6.4, Moderates and Radical Republicans

Moderates and Radical Republicans

Section Objectives

• Discuss why moderate and radical Republicans joined forces and their actions.

Early Conflicts with President Johnson

• President Johnson made decisions about Southern states' readmission while Congress was in recess.

• Upon reconvening in December 1865, Congress was set for conflict with the White House.

Republican Divisions and Gradual Unification

• Republicans disagreed on:

  • How much force to use to bring Southern states back into the Union.

  • How to ensure Southern states granted civil rights to former slaves.

• Over time, the two groups unified in their opposition to President Johnson's Reconstruction plan.

Congressional Legislation in 1866

• Three key pieces of legislation were proposed:

  • Expansion of Freedmen's Bureau: Granted additional powers, including using military courts to try cases of civil rights violations against freed African Americans.

  • Civil Rights Act of 1866: Provided African Americans the same legal rights as white Americans.

  • Fourteenth Amendment: Granted African Americans citizenship with all associated benefits.

Presidential Opposition and Congressional Override

• President Johnson and the Democrats opposed these bills, disagreeing with the principle of equal rights for African Americans.

• Johnson vetoed the first two bills.

• Congress overrode Johnson's veto of the Civil Rights Act.

• Johnson and Democrats opposed the Fourteenth Amendment, making it a major issue in the 1866 midterm elections.

Midterm Elections of 1866

• Johnson campaigned for Democratic candidates, but his argumentative style likely hurt their chances.

• Racially motivated riots in Memphis and New Orleans further damaged the Democrats' prospects.

• Republicans gained a solid two-thirds majority in both houses of Congress.

Republican Reconstruction Plans

• With a mandate from voters, Republicans moved forward with their Reconstruction plans.

• They now had the power to override presidential vetoes.

• Moderate and radical Republicans joined forces.

Reconstruction Acts

• A series of Reconstruction Acts defined the conditions Southern states had to meet for readmission to the Union.

  • The South was divided into five military districts, each under a military commander.

  • Troops were stationed in each district to ensure fair treatment and civil rights for freed African Americans.

  • Southern states were required to write new state constitutions supporting the Fourteenth Amendment.

  • States had to grant African American men the right to vote, which troops would protect.

Arguments For and Against Reconstruction Acts

• Radical Republican leader Thaddeus Stevens urged support for the Reconstruction Acts, arguing for equal rights for all men regardless of race.

• President Johnson opposed the Reconstruction Acts, arguing they exceeded constitutional powers.

Showdown and Impeachment Attempts

• Moderate and radical Republicans united against President Johnson's consistent opposition.

• Two attempts were made to remove President Johnson from office.

• On November 21, 1867, the House Judiciary Committee drafted an impeachment bill with multiple complaints.

• A debate in the House of Representatives on December 5, 1867, failed with a vote of 108 to 57.

Johnson's Public Tour

• President Johnson toured from Philadelphia to New York to Ohio and back to Washington, D.C., attempting to regain public support.

• Johnson attacked his Republican opponents crudely and may have consumed too much alcohol, negatively impacting his audience.

• This tour likely cost him a million votes.