Conflict between President Johnson and Congress arose primarily due to differences in their approaches to Reconstruction and the handling of the post-Civil War South. President Johnson, a Southern Democrat and former slave owner, favored a lenient Reconstruction policy that aimed to quickly restore the Southern states to the Union without much federal intervention. He also believed that individual states should have the right to determine their own path to readmission.
On the other hand, many members of Congress, particularly the Radical Republicans, advocated for a more stringent and comprehensive approach to Reconstruction. They believed that the Southern states should be subjected to harsher terms and conditions for readmission, including the protection of the rights of newly freed African Americans and the punishment of Confederate leaders.
The conflict between President Johnson and Congress intensified when Johnson vetoed several bills that aimed to protect the rights of African Americans and impose stricter conditions on the Southern states. Congress responded by overriding his vetoes and passing the Civil Rights Act of 1866 and the Reconstruction Acts of 1867, which established military rule in the South and required the Southern states to create new state governments that included African American male suffrage.
Ultimately, the clash between President Johnson and Congress led to his impeachment in 1868, though he narrowly avoided removal from office. The conflict also contributed to the continued challenges of Reconstruction and the eventual implementation of more lenient policies as Congress sought to find a compromise with the President.
Why did conflict about between President Johnson and Congress after Lincoln's assassination
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