Question

What was the one reason that the radical republicans in congress opposed president Andrew Johnsons reconstruction plan?

Answer 1

The Radical Republicans opposed President Johnson's Reconstruction plan mainly because it was too lenient and did not sufficiently transform Southern society. A key issue was Johnson's unwillingness to confiscate Southern plantations and redistribute land to freedmen, an approach the Radicals saw as vital for remaking the South and protecting civil rights.

Step-by-step explanation:

The Radical Republicans opposed President Andrew Johnson's Reconstruction plan for several reasons, one being Johnson's leniency towards the Southern states. The Radical Republicans in Congress were committed to a more stringent Reconstruction of the South. They aimed to dismantle the old plantation system and restructure Southern society, something Johnson's policies did not adequately address. Radical Republicans believed in strong federal measures to ensure civil rights and land redistribution to formerly enslaved people, but Johnson preferred a quicker, more lenient reintegration of Southern states without drastic changes to their systems.

President Johnson did not support forced confiscation of property, and he ordered that land be returned to its previous owners in 1866. This directly contradicted the views of the Radical Republicans who sought to break up plantations and provide land rights to freedmen as a way to destroy the power of the Southern aristocracy and ensure a more equitable economic restructuring of the South.

Another critical point of contention was the fact that the Radical Republicans wished to enforce equal rights and extend voting rights to formerly enslaved Black Southerners, an idea Johnson rejected, favoring state-controlled initiatives that largely excluded Black people from the political process. Ultimately, Radical Republicans in Congress viewed Johnson's approach as too sympathetic to the former Confederate states and insufficiently protective of the rights of the newly freed Black population. These differences led to a power struggle culminating in Johnson's impeachment, although he was not removed from office.

Answer 2

The Radical Republicans opposed Lincoln’s plan because they thought it too lenient toward the South.

Step-by-step explanation:

Radical Republicans believed that Lincoln’s plan for Reconstruction was not harsh enough because, from their point of view, the South was guilty of starting the war and deserved to be punished as such.