Why would President Johnson NOT want rich, white southern landowners to return to power?
President Johnson, as a southerner himself, did not want the rich, white southern landowners to return to power for several reasons:
1. Reconstruction policy: President Johnson believed in a lenient policy towards the defeated Confederate states called Presidential Reconstruction. He aimed to quickly restore the southern states back into the Union without granting significant rights to formerly enslaved individuals or implementing major changes to the social structure. Allowing the rich, white southern landowners to regain power would have led to the reestablishment of the pre-war social and economic order, which Johnson sought to avoid.
2. Protecting the rights of freedmen: President Johnson, unlike the rich southern landowners, supported the legal and civil rights of the newly freed African American population. He believed that granting them certain rights, such as the right to vote, would weaken the power of wealthy elite landowners. Allowing them back into power would have hindered the progress made in securing civil rights for African Americans during Reconstruction.
3. Loyalty to the Union: President Johnson's main goal was to ensure that the seceded Southern states remained loyal to the Union. He did not want the rich, white southern landowners to regain power as their influence and policies had led to the secession and Civil War in the first place. Allowing their return to power would risk further divisiveness and potential uprisings, impeding the process of restoring the Union.
It is worth noting that while President Johnson initially aimed to implement a lenient Reconstruction policy, his approach and views shifted over time, eventually aligning more closely with the Republicans in Congress who sought a more radical approach to Reconstruction.