The Congress passed a major legislation over a president's veto and made the Civil Rights Act of 1866 a law.
Civil Rights Act of 1866
Early in 1866, the radical republicans joined with more moderate lawmakers to enact two bills designed to help former slaves. The first extended the life of the Freedmen's Bureau beyond its original one-year charter and gave the Bureau greater powers.
The second, the Civil Rights Act of 1866, took direct aim at the black codes. It declared that African Americans were entitled to "equal benefit of all laws...enjoyed by white citizens. To Congress' surprise, President Johnson vetoed both bills.
The continuation of the Freedmen's Bureau, he argued, was too costly and would encourage freedmen to lead a "life of indolence [laziness]." He rejected the Civil Rights Act as a violation of states' rights. In one of his veto messages, Johnson claimed to be representing the will of the people. "This claim is modest," quipped one Republican, "for a man made president by an assassin."
Republicans gathered the two-thirds majority in each house needed to override Johnson's veto of the Civil Rights Act. This was the first time in American history that a major piece of legislation became law over a president's veto.
Next, they enacted a new Freedmen's Bureau Bill. When Johnson vetoed it, Congress overrode his action once again.
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