The purpose of this paper is the examination of primarily one man, Governor Oliver P. Norton of Indiana, and a narrative description of the change of attitude he had in the reconstruction controversy in the aftermath of the Civil War. The scope of the paper is generally restricted from the time of Lincoln's death to Norton's arrival in the Senate in early 1867. But by that latter time, Morton was "radicalized." The factors working on him particularly, on his party, and on the rest of the citizenry are examined in their importance on Morton's attitude.