The southerners were granted full pardons, including many wealthy planters and former Confederate officials. Johnson also order all land confiscated through the Freedmen’s Bureau to return all confiscated land to their original owners. With Congress at recess, Johnson was able to approve new state constitutions for secessionist states; many written by ex-confederate officials, and declared Reconstruction complete. After Congress’ attempt to renew the charter of the Freedmen’s Bureau was vetoed by Johnson, Congress was successful in overriding Johnson’s veto on its second attempt and the Bureau was renewed. The Civil Rights Act of 1866 was passed, which granted newly emancipated slaves the right to sue, serve on juries and many more legal rights. The Radical Republicans were also responsible for the passing of the Thirteenth Amendment, which abolished slavery, and the fourteenth amendment, which made freed slaves U.S. …show more content…
Those northerners wanted to go and take on the work on the work of those emancipated slaves. Southerners viewed these “carpetbaggers” as opportunists who exploit and profit from the regions misfortune and supported the Republican Party and played a central role in shaping the new and improved government during the time period of the Reconstruction. These carpetbaggers used their influence to incorporate some progressive concepts from their places of origin during the writing of the new state constitutions. These carpetbaggers had a larger influence in the deep south because the black votes outnumbered the white. On the other hand, scalawags were influential in the Upper South. The Ku Klux Klan resented the progress that was being made and began to target both the scalawags and carpetbaggers. These different events made the Reconstruction a success both socially and economically. Reconstruction successfully put blacks on leveled ground with whites, but didn’t change southern racist sentiment. Biggest change of all was slavery being abolished. Economically blacks were building their own businesses and limited land reform ideas had been pursued, however, no widespread land reform happened. Without this Reconstruction equality between blacks and whites would have never been met and our country would have never come back together and there would still