SWAT+Team

The SWAT TEAM

====1.Forget the past, and think of the future. Our future must be glorious in unison and filled with compassion for one another. “All men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." Our country’s Declaration Of Independence clearly states that every single individual is equal and the same, regardless of race. Our primary goal of Reconstruction is to reinforce and establish every entity’s rights; including the right to vote, have a position in office, or even own land. Civil Right’s are a necessity to an individuals human existence. Education, the right to vote, own land, and even a home are pure necessities in our plan. ==== ====2.The ex-Confederates because of their loss in the war must deal with the consequences. We hereby establish the Acceptance Policy which calls for, that the ex-Confederates in order to either stay in office or be able to take part in office and to be able to vote they must recognize that every freedmen has the same rights to vote, and liberties that they do. This may be an unrealistic expectation considering that the whites have lived their entire lives with the notion that the African Americans were not equal to them.  And if they break this policy and go against the civil rights of the freedmen they can no longer vote, serve in officer if they are presently in it, or cannot try to be in office. In addition, every ex- Confederate must recognize that they lost the war and abide by the 13,14, and 15th amendment. Furthermore, they also have to partake in the country wide tax called the Secret Tax wish entails that there will be a 7% increase in products in order to start on the process of funding education for the freedmen and for housing and land for them, as well as for the reconstruction of the various things like railroads and such that were destroyed during the Civil War. Good ideas to make them help in the Reconstruction process! ==== ====3.The Freedmen however will be able to have the same rights as any other man in the country. This entails all liberties set forth in the Constitution that until now were held from them. Won't this cause riots and rebellion from the Southern Whites? They will also all be able to have a free education. There will be volunteers to teach them. What Southern whites are really going to be willing to teach blacks how to read?  If they are the young children of freedmen they will be required to go to school for 6 years (Grade School) which is from Kindergarten through 5th grade, if they want to further their education they may do so. As for the freedmen who wish to be part of office or any political position they must first complete 4 years of schooling where they will be taught the basics. This is just to prepare them to be able to read and write and work towards their full potential, which wasn’t given to them in slavery. Finally, the Secret Tax will provide to as many freedmen as possible their own land to start their new free lives on a good foot. ==== ====4. Every citizen, if old enough, should be allowed to vote. Once the slaves are freed, they must be educated for a certain amount of years, based on their age, before being able to vote or having the option of holding a seat in office. It is only fair to give these African Americans their civil rights, just as the white men have. They are men and women just like the rest of us and should not be treated as different. If anyone is not willing to agree with this or decides to go against it, they shall be removed from any place in office immediately. ﻿How do you make sure opposition groups like the KKK don't take action by using violence against the African Americans? Who can hold office? Protection is necessary for the African American voters and officials. ====

5. What requirements must be met before states regain full rights and representation?
====Before any of the rebel states can be readmitted into the United States, there are a few things that are required of them. For one, they must all ratify the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments. If they refuse to do so, they are not able to vote or be an active member of the country. There will be no punishment of the ex-Confederates. If the rebel states wish be to be made an important asset to the country again, they must accept all the new rules and regulations, such as allowing black men the right to vote and understanding that each one of them [the freedmen] do have a required amount of education time before they are able to become any important part of the country. In order for the Union to be restored again, we must all be able to come to a common ground and settle our differences. The African American men and women of this country can now be considered a part of the United States and have called this country their home for many years now. It is time that we give them the rights that they deserve, and we must all realize that it is time for a change. ﻿How do you make sure the South adheres to the Union beliefs? Do they pledge their allegiance, take a vote? It'll be difficult for the South to change their life-long beliefs, so there needs to be some way to make sure they will follow orders. ==== ====<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">6. Cotton was the most well known and beloved products from the South. African Americans were the primary workers that would harvest this item. The cotton they literally bended backwards for, would then be shipped to the North and European countries, where it would be manufactured into fabric. The South was even known as “King Cotton” as it supplied most of the world with its fabric. However, this would soon end. With most of the workforce gone, the Southern economy has crashed. Although the main focus of reconstruction is to gain civil rights for freedmen, we northerners, want to help the southerners get back up on their feet again. That is why there shall be a 3% tax called the Restoration Tariff. This money will go towards rebuilding the destructed railroads, homes, and plots of land. This money will, most importantly, also go towards building factories in the South. This way the South will be able to preserve agriculture, while getting up to speed with the North industrially. Workers must be both hired and paid; they must also work under safe and tolerable labor conditions as well. ==== ====<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">7. In order to guarantee that freedmen will be granted their civil rights as citizens of the United States, troops will be located in the South to make certain that equality will be acquired. The Union troops are not stationed in the South to ridicule and punish Southerners. The troops are not there to anger and humiliate the southerners. The troops do not have the authority to break into or stay in a citizen's home. In no way will the troops “rebuild” the South or divide the territory into multiple districts. But without any sense of authority, the ex-confederates may begin to believe that they can commit any heinous crime without punishment. They most likely will begin to feel that they can purposefully target and oppress freedmen easily. So, troops will be located in the South to ensure stability and safety of all citizens living in the South. This way, racist groups like the Ku Klux Klan, cannot possibly attain enough power to eventually overthrow the government or put any individual’s life in jeopardy. Once stability is brought back to the South, the Union troops can leave at once. Crimes shall then be disciplined through local police institutions. However, a few troops will remain in the South, until there is peace among the streets and sanity is restored. <span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">If troops stay in the South, won't that anger the Southerners even more? If there are only a few Union troops, it will be difficult to maintain control. Plus, the Union soldiers probably don't want to be there either, so it seems like punishment to both the North and the South. ==== ====<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">8. Like we previously stated, our Reconstruction is mainly focused on guaranteeing the civil rights for all men. It does not matter what color skin, what race, ethnicity, or religion. Every one has the necessary opportunity to be recognized as individual human beings. We will try to unify the South and North as one, but initially, civil rights are much more vital. This is why we will declare The Secret Tax to improve the Education of both Freedmen and white Southerners. We will also bring about a Restoration Tariff which will help restore the South after the destructive war. ====