Radical Republicans facts for kids

The Radical Republicans were a group of American politicians. They were part of the Republican Party from its start in 1854 until 1877. This was after the American Civil War and during a time called Reconstruction. They called themselves "Radicals" because they wanted to end slavery completely and right away. They also wanted to make sure former slaves had equal rights.

During the Civil War, the Radicals disagreed with President Abraham Lincoln. They thought he was too slow to free slaves. They also thought his plans to bring the Southern states back into the Union were too easy. After the war, they worked hard to give civil rights to former slaves, known as "freedmen." This included the right to vote. They also did not want former Confederate leaders to regain power in the Southern United States.

The Radicals passed laws like the Fourteenth Amendment. This amendment helped protect the rights of freed slaves. They also tried to remove Lincoln's successor, President Andrew Johnson, from office. Johnson was a former slave owner who disagreed with their strong plans for Reconstruction. Their attempt to impeach him failed by just one vote in 1868.

What Made Them Radical?

U.S. Rep. Thaddeus Stevens was a strong leader of the Radicals.

The Radical Republicans were deeply influenced by their religious beliefs. Many of them were Christian reformers. They saw slavery as evil. They believed the Civil War was a punishment from God for allowing slavery.

The word "radical" meant someone who wanted to get to the "root of things." It meant they were serious about their goals. Before the war, it described Northern politicians who strongly opposed the power of slave owners. Many Radicals had been part of the Whig Party. Key figures included Thaddeus Stevens and Horace Greeley, who ran a leading Radical newspaper.

Not everyone stayed a Radical. Some who were radical before the war became less so during it. Others who were moderate before the war became Radicals. Even some former Democrats, who had supported slavery, became Radicals. This included Ulysses S. Grant and Andrew Johnson. However, Johnson later broke away from the Radicals when he became president.

The Radicals gained a lot of power in Congress after the 1866 elections. This happened because there was violence against former slaves in the South. Many people felt President Johnson's plans were not strong enough. A pamphlet from 1867 explained that "Radical" meant someone who wanted to abolish slavery and remove all problems connected to it.

The Radicals were not a formal group. People moved in and out of it. Their most important leader in the House of Representatives was Thaddeus Stevens. The Democrats were against the Radicals, but they were a small group in politics for a while. Other Republicans, called "Moderates" or "Conservatives," often disagreed with the Radicals.

In 1872, a group called the Liberal Republicans formed. They thought that Reconstruction had gone on for too long. They also claimed that Grant and the Radicals were corrupt. They ran for president but lost badly.

Radicals During the War

Salmon P. Chase was Lincoln's Secretary of the Treasury and a Radical.

After the 1860 elections, moderate Republicans had more power in Congress. Radical Republicans often criticized President Lincoln. They felt he was too slow to free slaves and give them equal rights. Lincoln tried to include all groups in his cabinet. He appointed Radicals like Salmon P. Chase (Secretary of the Treasury) and Edwin M. Stanton (Secretary of War).

In 1864, some Radicals briefly formed their own party, the Radical Democracy Party. They chose John C. Frémont as their candidate for president, but he later dropped out. Important Radical leaders in Congress were Senator Charles Sumner and Representative Thaddeus Stevens. They strongly pushed for a war that would end slavery.

Their Plans for Reconstruction

Disagreeing with Lincoln

Henry Winter Davis helped write a plan that went against Lincoln's ideas for Reconstruction.

The Radical Republicans did not like Lincoln's plans for bringing the United States back together after the war. They thought his plans were too easy on the Southern states. They wanted to make sure that anyone who had supported the Confederacy could not vote in Southern elections. Lincoln disagreed with this. When the Radicals passed their own plan, the Wade–Davis Bill, in 1864, Lincoln vetoed it. The Radicals wanted a tougher war and a complete end to slavery. After the war, they controlled a special committee in Congress that dealt with Reconstruction.

