for the first 48 days of Andrew Johnson's presidency Southerners waited anxiously to hear what he would demand before allowing them back into the Union on May 29th 1865 Johnson announced his plan for what would be called Presidential Reconstruction there was good evidence in 1865 that a lot of white Southerners leadership even of the Confederacy would have accepted relatively harsh policies at that moment but very soon it became clear that Andrew Johnson wanted a rapid lenient restoration of the union with as little alteration of the Constitution and the creation of black civil and political rights as possible Johnson would issue blanket pardons for most former Confederates the rebel States would be encouraged to form new governments quickly Washington would not interfere the president's leniency surprised many in the north Southerners responded with relief Johnson actually sets only the most minimal requirements all they have to do is admit we lost the Civil War the Civil War is Over slavery and secession are dead other than that there are no requirements Johnson was harder on the planter aristocracy he insisted that wealthy Planters and Confederate leaders write him personally and beg for clemency this basically eliminates the planter class from leadership of Southern politics if you're not pardoned you can't vote you can't hold office and you can't get your property back if it's been seized by the federal government Andrew Johnson had no sympathy for wealthy Planters he had risen from poverty and identified with poor white Southerners who before the war had far outnumbered the slave owners now he was anxious to protect poor whites from what they saw as a new threat poor whites have to face the fact that now that black people are free means that they have to compete with this new element for livelihoods for social positions and political power ultimately and this is a very frightening thing Johnson's aim is to bring the white South and the white North back together African-Americans just do not play a role in Johnson's vision of the postwar South other than to go back to work and be landord less and rightless Plantation laborers Johnson's contempt for the fredman infuriated many in Washington and none more than thus Stevens the congressman from Pennsylvania had been a fierce abolitionist long before the war within the Republican Party he led a small vocal faction known as the radicals these were principled men before the war they had been the strongest Republicans opposing the expansion of slavery during the Civil War they have been the first ones to call for arming of black troops for issuing an Emancipation Proclamation long before there was any conceivable political benefit to be gained from supporting the rights of black people they were doing it The Radical Republicans had a vision of what reconstruction should be they believed it should be longer in duration they believed the southern states had left the union and had destroyed their status as States they had to be reinvented to thadius Stevens reconstruction meant not only safeguarding and preserving the essential results of the Civil War but in his vision it meant remaking the South it meant the increase of democracy in terms of representation it meant the spread of the right of suffrage the radicals hard line marginalized them within their own party most Republicans feared the radical's position on black rights would drive away white voters in the north it is the radical Wing which is the most sympathetic to to black people the party in general was committed to a limited program of civil rights protection of property education Etc but the party is not in any way committed to any sort of radical restructuring of Southern Society Johnson's reconstruction plan could not be challenged until Congress convened in December that summer radical leaders could only watch as scores of Planters descended on Washington pleading to be pardoned whose petition would be denied or granted was uncertain still former Confederates were hopeful white men alone President Johnson told one Senator must manage the South