Radical Reconstruction

In the 1867 Midterm elections the Radical Republicans gained a super majority in Congress, with enough power to override any veto passed by President Johnson

In 1866 there were two massacres in the south that gained national attention

In Memphis and New Orleans black veterans were attacked as they returned home and black communities were terrorized.

Radical Republicans in Congress were outraged by this violence in the south as well as the passage of Black Codes

In 1867 the Military Reconstruction Act was passed, putting the south under military control 

With their override power Radical Republicans wanted to get more Constitutional amendments passed to protect freedmen. Under Radical Reconstruction, Southern states would not get to rejoin the Union until they agreed to a few terms:

Southern states were required to ratify the the 14th amendment to the Constitution. This amendment would give African Americans citizenship and equal treatment under the law.

Once African Americans were considered citizens, the Black codes would be considered unconstitutional and have to be repealed

Radical Republicans also required the confederate states to give African Americans the right to vote

They also temporarily took away voting rights from leaders of the Confederacy

In the 1860s Reconstruction was a struggle for power between Congress and President Johnson

Johnson vetoed 29 laws passed by Congress. However, 15 of these vetoes were overriden by Congress (he was the most overridden President in history) 

Johnson’s vetoes slowed down the progress of Reconstruction, and in particular caused a lack of funding for the Freedmen’s Bureau

However, Congress was determined to limit the power of President Johnson in any way possible

Impeachment would be the best way to stop Johnson, so Congress planned to set him up

In 1867 Congress passed the Tenure of Office Act that stated that the President could not fire cabinet members without Congress’ permission. Johnson frequently fired cabinet members so they figured he would violate this law

In February 21, 1868 Johnson had violated this law by firing his head of the war department without getting Congress’ approval

Three days later Congress voted to impeach Andrew Johnson for abusing his power.

While the Republicans made up more than 2/3rds of the people in Congress, they weren't all in agreement

Some believed the Tenure of Office act was unconstitutional and others were not fans about the man next in line to the Presidency

As the first president to be impeached, Johnson took efforts to save his reputation. He promised to enforce the Reconstruction Acts and to stop giving speeches attacking Congress.

For the rest of his Presidency he took a back seat, allowing Congress to run reconstruction

Andrew Johnson did not run for a second term. 

Former Union General, Ulysses S. Grant, ran from the Republican party and Horatio Seymour ran from the Democratic Party

Throughout his presidency, Grant would support Radical Republican policies and protect the rights of freedmen in the south 

👏 Congress and the President are on the same team!! 👏

Grant pushed for all states to ratify the 15th amendment to the Constitution to make sure voting rights for African American men were protected

The 15th Amendment states that the right vote cannot be denied because of race.

However, it will be another 50 years before women of any race get the right to vote

African American men could also run for positions in government

In the 1870s more than 2,000 African Americans were elected into government positions, from the local level all the way up to the federal government

16 African Americans served in U.S. Congress during Reconstruction