The Amnesty Act of 1872 removed voting restrictions and office-holding disqualification against most of the secessionists who rebelled in the United States Civil War, except for very high positions. The Act pardoned over 15,000 former Confederate troops who had taken part in the war against the United States. The Amnesty act of 1872 helped to swing the political balance in the south, giving voting rights to the ex-Confederates who would most likely vote for the Democratic party. 1872 was a leap year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... Secession is the act of withdrawing from an organization, union, or political entity. ... The American Civil War was fought in the United States from 1861 until 1865 between the northern states, popularly referred to as the U.S., the Union, the North, or the Yankees; and the seceding southern states, commonly referred to as the Confederate States of America, the CSA, the Confederacy...

Prior to that time, President Andrew Johnson had issued the Amnesty Proclamation, an executive order, on May 29, 1865, defining the general pardon that had been issued by President Lincoln in 1863. President is a title held by many leaders of organizations, companies, universities, and countries. ... Order: 17th President Vice President: none Term of office: April 15, 1865 – March 4, 1869 Preceded by: Abraham Lincoln Succeeded by: Ulysses S. Grant Date of birth: December 29, 1808 Place of birth: Raleigh, North Carolina Date of death: July 31, 1875 Place of death: near Elizabethton, Tennessee First Lady... 1865 is a common year starting on Sunday. ... Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809–April 15, 1865), sometimes called Abe Lincoln and nicknamed Honest Abe, the Rail Splitter, and the Great Emancipator, was the 16th (1861–1865) President of the United States, and the first president from the Republican Party. ... 1863 is a common year starting on Thursday. ...