way to honor Lincoln, the martyr.

Third, the United States was essentially a one-party system in 1865. The Republicans rode Lincoln's coattails and Civil War success to a resounding victory in 1864. Democrat voters, on the other hand, were largely disenfranchised because many Democrats lived in the South, which did not participate in the 1864 election.

Fourth, Andrew Johnson was a Southern Democrat chosen to be Vice President as a conciliatory move to help reunite the nation. No one ever thought Johnson would actually wield any power. True, he was a loyal Unionist, but he was still a Southerner and his sympathies were with the white majority in the South. He opposed slavery but felt that African Americans were unable to govern themselves. He was determined to oppose measures he disagreed with on principle. While Congress was in recess, he unilaterally began to issue pardons to Confederates and to put his own Reconstructions plans in place.

Finally, Johnson was an irascible and inflexible man, unwilling to negotiate with the Republicans or accept any less authority than Lincoln had. Unfortunately for him, the Republican majority was so large, unified and motivated that his opposition was like trying to stop a hurricane. Once Congress was back in session, Johnson's Reconstruction plans were quickly undone. Johnson actually became the first President to have his veto overridden. He vetoed one radical act after another and yet all went into law anyway. The Republicans were so angered by the intransigence of this southern interloper that the set out to curtail his power. The Tenure of Office Act was essentially a trap designed to goad Johnson into "breaking the law" by acting on a prerogative that every one of his predecessors held—the right to dismiss cabinet members unilaterally. When Johnson fired Edwin M. Stanton, he was impeached and one vote away from being removed from office.

I would say that the radical nature of Reconstruction was due in part to the anger and momentum of the Republicans, who enjoyed an unprecedented amount of legislative power. It was also, however, a consequence of President who did nothing to work with Congress. Had Johnson been willing to engage in dialogue and make some compromises, he might have been able to soften Reconstruction's rough edges. By flatly refusing to accept the political reality in which he found himself, however, he ensured that all measures would go into effect as is over his token veto.