The most consequential difference between Presidential Reconstruction and Congressional Reconstruction lies in their approach to reintegrating the Southern states and protecting the rights of freed African Americans. Presidential Reconstruction , led by Presidents Lincoln and Johnson, aimed for a swift reintegration of the Southern states with relatively lenient terms. Johnson's plan offered pardons to most former Confederates, restored their political rights, and allowed Southern states to manage their own affairs with minimal federal intervention, aside from abolishing slavery and repudiating secession. This approach resulted in Southern states enacting Black Codes that severely restricted the freedoms of African Americans, effectively undermining their civil rights and maintaining white supremacy

. Congressional Reconstruction , dominated by Radical Republicans in Congress, took a far more stringent and transformative approach. It imposed military rule over the South through the Reconstruction Acts, required Southern states to guarantee suffrage to former male slaves and free Blacks, and mandated the creation of new state constitutions recognizing the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments. This approach sought not just to restore the Union but to fundamentally reshape Southern society by securing civil rights and political empowerment for African Americans

. In summary, the most consequential difference is that Presidential Reconstruction prioritized rapid reconciliation with leniency toward former Confederates and limited protection for freedmen, whereas Congressional Reconstruction enforced a more rigorous, federally controlled process aimed at ensuring civil rights and political equality for African Americans, fundamentally transforming Southern society