Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Today in the Lincoln conspiracy: May 29

In the hope of reuniting the United States after the Civil War, President Andrew Johnson renewed his predecessor's offer of amnesty for those who had fought on the Confederate side of the conflict.  Abraham Lincoln issued amnesty proclamations on December 8, 1863 and March 26, 1864.

On May 29, 1865, Johnson issued his own proclamation, granting "amnesty and pardon" to "all persons who have, directly or indirectly, participated in the existing rebellion".  Well, not all of them.  Among those excluded from amnesty were former Confederate elected officials, governors of states that joined the rebellion, officers in the Confederate Army and Navy, and anyone who actively tried to sabotage U.S. commerce during the rebellion. 

There was another exception: "...all persons who, at the time when they seek to obtain the benefits hereof by taking the [loyalty] oath herein prescribed, are in military, naval, or civil confinement, or custody, or under bonds of the civil, military, or naval authorities, or agents of the United States as prisoners of war, or persons detained for offenses of any kind, either before or after conviction..."  In other words, those who were already locked up for their actions during the war could not seek a pardon under the terms of the proclamation.  That meant there would be no amnesty for the Lincoln assassination conspirators.



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