Explanation: Andrew Johnson Faces a Fight Over Aiding South. The nation was at peace. But the new president's move to pardon Confederates made enemies of the radical Republicans who wanted to punish the South.
Government officials debated how the Southern states that seceded from the ... In the end, the federal government permitted Southern states to rejoin the Union ... Johnson, however, did not want to punish all Southerners for the Civil War. ... President Johnson vetoed both of these bills, but Congress overturned both vetoes.What did the Radical Republicans want? To punish former Confederate leaders,gain rights for African Americans in the South. ... He wanted to make it as easy as possible for the South to rejoin the Union.
