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President Johnson's battles with Radical Republicans in Congress over a host of Reconstruction measures revealed political ineptitude and an astonishing indifference toward the plight of the newly freed African-American
The Radical Republicans led by Thaddeus Stevens (left) and Charles Sumner (right) were a faction within the Republican Party from about 1854 until the end of Reconstruction in 1877.
Congressional Reconstruction(1867-1868); Southern Reactions and Redemption (1868-1877)
Who were the Radical Republicans?
The Radical Republicans established what was known as the Joint Committee on Reconstruction. The purpose of this committee was to investigate what was going on the ground in the South and to investigate the necessities and needs of Reconstruction.
The postwar Radical Republicans were motivated by three main factors:
1.PUNISHMENT a desire among some to punish the South for causing the war
2.PROTECTION: Concern for the freedmen — some believed that the federal government had a role to play in the transition of freedmen from slavery to freedom
3. POWER the Radicals wanted to keep the Republican Party in power in both the North and the South.
Joint Committee on Reconstruction in (January of 1866) Newly elected Southern Congressmen arrive in Washington in December 1865 ready to take their seats in the House and Senate. The Radical Republicans form the Joint Committee on Reconstruction . The purpose of this committee was to investigate what was going on the ground in the South and to investigate the necessities and needs of Reconstruction. They report back that the former Confederacy is unrepentant and unreconstructed .
Committee Conclusions:They report back that the former Confederacy is unrepentant and unreconstructed.Congress acted on the Joint Committee on Reconstruction committee recommendations by passing the Military Reconstruction Act
Military Reconstruction Acts of 1867
Context: Congress acted on the Joint Committee on Reconstruction committee recommendations by passing the Military Reconstruction Act establishing almost complete control over the policies made in government in relation to the Reconstruction of the South following the Civil War.
Components: These acts divided the south into five military districts. Each district was placed under military leadership and new elections were held with voting only allowed by Congress' approved voters, which were mostly former slaves. Each state was also required to ratify the 13th and 14th Amendments after drafting new state constitutions.
Conflict with the Executive Branch: The Military Reconstruction Acts are passed after overriding President Johnson’s veto. Believing the Reconstruction Acts to be wrong and unconstitutional, Johnson repeatedly blocked their enforcement. He repeatedly gave pardons to ex-Rebels. He hampered military commanders' efforts to block the rise of Southern leaders to power. In frequent speeches and interviews, Johnson publicly expressed his defiance of the Radical Republicans.
Conclusions: Angered by President Johnson’s actions, radical and moderate Republicans decided to work together in Congress to shift control of Reconstruction from the Executive Branch to the Legislative Branch. Congress realized that their program for Reconstruction of the South could not succeed with Andrew Johnson in office.
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