Primary sourceDocument15 February 1864

Wade-Davis Bill

Benjamin F. Wade and Henry Winter Davis · 15 February 1864

An 1864 congressional Reconstruction plan, harsher than Lincoln's, that foreshadowed the battles Andrew Johnson would later fight with Congress.

This bill's harsher Reconstruction terms, later revived by Congress, set the stage for Johnson's conflicts with Radical Republicans.

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Handwritten manuscript page of the Wade-Davis Bill, titled 'A Bill' in cursive, with Section 1 and Section 2 text on aged paper showing torn top edge and marginal annotations. — Wade-Davis Bill, handwritten copy, 15 February 1864. Record Group 233, U.S. National Archives.

About this source

What it is

This handwritten bill, submitted to Congress on February 15, 1864, was proposed by Senator Benjamin F. Wade and Representative Henry Winter Davis. It laid out strict conditions for readmitting Confederate states to the Union, including a requirement that half of a state's white male population swear an "Ironclad Oath" of loyalty. The original is held by the U.S. National Archives.

Why it matters

President Lincoln refused to sign the bill, killing it with a pocket veto, because he favored a more lenient approach. After Lincoln's assassination, Congress revived these harsher ideas and used them against President Andrew Johnson, who favored quick restoration of Southern states, setting up the struggle between Johnson and the Radical Republicans that led to his impeachment.

Look closer

Why did Congress and the president disagree so strongly about how to rebuild the Union?
What does the "Ironclad Oath" requirement tell you about how much trust existed between North and South?
How did this failed 1864 bill still shape later Reconstruction policy?

This document is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Andrew Johnson on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.