Unfortunately, infighting within the Republican Party prevented the Radical Republicans from successfully implementing their own Reconstruction policies. A split within the Republican Party was most notably brought to light during the impeachment trial of President Johnson, when several Republicans voted for Johnson's acquittal.

Radical Republicans' views differed from the mainstream party line, which held views similar to those held by their former figurehead Abraham Lincoln. Unlike the more moderate stream of Republicans, the Radical Republicans favored equal rights for African-Americans and foresaw the potential disaster of neglecting to care for the needs of liberated slaves. The Reconstruction policies championed by Radical Republicans included the 14th Amendment, which offered African-Americans full citizen status and subsequently granted former slaves equal protection under the law. Opposed to the 13th Amendment, most former Confederates could not stomach the 14th. Moreover, some Radical Republicans suggested the confiscation of all Southern plantations, to divide land among...
[ View Full Essay]