Democratic opponents accused Lincoln of using the military to ensure his and the Republicans' political aspirations
The Radicals denounced his policy as too lenient, and passed their own plan, the 1864 Wade–Davis Bill, which Lincoln vetoed
The Radicals retaliated by refusing to seat elected representatives from Louisiana, Arkansas, and Tennessee
Lincoln's appointments were designed to harness both moderates and Radicals
To fill Chief Justice Taney's seat on the Supreme Court, he named the Radicals' choice, Salmon P
Chase, who Lincoln believed would uphold his emancipation and paper money policies
After implementing the Emancipation Proclamation, Lincoln increased pressure on Congress to outlaw slavery throughout the nation with a constitutional amendment
He declared that such an amendment would "clinch the whole matter" and by December 1863 an amendment was brought to Congress
The Senate passed it on April 8, 1864, but the first vote in the House of Representatives fell short of the required two-thirds majority
Passage became part of Lincoln's reelection platform, and after his successful reelection, the second attempt in the House passed on January 31, 1865
With ratification, it became the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution on December 6, 1865
Lincoln believed the federal government had limited responsibility to the millions of freedmen
He signed Senator Charles Sumner's Freedmen's Bureau bill that set up a temporary federal agency designed to meet the immediate needs of former slaves
The law opened land for a lease of three years with the ability to purchase title for the freedmen
Lincoln announced a Reconstruction plan that involved short-term military control, pending readmission under the control of southern Unionists
Historians agree that it is impossible to predict how Reconstruction would have proceeded had Lincoln lived
Later he served as a captain in the state militia during the Black Hawk War but saw no combat
During his presidency, his policy toward Indians was based on politics
He used appointments to the Indian Bureau as a reward to supporters from Minnesota and Wisconsin
While in office his administration faced difficulties guarding Western settlers, railroads, and telegraphs, from Indian attacks
On August 17, 1862, the Sioux or Dakota uprising broke out in Minnesota
Hundreds of settlers were killed, 30,000 were displaced from their homes, and Washington was deeply alarmed
Some feared incorrectly that it might represent a Confederate conspiracy to start a war on the Northwestern frontier
Lincoln ordered thousands of Confederate prisoners of war sent by railroad to put down the uprising
When the Confederates protested forcing Confederate prisoners to fight Indians, Lincoln revoked the policy and none set foot in Minnesota
Lincoln sent General John Pope to Minnesota as commander of the new Department of the Northwest a couple of weeks into the hostilities
Before he arrived, the Fond Du Lac band of Chippewa sent Lincoln a letter begging to go to war for the United States against the Sioux, so Lincoln could send Minnesota's troops to fight the South
Shortly after, a Mille Lacs Band Chief offered the same at St
In it the Chippewa specified that they wanted to use the indigenous rules of warfare
That meant there would be no prisoners of war, no surrender, no peace agreement
Lincoln did not accept the Chippewa offer, as he had no means to control the outcome and women and children were considered legitimate casualties in native American warfare
One of the Chippewa signing the letter, Chief Naw-Gaw-Nub, had received a Presidential medal from Lincoln earlier in the year
Pope was Minnesota Congressman Henry H
The day the Mdewakanton force surrendered at Camp Release, a Chippewa war council met at Minnesota's capitol with another Chippewa offer to Lincoln, to fight the Sioux
Sibley ordered a military commission to review that actions of the captured to try those that had committed war crimes
The legitimacy of military commissions trying opposing combatants had been established during the Mexican War
Sibley thought he had 16 to 20 of men he wanted for trial while Gen
Pope ordered that all detained warriors be tried
When it was done, 303 had been given death sentences that were subject to Presidential review
Lincoln ordered Gen Pope send all of the trial transcripts to Washington where he and two of his staff pored over the trials
The lawyer in Lincoln saw issues
He slowly realized that the trials could be divided into two groups: combat between combatants and combat against civilians
The groups could be identified by their transcripts, the first group were all just three pages in length while the second group had more pages, some up to twelve
He placed 263 cases into the first group and commuted their sentences for the largest mass commutation in history
Into the second group went forty
One he commuted for turning state's witness
Sibley dismissed another when overwhelming proof surfaced exonerating the man
The remaining 38 were executed in the largest mass hanging in U.S
Very quickly questions arose concerning three of the executions that have not been answered
Less than four months after the executions, Lincoln issued General Order 100 that relates more to the Minnesota War than the Civil War