How Did Lincoln Saw Reconstruction

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Lincoln saw reconstruction as a time of healing for the South while radical Republicans saw it as a time to punish the South and teach them a lesson. Lincoln thought that the country should maintain a unity with its states. He also believed in having a strong governed country. After the Civil War, the radical Republicans controlled congress and if Lincoln had lived he would have been able to control their actions. The Radical Republicans whipped up public anger and demanded that president Johnson allow reprisals against former rebels. The Radical Republicans believed in equal rights and opportunities for all African Americans and whites Andrew Johnson became the new president and congress hated him because he was a Southerner and was lenient