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OK, when somebody asks you when the Civil War ended, what do you say?
- Alan
- Alan
Note that, there was no formal treaty or formal cease fire and negotiated end to the war in 1866 either (as far as I know). Andrew Johnson just said "the threat is gone, the war to be over."
Of interest to me is that if you look at his "the war is over proclamation," Johnson could have issued it months earlier, given the conditions on the ground. There's probably a story behind why he happened to issue the proclamation in August 1866, but I don't know it.
- Alan
Johnson returned the country to normal with various proclamations over several months...
May 10, 1865 declaration that armed resistance was virtually over and ordering arrest of insurgent cruisers.
May 22, 1865 declared the blockade on ports lifted except Texas.
May 29, 1865 granted amnesty to participants in rebellion with certain exceptions.
May 29 - July 13, 1865 individual proclamations to reorganize constitutional government in NC, MS, GA, TX, AL, SC, FL.
June 13, 1865 removed trade restrictions on former Confederate states east of Mississippi River.
August 29, 1865 removed restrictions on contraband of war.
October 12, 1865 declared end to martial law in Kentucky.
December 1, 1865 Restored habeas corpus in all states except Kentucky and the eleven states of the Confederacy.
April 2, 1866 declared insurrection to be at end except for Texas.
August 20, 1866 declared insurrection over even in Texas
September 7, 1867 offering full pardon to all persons participating in Late Rebellion with some exceptions.
October 7, 1867 correction to the August 1866 proclamation declaring insurrection over.
Johnson waited on the seceding states to form state governments under the presidential reconstruction plan before declaring the insurrection over. Texas was last on the list with its new constitution ratified and the new state legislature met on August 6, 1866. However, the state governments were removed in 1867 by Congress and reconstituted as military districts with eventually a state government reconstituted by congressional rules (except Tennessee).
So the 8/20/1866 date is weak since Johnson's motivation for declaration was the establishment of civilian governments in the seceded states which were soon swept away. The shooting war ended in 1865. As noted above he reissued the "Insurrection is Over Proclamation" in 1867 because of incorrect dates in the original.
IMO the end should date from May 10, 1862, with the capture of Jefferson Davis and the end of the Confederate Government. This would be consistent with the end of WWII. VE Day and VJ Day mark the official end of the war in the European and Pacific Theaters respectively though it some weeks later until isolated commands were surrendered.
Correct. Thanks for the heads up - it has been edited.5/10/1865, you mean, correct?
June 2, 1865, with the surrender of the Confederate Trans-Mississippi Department. There were other, scattered units that surrendered after that date, but I believe this was the last major CS component to capitulate.
Why stop there....how about the ruling in Shelby County vs Holder on 6/25/13 that reduces Federal involvement in state election laws.How about July 2, 1964 when Johnson (LBJ Johnson) signed the Civil Rights Act? Or, I agree "who said it's over?"
IMO the end should date from May 10, 1865, with the capture of Jefferson Davis and the end of the Confederate Government. This would be consistent with the end of WWII. VE Day and VJ Day mark the official end of the war in the European and Pacific Theaters respectively though it some weeks later until isolated commands were surrendered.
I think that the tension between centralization and decentralization is something that all larger countries experience, and therefore can't really be used as a marker of whether the American Civil War is 'still continuing' or not.
Especially since it was not an issue fought over in the Civil War.
I considered making "Who said the war was over?" a choice for the poll, but I figured it would be counterproductive.
- Alan