Johnson was not impressed with the radical Republicans and their expanded power after the 1866 election. So when they tried to pass a bill for reconstruction he vetoed it.
The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 was the first significant law restricting immigration into the United States. Those on the West Coast were especially prone to attribute declining wages and economic ills on the despised Chinese workers.
Republicans tend to support the idea of a smaller government that is less active in society and Democrats tend to believe the government should have a more active role in society in order to help it grow.
