The term refers to a faction within the Republican Party during the American Civil War and Reconstruction era. This group advocated for the abolition of slavery, citizenship rights for African Americans, and a more stringent approach towards the former Confederate states following the war. For instance, figures like Thaddeus Stevens and Charles Sumner championed policies that aimed to fundamentally transform the South’s social and political structures.
Their actions were crucial in shaping the Reconstruction amendments to the Constitution (13th, 14th, and 15th), which abolished slavery, granted citizenship to all persons born or naturalized in the U.S., and prohibited the denial of suffrage based on race, color, or previous condition of servitude. Furthermore, their policies, although controversial at the time, aimed to ensure equal rights and protections for newly freed slaves, leading to the establishment of institutions and organizations designed to aid African Americans.