1) Who were the Radical Republicans? What background did many of them have prior to the Civil War? What were some of the main goals that they had for the Reconstruction era? What were their beliefs about freedmen in the and how did they see their role in American life?
2) Why does Prince believe that Reconstruction started with the Emancipation Proclamation and not the end of the war? What forms did Reconstruction take prior to the Radical Republicans taking it over? How does the debate over who was in charge of Reconstruction- the President or Congress- shape this period?
3) Why did the Radical Republicans want to impeach Andrew Johnson? What were some of the main arguments they made for impeachment? Under what charges was Johnson impeached? How did the Senate vote after his trial? Why the author believe that Johnson was acquitted?
4) What was the importance of the 14th Amendment? What main provisions did it provide? Were the Radical Republicans happy with this amendment? Why or why not? How did the Southern states stance on this amendment allow the Radicals to gain further power