<span>They had a difference of opinions on the policies of the interpretation of the constitution. Jefferson believed they should be strict whereas Madison believed in elasticity.</span>
Johnson was pro-slavery and during reconstruction he was lenient towards leaders of the confederacy. Meanwhile, Radical Republicans wanted to punish the South for the Civil War, and they wanted to keep their party in power in the government for both the North and the South. Remember for later, the civil war was driven by westward expansion and power. While slavery had a lot to do with the cause of the war, Johnson and Radical Republicans were driven by their want for power.
Lincoln thought of the Southern secession as "artificial." When Jefferson Davis sent a group of commissioners to Washington to negotiate for the transfer of Fort Sumter to South Carolina, they were promptly rebuffed. ... He would send no arms, troops, or ammunition — unless, of course, South Carolina attacked.
