The Union victory in the civil war gave some 4 million slaves their freedom and a chance to start a new life. But the years after the end of the war brought upon new challenges and obstacles to not only the black community but to the nation itself. Many questions arise from the civil war such as: Who are citizens, what rights should be given to citizens and what powers does the federal government have? Black suffrage was a major topic that many people did not know how they should handle it. People like Thaddeus Stevens and Fredrick Douglass expressed their thoughts about it. Thaddeus Stevens, a radical republican, is hostile towards the idea of the south being let into the Union with such ease. He fears the south will take over congress and
