The Reconstruction Era was a tough time for America, especially when it came to how the president and Congress wanted to rebuild the country after the Civil War. They had very different ideas, which caused a lot of problems.

1. Different Ideas:

   • Presidential Approach: The president wanted to be kind and let Southern states back in the Union quickly. He believed in forgiveness. However, this meant that there weren’t enough protections for the newly freed slaves.
   • Congressional Approach: Congress wanted stronger rules and better protections for African Americans, but they faced a lot of pushback from Southern whites and some people in the North who disagreed.

2. Important People:

   • President Abraham Lincoln: When he was assassinated, it made it harder to create peace and left a big gap in leadership.
   • Radical Republicans like Thaddeus Stevens: They wanted big changes and reforms, but it was tough to make those happen.

Solution: If there had been better discussions and compromises between these different groups, it could have helped create a clearer plan for Reconstruction. This might have led to more successful reforms.