Andrew Johnson Begins Mass Pardons of Confederate Leaders

President Andrew Johnson issues his first amnesty proclamation on May 29, 1865, beginning a systematic campaign to pardon Confederate leaders and restore their political power—directly undermining Reconstruction and enabling the restoration of white supremacist control in the South. Johnson’s proclamation extends amnesty to most former Confederate officials and soldiers who take a loyalty oath, but excludes fourteen “classes” of Confederates, including high-ranking officers, former Confederate governors, and those with property valued over $20,000. However, Johnson creates a massive loophole: members of these excluded classes can apply directly to him for individual pardons—which he grants liberally.

By June 5, 1866, Johnson has issued 12,652 individual pardons to former Confederate leaders, with Virginia receiving 2,070, Alabama 1,361, and Georgia 1,228. The president’s leniency proves “remarkably lenient”—very few Confederate leaders face prosecution for treason or war crimes. Johnson’s pardon policy directly enables the return of former Confederate officials to power: many pardoned leaders immediately reclaim Congressional seats and even seek to regain their pre-war seniority. On December 25, 1868, Johnson issues his final “Christmas Amnesty,” granting blanket pardons to all remaining Confederate leaders for treason against the United States, permanently foreclosing any possibility of accountability.

Johnson’s mass pardons establish a template for elite impunity that persists throughout American history: those who wage war against the United States, enslave millions, and commit treason face no consequences if they belong to the propertied class. The pardoned Confederate leaders immediately begin implementing Black Codes, convict leasing systems, and violent suppression of Black civil rights—creating the Jim Crow regime that will persist for nearly a century. Johnson’s sabotage of Reconstruction through executive pardons demonstrates how a corrupt president can single-handedly undermine congressional legislation and constitutional amendments, prioritizing reconciliation with white elites over justice for their victims.