Who were the Radical Republicans?

The Radical Republicans were a faction within the Republican Party during the Reconstruction era that strongly advocated for the imposition of harsh penalties and significant reforms in the South following the Civil War. They sought to transform Southern society by implementing measures that would ensure civil rights for freed slaves and promote greater political participation for African Americans. The Radical Republicans believed that justice required them to hold the Southern states accountable for their rebellion and to prevent former Confederate leaders from regaining power.

Their approach included advocating for the Civil Rights Act and the Reconstruction Acts, which aimed to rebuild the South with a focus on equality and to protect the rights of newly freed African Americans. This commitment to civil rights and stringent measures against the Confederacy distinguished them from other groups at the time, such as those who favored a more lenient approach to Reconstruction or who sought to maintain the old political order in the South.