Source

State Archives of Florida, Collection N2017-93

Description

The amnesty oath of Whitmel R. Swain swearing an oath of loyalty to the United States following the American Civil War.

Date

1865-08-20

Contributors

Hobbs, L. M.

Format

Oaths

Coverage

Reconstruction Era Florida (1865-1877)

Topic

Politics And Government

Subjects

Allegiance
Citizenship
Loyalty oaths
Swain, Whitmel R.

Geographic Term

Leon County
Tallahassee

General Note

Restoring the Union following the destruction of the Civil War proved to be an enormous task. Several questions emerged in the wake of General Robert E. Lee's surrender at Appomattox Courthouse in April 1865; namely, the pace and scope of reintegrating former rebels and Confederate states back into the Union, rebuilding the southern economy, and the futures of millions of newly freed slaves. President Abraham Lincoln's desire to enact swift Reconstruction clashed with the so-called Radical Republicans in Congress who wanted to punish the South. President Andrew Johnson, who took office after Lincoln's assassination on April 14, 1865, tried to follow Lincoln's general approach to Reconstruction and was eventually impeached for it. Part of the plan implemented by Johnson included granting amnesty to some former Confederates who pledged an oath of allegiance to the United States.