Radical Republicans During The Reconstruction Era

During the reconstruction era, radical republicans played a significant role in remolding society for African Americans. They believed Confederate leaders should be punished for the awful acts they committed during the American Civil War. The radicals also thought that blacks were entitled to the same opportunities and political rights as whites. Radical Republican leaders strongly opposed many of Andrew Jackson’s lax policies, and believed it was time they interfered in state affairs regarding emancipated blacks. They had the idea that African American’s must be provided with the opportunity to participate in a free-labor economy.
Therefore, in 1866 congress began working on a civil rights bill and introduced a new bill that extended the