2. Alienation: December 1865–March 1867

The Radical Republicans arrived in Washington for the opening of Congress on December 4, 1865 with two major weapons in their hands: one was the party caucus and the other was the lopsided majorities Republicans had won in the House and Senate. ‘Alienation, December 1865–1867’ outlines how the Republican juggernaut would produce, over the next seven months, a flurry of legislation, speeches, and reports designed to dissolve the self-reconstructed governments, extend voting rights to the freedmen by national authority, and reach over Johnson’s hands to seize the reins of Reconstruction for Congress. Despite Johnson vetoing legislation, Congress over-rode these vetoes; presidential-style reconstruction was dead.