Why did the radical republicans in congress pass the wade-davis bill?

a. to ensure that the south remained isolated from the union
b. to punish the south more harshly for starting the civil war
c. to assert their political dominance over the defeated south
d. to make the south aware of the negative effects of practicing slavery

The correct answer is B

Explanation:

Radical Republicans believed that the South as to blame for the cause of the war.  The Wade-Davis Bill was the harshest punishment from President Lincoln's and President Johnson's.  It was the strictest because it required 50% of the states' white males take a loyalty oath to be readmitted to the Union.  It also required that the states give black men the right to vote.  Because of the bill being the strictest, Radical Republicans saw that their only choice was to punish the South for starting the war.