Andrew Johnson was Vice-President for six weeks when Abraham Lincoln was murdered. In an emergency meeting with the Cabinet, Johnson promised to follow through on Lincoln's Reconstruction Plan and asked the Cabinet to work with him during his term. Many Republicans were skeptical about Andrew Johnson but following his meeting with the Cabinet, they were more confident that the new President would work with them. They would be proven wrong in less than a year.
Andrew Johnson believed that the federal government should not be controlling Reconstruction and that the Southern states should be the ones handling Reconstruction. Like Lincoln, Johnson offered amnesty to Southerners to help reunite the nation. In addition to offering amnesty, the President officially pardoned 7,000 former Confederate veterans and officials. By providing these men with a Presidential pardon, Johnson made it possible for former Confederates to return to politics and not suffer any legal repercussions for their actions in the Civil War. Many Northerners and Republicans were outraged by this and criticized Johnson for being too lenient with the South.
A faction of Republicans became known as Radical Republicans for their views on Reconstruction. Radical Republicans wanted to completely reshape the South and called for harsher penalties towards former Confederate states. Led by Senators Charles Sumner and Thaddeus Stephens the Radical Republicans grew in influence as it became clear that President Johnson would not cooperate with Congress.
Enjoy the rest of your weekend,
here are the Battle for Reconstruction Notes.
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