Question

Which of the following statements best describes President Johnson's managing of the Reconstruction? A. He refused to engage in the Reconstruction. B. He was more harsh towards former Confederates than the Radical Republicans wanted. C. He was more lenient towards former Confederates than the Southern Democrats wanted. D. He was more lenient towards former Confederates than the Radical Republicans wanted.

Answer 1

The correct answer is D)He was more lenient towards former Confederates than the Radical Republicans wanted.

The Radical Republicans were primarily a group of Northern politicians who wanted to punish Confederates for their role in starting the Civil War. This group felt that all of the bloodshed and fighting could have been prevented if the Southern states never seceded from the Union. This is why this group wanted severe punishments.

However, President Johnson did not see it this way. A southerner himself, Johnson wanted the Southern states to join back into the Union without much punishment at all.