In contrast to the Congressional Reconstruction plan, what was the focus of President Andrew Johnson's plan? A protecting of the rights of freedmen and freedwomen B readmitting states to the Union as quickly as possible C punishing the Southern states for starting the Civil War D providing economic opportunities for African Americans

Answer: B readmitting states to the Union as quickly as possible.

After the Civil War, there was a lot of debate surrounding the way Reconstruction was to be carried out. President Lincoln had a particular vision in mind, but after his death, President Andrew Johnson was in charge of carrying it out.

Johnson, like Lincoln, held that the southern states had never legally left the Union. This was opposed to the Radical Republican view that wanted to punish the South for seceding. On December 6, 1865, Johnson announced that the southern states had met all requirements for Reconstruction and that the Union was restored.

However, the basic structure of Southern government had not significantly changed, which angered Republicans. Northern Republicans wanted to preserve the political advantage they enjoyed. They had been able to pass legislation benefitting the North during the years in which the South did not participate in Congress. Moreover, they were worried about the increase of representation the South would require as slaves were now considered citizens.

On June 1866, the Joint Committee on Reconstruction determined that the South had seceded, and in doing so, only Congress could determine if, and when, Reconstruction could take place and the South could be readmitted fully to the Union.