With the moderates and the Radicals together, the stage was set for a wave of radical reconstruction acts. (Gillon, Matson).
One of the first of these acts was the Fourteenth Amendment. This amendment, passed in June 1866, declared that "all persons born or naturalized in the United States" were "citizens of the United States and of the state wherein they reside" and were guaranteed "equal protection" and "due process" under the law. This amendment was a sign of the growing belief in the Republican party that national legislation was necessary for the protection of freedmen. The Radicals also added clauses to the amendment designed to enhance the Republican Party's power. One such clause stated that representation in Congress would be reduced for any state that denied adult males the right to vote. This was a great move for the Republicans because it provided that either southern states allowed blacks to vote (thus increasing the number of likely Republicans), or they would lose seats in Congress. This was also a key measure by the Republicans because it resolved the issue of trying not to disenfranchise the southern white dominant class while still stopping their political privileges. (Harper's Weekly). Another clause in the Fourteenth Amendment stated that former Confederate leaders would be prevented from holding federal or state offices. Moderate Republicans, however, added a clause that allowed Congress to make individual exceptions when it wished.
The next great event in the history of the Radical Republicans was the Congressional election in the fall of 1866. The Republicans had extraordinary success and won a three-to-one majority in Congress. The Nation, a radical journal, called the election "the most decisive and emphatic victory ever seen in American politics." It seemed clear to the Republicans that the nation was calling for Radical Reconstruction. (Gillon, Matson).
Wasting no time, Congress passed the First Reconstruction Act on March 2, 1867.
