Difference between revisions of "Radical Republicans"
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| − | '''Radical Republicans''' were members of the [[Republican Party]] in the era of the [[American Civil War]] and [[reconstruction]]. They took the lead in demanding the abolition of [[slavery]] and worked to ensure that Freedmen (freed slaves) would have complete equality with white citizens. In addition, they believed that punitive measures should be taken against the Southern States for seceding from the Union. The Radicals demanded, and sometimes got, more vigorous prosecution of the war against the Confederacy and a quicker end to slavery. They often opposed [[Abraham Lincoln]], the leaders of the moderate republicans. The Radicals vehemently opposed President [[Andrew Johnson]]. They were reluctant to readmit the white South to full status during Reconstruction, and concentrated on giving civil rights, and the right to vote,, to Freedmen (freed slaves). After Reconstruction collapsed in 1877 | + | '''Radical Republicans''' were members of the [[Republican Party]] in the era of the [[American Civil War]] and [[reconstruction]]. They took the lead in demanding the abolition of [[slavery]] and worked to ensure that Freedmen (freed slaves) would have complete equality with white citizens. In addition, they believed that punitive measures should be taken against the Southern States for seceding from the Union. The Radicals demanded, and sometimes got, more vigorous prosecution of the war against the Confederacy and a quicker end to slavery. They often opposed [[Abraham Lincoln]], the leaders of the moderate republicans. The Radicals vehemently opposed President [[Andrew Johnson]]. They were reluctant to readmit the white South to full status during Reconstruction, and concentrated on giving civil rights, and the right to vote,, to Freedmen (freed slaves). After Reconstruction collapsed in 1877 the remaining Radicals formed the "Stalwart" faction of the Republican Party. On economic issues, most were conservative and business-oriented. |
The main leaders were Representative [[Thaddeus Stevens]] of Pennyslvania and Senator [[Charles Sumner]] of Massachusetts. | The main leaders were Representative [[Thaddeus Stevens]] of Pennyslvania and Senator [[Charles Sumner]] of Massachusetts. | ||
Revision as of 18:59, December 15, 2008
Radical Republicans were members of the Republican Party in the era of the American Civil War and reconstruction. They took the lead in demanding the abolition of slavery and worked to ensure that Freedmen (freed slaves) would have complete equality with white citizens. In addition, they believed that punitive measures should be taken against the Southern States for seceding from the Union. The Radicals demanded, and sometimes got, more vigorous prosecution of the war against the Confederacy and a quicker end to slavery. They often opposed Abraham Lincoln, the leaders of the moderate republicans. The Radicals vehemently opposed President Andrew Johnson. They were reluctant to readmit the white South to full status during Reconstruction, and concentrated on giving civil rights, and the right to vote,, to Freedmen (freed slaves). After Reconstruction collapsed in 1877 the remaining Radicals formed the "Stalwart" faction of the Republican Party. On economic issues, most were conservative and business-oriented.
The main leaders were Representative Thaddeus Stevens of Pennyslvania and Senator Charles Sumner of Massachusetts.
They were not a political party, but more of a faction in the states, and an informal grouping among the Republicans in Congress. They began their rise to prominence in 1854, and after the election of 1860, they became a true force to be reckoned with when several of their members were given key committee chairmanships: Thaddeus Stevens (Ways and Means), Owen Lovejoy (Agriculture), James Ashley (Territories), Henry W. Davis (Foreign Relations), George W. Julian (Public Lands), Elihu Washburne (Commerce) and Henry Wilson (Judiciary).
The Radical Republicans were not at all reticent to criticize their fellow Republican, President Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War when they thought he wasn't moving fast enough recruiting Blacks for the Army and Lincoln's disciplinary action against General John C. Fremont. After the Civil War they were also critical of Lincoln's Reconstruction Plan.
Radical Republicans in Congress urged President Ulysses S. Grant to take action against the Ku Klux Klan. After a campaign led by Oliver Morton and Benjamin Butler, Grant agreed in 1870 to launch an investigation into the organization, and the following year a grand jury reported that:
"There has existed since 1868, an organization known as the Ku Klux Klan, or Invisible Empire of the South, which embraces in its membership a large proportion of the white population of every profession and class. The Klan has a constitution and bylaws, which provides, among other things, that each member shall furnish himself with a pistol, a Ku Klux gown and a signal instrument. The operations of the Klan are executed in the night and are invariably directed against members of the Republican Party. The Klan is inflicting summary vengeance on the colored citizens by breaking into their houses at the dead of night, dragging them from their beds, torturing them in the most inhuman manner, and in many instances murdering."
The passage of the Ku Klux Klan Act in April, 1871, (which gave the President the authority to suspend habeas corpus in areas where disturbances occurred) marked the last substantial victory for the Radical Republican movement, ending their 17 years of remarkable political influence.