Radical Republican Ideology
Radical Republicanism and Moderate Republicanism
Radical Republican ideology was focused on the question of reconstruction. They believed that reconstruction was more important than the economy or any other concerns of the time. The two most prominent Radical Republican leaders, Thaddeus Stevens and Charles Sumner, did not even agree on economic plans. (Foner 106) Instead, they wanted to use the expansion of power gained during the war, as a means to promote free labor, equality under the law, and black suffrage. Many wanted to see the plantation economy of the south transform into the family farms and small towns of New England, Upstate New York, and Ohio. (Foner 107) For some, this plan included giving freed slaves plots of lands. Radical
Radical Republican ideology was focused on the question of reconstruction. They believed that reconstruction was more important than the economy or any other concerns of the time. The two most prominent Radical Republican leaders, Thaddeus Stevens and Charles Sumner, did not even agree on economic plans. (Foner 106) Instead, they wanted to use the expansion of power gained during the war, as a means to promote free labor, equality under the law, and black suffrage. Many wanted to see the plantation economy of the south transform into the family farms and small towns of New England, Upstate New York, and Ohio. (Foner 107) For some, this plan included giving freed slaves plots of lands. Radical