During the period of Reconstruction, America struggled to recover stability in the nation after experiencing the Civil War. An atmosphere of tension dominated the country, as contempt for opposing sides still existed. At the same time, the government struggled to effect a policy of reconstruction especially after the sudden assassination of President Lincoln. In turn, former Vice President Andrew Johnson assumed the presidency and inherited the task of healing the nation in distress. However, Johnson’s presidency quickly headed for a downward direction, provoking much controversy within his administration and the public, which lead to his eventual downfall. Although Johnson was promptly impeached for his violation of the Tenure Act of Office, …show more content…
After the war, Northerners were vocal about their support for Black rights as it was held as an upmost priority to their ideas of social moral. Despite the strong feelings held by Northerners, Johnson’s enforcement of the 10% plan never explicitly called on the requirement of Black universal suffrage as a condition of readmittance to the Union. Because of this leniency with the South, white Southerners revived a system of social hierarchy, which restricted the status of truly freedmen. Additionally, Johnson’s benign military force gave rise to white supremacy groups like the Ku Klux Klan and revived because little was done to regulate the creation of new state constitution in Southern states. As a result, many Union members took blame in failure to invoke the level of desirable social change with President Johnson and elected many Radical Republicans to office in 1866 as a means to secure representation of their similar interests that would be strengthened in greater numbers against Johnson’s authority. Moreover, Johnson vetoed the Freedmen's Bureau bill, which aided former slaves and provided them with food, shelter, medicine; it also established schools and institutions with legal aid (ohiohistorycentral). Johnson’s veto of Freedman's Bureau largely implied his reluctance to better the circumstances for former slaves and fueled a desire for change in leadership, which would carry through as Radical Republicans considered the interests of not just themselves but the voters whom elected them into position amidst considering the decision for Johnson’s impeachment. Lastly, Johnson vetoed the Civil Rights Act, which prevented African Americans from receiving equal protection of their rights by the law. “Whatever may have been the opinion of the President at one time as to ‘good faith requiring