Johnson’s Pardon to Ex-Confederates
Labeled the Amnesty Proclamation, this particular mistake is lesser-thought-of by the average American. It was heavily tied into the Civil War. It was Andrew Johnson who issued a proclamation stating that any ex-confederate would be welcomed back into the fold if he had not held public office, had not in any way been cruel to Union prisoners, and would again swear allegiance to the American flag.
What made this a mistake was that many of the ex-confederates joined again without truly wanting to pledge allegiance. All told, Johnson pardoned over 7,000 Confederates, changing the face of politics under the new government. Because the majority of these individuals were pro-slavery, many of the promises made to freed slaves were eventually changed or broken.
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