Why Was The Radical Republican Plan For Reconstruction Considered Radical

The
proposed plans to rebuild the South after the Civil War differed greatly. President Johnson took
the approach that, although the South seceded from the Union, the southern states still retained
the right to govern themselves. As a result of his permissive approach, some Southern states
began passing laws that were known as "black codes." These laws, with the purpose of
restricting the freedom of African Americans in the South, were unacceptable to most
Republicans. They were motivated to create their own plans and ideas for rebuilding the South,
known as the Radical Republican Plan for .

Driven by the view that African
Americans should be seen as equal to whites, Republicans were able to push for legislation that
would have been seen as "radical" to many, especially those in the South. For example,
the 14th and 15th Amendments to the Constitution were passed, which granted African Americans
equality under the law and the right for African American males to vote,...