political power to protect their economic gains. Economic self sufficiency would lead to many more educated Blacks and the start of a professional class.
* 3. For both of the above to happen, former Confederates and white supremacist terrorists had to be punished, not pardoned. Union generals, instead of being fired by Johnson for enforcing the law, would have more successfully arrested racist terrorists. When Grant did enforce the law for a time, KKK violence dropped dramatically. (See Section Eight.)
* Hamlin would not have blocked any of the three above choices as Johnson did. The US would have seen a Congress and president united in their intent to rebuild, united in their efforts for Black equality, and united to punish Confederate traitors and terrorists. Of the 50,000 political murders by racist terrorists, like that number is greatly reduced. by half at least. What is less certain is how many Black lives may be saved in the future not only from lynchings and related race-motivated violence, but from lessened poverty and discrimination.
* Other accomplishments are not certain, but they are very likely. The Freedmen's Bureau, no longer crippled by Johnson, likely is expanded. Anti racist southern whites are no longer lynched alongside Blacks, and this political alliance, split by extensive violence, endures into the present.
* The biggest and most important accomplishment of all would be land redistributed to Union veterans. Union Generals Sherman and Saxton had already tried experiments in redistributing land to former slaves in Savannah, Georgia and the Sea Islands of South Carolina. Congress had already passed a law giving the Freedmen's Bureau power to give land to former slaves, but Johnson vetoed it. What would likely be a more successful experiment would be giving land to Union veterans instead of all former slaves. Reparations for slaves was (and is) far more controversial than giving lands to veterans, which has a long precedent. What politician would commit political suicide by denying rewards to veterans?
* This still means the Black community would be given a land base and a chance for self sufficiency, for there were at least 180,000 Black Union veterans. Giving large numbers of white Union veterans land has them moving south, bringing their families. There were over a million white Union veterans. Even if only a quarter accepted the land offer, that would turn the tide. Together that would be at least more than 400,000 Union veterans, armed, trained, in place for the long term defending their land base, and not willing to tolerate the violence of white supremacist terrorists, the former Confederates they had just fought. This means groups like the KKK will lose.
* In the short term, one would expect to see even more violence from vengeful and jealous racists. But in the long term, the combination of continuing American troops in the south enforcing the law and groups of former Union veterans organized to fight the Klan and other terrorists means that ex-Confederate racists cannot win. With the defeat of terrorism, Blacks become as influential in the south as whites. Combined with the many anti racist whites, this is an unbeatable coalition. It is even possible the Democratic Party could end. It was largely the party of southern white racists, until the 1960s when these same racists almost all became Republicans. Once defeated, the Democrats may dissolve for good.
* Hamlin likely continues as president for a second term, until 1872. In actual history he served two more terms as Senator before retiring in 1880. Grant may then become the next US President from 1872 to 1876. A second term for Grant is possible. This time his reconciliation would be timed just right, with racist terrorists already broken. The main issue from the 1870s on would no longer be race but class. With the coming industrialization of America, labor struggles would define America for the next century. The Populist Party in actual history began in 1891, but earlier farmer's groups began as early as 1876. The Populists may begin earlier. America's two parties may today be Republicans and Populists. Or if the Populists fail, our two parties may even be Republicans and Socialists. At one point, one sixth of all US voters were Socialists.