Final answer:
The Radical Republicans believed the readmission of seceded states should include the protection of Black civil rights, the disenfranchisement of many white Southerners, and, as proposed by leaders like Thaddeus Stevens, redistribution of land—but the last condition was not widely implemented.
Step-by-step explanation:
Radical Republicans during the Reconstruction era held firm beliefs about the conditions necessary for the readmission of seceded states. Primarily, they believed in the protection of Black civil rights, which included securing voting rights and safeguarding them from discriminatory practices such as the Black Codes. Furthermore, they supported the disenfranchisement of a large number of white Southerners who had been Confederate sympathizers or held significant roles within the Confederacy. A notable Radical Republican, Thaddeus Stevens, envisioned the confiscation of property from wealthy Southerners who aided the Confederacy, proposing that the land should be redistributed to those freed from slavery, although this specific measure was not broadly enacted.
Their approach to Reconstruction was rooted in the belief that seceded states had lost their status and needed to be readmitted on terms set by Congress, which contrasted with the leniency of President Andrew Johnson's policies. The Radical Republicans' push for equality and civil rights was part of a broader legislative agenda that included the ratification of the Fifteenth Amendment, extending the right to vote to Black men.