Disagreeing with Johnson

After Lincoln was assassinated in 1865, Andrew Johnson became president. At first, he seemed to agree with the Radicals. But he soon disagreed with them, and they became strong opponents. Johnson was not a good politician. His supporters lost many elections in 1866. This gave the Radicals full control of Congress. They now had enough votes to pass laws even if Johnson tried to stop them.

Controlling Congress

After the 1866 elections, the Radicals mostly controlled Congress. President Johnson tried to stop 21 laws passed by Congress. But the Radicals were able to pass 15 of them anyway. These laws included the Civil Rights Act of 1866. This act made African Americans citizens of the United States. It also included four Reconstruction Acts. These acts changed election rules in the South. They allowed black people to vote and stopped former Confederate officers from holding office.

Because of these new laws and elections, former slaves, along with Northerners who moved South (called carpetbaggers), and white Southerners who supported Reconstruction (called scalawags), set up Republican governments in 10 Southern states.

Trying to Remove Johnson

Edwin M. Stanton was Lincoln's Secretary of War. President Johnson tried to remove him.

The Radicals wanted to remove President Johnson from office. They tried to impeach him. This means formally accusing a public official of wrongdoing. Johnson broke a law called the Tenure of Office Act when he fired his Secretary of War, Edwin M. Stanton. The House of Representatives voted to impeach him. But the Senate, which holds the trial, did not get enough votes to remove him in 1868. Even though he was not removed, Johnson lost most of his power.

Supporting Grant

General Ulysses S. Grant was in charge of the Army after the war. He generally supported the Radicals' plans. Grant was elected president in 1868. As president, he usually sided with the Radicals on Reconstruction. He signed the Civil Rights Act of 1871 into law.

The Republican Party split in 1872 over Grant's reelection. The Liberal Republicans, including Charles Sumner, opposed Grant. They lost the election badly. Then, the economy went into a downturn in 1873. In 1874, the Democrats won control of Congress. This ended the time when the Radicals had so much power.

The Radicals tried to protect the new governments in the South. But one by one, Southern states voted the Republicans out of power. By 1876, only three Republican states were left: Louisiana, Florida, and South Carolina. The 1876 presidential election was very close. It was decided by the votes from these three states. A deal was made, called the Compromise of 1877. It said that a Republican, Rutherford B. Hayes, would become president. In return, he would remove federal troops from the South. When the troops left, the Republican state governments quickly fell apart.

Reconstruction in the South

U.S. Senator Charles Sumner was a key leader of the Radicals.

During Reconstruction, Radical Republicans gained more and more control. They were led by Charles Sumner and Thaddeus Stevens. They wanted tougher rules for the South. They also wanted more protection for the freed slaves. They wanted to make sure that the ideas of the Confederacy were completely gone.

When President Lincoln was assassinated in 1865, Andrew Johnson became president. At first, the Radicals liked Johnson's strong talk. But they soon saw that he was not as committed as they were. When he vetoed the Civil Rights Act of 1866, they voted to pass it anyway. This was the first time Congress had ever overridden a president's veto on such an important law. The Civil Rights Act of 1866 made African Americans citizens of the United States. It also stopped discrimination against them. The 14th Amendment of 1868, which guaranteed equal protection under the law, was also a result of their efforts.

By 1866, the Radical Republicans supported federal civil rights for freedmen. Johnson was against this. By 1867, they set rules for freed slaves to vote. They also limited voting rights for many former Confederates. The 1866 elections gave the Radicals enough votes to pass their laws even over Johnson's vetoes.

Through elections in the South, former Confederate leaders were replaced. New governments were formed by freedmen, Southern whites who supported Reconstruction (scalawags), and Northerners who moved South (carpetbaggers). The Radical Republicans successfully impeached President Johnson in the House. But they failed by one vote in the Senate to remove him from office.

Former slave owners and white supremacists in the South opposed the Radicals. The Radicals were attacked by groups like the Ku Klux Klan. One Radical Congressman from Arkansas, James M. Hinds, was murdered by the Klan in 1868.

"Grant's Last Outrage in Louisiana" art from 1875.

