Question

during reconstruction, the congressmen who wanted to punish the south for starting the civil war were
southern redeemers.
northern democrats.
radical democrats.
radical republicans.

Explanation:

To solve this, we analyze each option:

• Southern Redeemers: Sought to regain Southern control, not punish the South.
• Northern Democrats: Generally more moderate on Reconstruction, not focused on punishing the South.
• Radical Democrats: Not the main group pushing for Southern punishment; the key group was Radical Republicans.
• Radical Republicans: During Reconstruction, they wanted to punish the South for the Civil War, enforce civil rights for freed slaves, and ensure Southern states were thoroughly reformed.

Answer:

D. Radical Republicans