When it came to political plans for the post-war nation , he was strictly opposed to most Republican-proposed measures . Republicans proposed the Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution in 1865 , which would abolish slavery , and Randall spoke against it . Claiming opposition to slavery , Randall said his objections stemmed instead from a belief that the amendment was " a beginning of changes in the Constitution and the forerunner of usurpation . " After Andrew Johnson became president following Lincoln 's assassination , Randall came to support Johnson 's policies for Reconstruction of the defeated South , which were more lenient than those of the Republican majority in Congress . In 1867 , the Republicans proposed requiring an ironclad oath from all Southerners wishing to vote , hold office , or practice law in federal courts , making them swear they had never borne arms against the United States . Randall led a 16-hour filibuster against the measure ; in spite of his efforts , it passed
Lincoln 's assassination
Assassination of Abraham Lincoln
Samuel J. Randall