All Republican groups supported Ulysses S. Grant for president in 1868. Once he was president, Grant used federal power to try to stop the Ku Klux Klan. However, violence against African Americans and their supporters continued for many years. By the 1872 presidential election, the Liberal Republicans felt that Reconstruction had done its job and should end. Many moderate Republicans and even some Radicals, like Charles Sumner, joined them. They nominated Horace Greeley for president. Grant easily won reelection.

End of Reconstruction

By 1872, the Radicals were not as united. In the 1874 elections, the Democrats took control of Congress. Many former Radicals joined a group called the "Stalwarts" within the Republican Party.

In the South, a movement called the "Redeemers" took control from the Republicans in state after state. By 1876, only three Republican states were left: South Carolina, Florida, and Louisiana. The 1876 United States presidential election was very close. It was decided by the votes from these three states. A deal was made, called the Compromise of 1877. It said that Republican Rutherford B. Hayes would become president. In return, he would remove federal troops from these states.

When the troops were removed, Reconstruction ended. The "Redeemers" took over in these states. White Democrats now controlled all Southern state governments. This led to the start of Jim Crow laws, which took away rights from black people for many decades.

How Historians See Them

After the Civil War and Reconstruction, people started to write about what happened. Early historians, like those from the Dunning School, saw the Radicals negatively. They believed the Radicals hated the Confederacy too much. They thought the Radicals only wanted power. These historians said the Radicals undid the good work of Lincoln and Johnson. They claimed the Radicals set up corrupt governments in the South. They also said the Radicals gave political rights to former slaves who were not ready for them. For the Dunning School, the Radicals made Reconstruction a "dark age." They believed it only ended when white Southerners took back control.

In the 1930s, new historians, called "revisionists," disagreed with the Dunning School. They included people like W.E.B. DuBois. They said that corruption happened on both sides. They also looked at the economic reasons behind the conflict. They still didn't always see the Radicals in a good light. They argued that most Radicals cared more about Northern business interests than about the fate of black people.

Since the 1950s, historians have reevaluated the Radicals. This was partly because of the Civil Rights Movement. These historians, sometimes called "neoabolitionists," admired the Radicals' goals. They argued that the Radicals' efforts to advance civil rights and voting rights for African Americans were very important. They also highlighted how African Americans actively sought education and land after slavery ended.

More recently, some historians have suggested that Northern Republicans became worried about black laborers. They feared they might become too radical. It also became clear to Northerners that the white South was not planning revenge or trying to bring back the Confederacy. Many Republicans who felt this way joined the Liberal Republican group in 1872.

Notable Radical Republicans

• Amos Tappan Akerman: Attorney General who strongly went after the Ku Klux Klan.
• John Armor Bingham: A key person who helped write the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution.
• Benjamin Butler: A politician-soldier hated by rebels for taking control of New Orleans.
• Salmon P. Chase: Lincoln's Treasury Secretary and later Chief Justice.
• Schuyler Colfax: Speaker of the House and Vice President.
• John Creswell: Appointed many African Americans to federal postal jobs.
• Henry Winter Davis: A representative from Maryland.
• John C. Frémont: The Republican presidential candidate in 1856.
• Ulysses S. Grant: President who signed important civil rights laws and supported Radical Reconstruction.
• Hannibal Hamlin: Vice President during Lincoln's first term.
• James M. Hinds: A Congressman from Arkansas who was murdered by the Ku Klux Klan.
• George Washington Julian: A key person who helped write the Fifteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution.
• John Alexander Logan: A senator from Illinois.
• Oliver P. Morton: Governor of Indiana and a senator.
• Edwin McMasters Stanton: Secretary of War under Lincoln and Johnson.
• Thaddeus Stevens: The main Radical leader in the House from Pennsylvania.
• Charles Sumner: The main Radical leader in the Senate from Massachusetts.
• Benjamin Franklin Wade: A senator from Ohio. He would have become president if Johnson had been removed.
• Henry Wilson: A senator from Massachusetts and Vice President under Grant.