The Sentiments of the Northern People

To the South's surprise, many Northerners are willing to accept southern states back into Congress if they follow the proper provisions and acts of Congress.

The proprietor of this paper has just returned from a visit to the North and eastward. The sentiment which everywhere greeted us was to the effect that the northern masses regard the reconstruction act as a finality, and that upon the acceptance of its provisions by the South, readmission to Congress would follow. Business men said to us that confiscation would not be resorted to, but that the North earnestly desired the building up of the south and our consequent prosperity. Assurances were freely offered that upon the rehabilitation of the States capital and immigration would flow in upon us if we would take some pains to open channels for both. In a word, we felt satisfied that the temper of the northern mind, which on our visit in November last we found at white heat, had now cooled to a degree which assures us that reconstruction under the military act is meant in good faith by the people, however it may have been intended by the party leaders.

“The Sentiments of the Northern People,” Reconstructing Virginia, accessed June 1, 2023, https://reconstructingvirginia.richmond.edu/items/show/584.