The modern-day US Republican Party has a number of groups who are supporting the Democrat’s Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election - but this would not be the first time in history such opposition has emerged. Here, Daniel L. Smith considers the ‘Radical Republicans’ who opposed President Abraham Lincoln during the US Civil War.
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Henry Winter Davis, one of the authors of the Wade-Davis bill that opposed Lincoln’s reconstruction plans.
Not all Republicans agree with Republicans, and not all Democrats agree with Democrats.
This is not just a fair estimation, but also a genuine understanding that most of us can agree with.
In August, a national news outlet released an article that mentioned that The Lincoln Project is working to de-rail the Christian political narrative. They represent a non-profit “political action committee that is composed of Republicans and ex-Republicans that seek to prevent Trump from winning re-election.” They are running hard on all cylinders.
POLITICO maintains that the groups “officially formed a partnership on Wednesday as a means to capitalize on religious voters who dislike Trump or are unhappy with his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic as well as the black lives matter protests.”[1]
“If there was ever a time when Republicans, especially people of faith can be moved, it’s probably now,” said Sarah Lenti, executive director at the Lincoln Project. “This is about doing the right thing for our country and that goes back to embracing Biblical principles, such as loving and caring for each other.”
Throughout Trump’s first term, many white evangelicals have expressed unwavering support for the president; however, more recently many of Trump’s more liberal Protestant and Catholic advocates are turning away from the president due in part to his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Vote for Common Good (VCG) and The Lincoln Project are seeking to push Joe Biden, a professing Roman Catholic, as a religious alternative for evangelical voters, many of whom are slated to vote for President Trump in the upcoming 2020 presidential election.”[2]
Radical Republicans
Going back to history, we can see another example of Republicans who opposed their leader – the Radical Republicans, a group who wanted the eradication of slavery straight away and without negotiation.
The Radical Republicans were unmistakably fighting for greater things within the Union. Just like their more moderate peers they wanted emancipation and the removal of the racist KKK; however, it was the underhand attack on Lincoln’s principles that made this political group come to deliberately smear and attack the fair-minded President’s good name.
At the end of 1863, Lincoln executed an order to “Reconstruct,” or rebuild the South at the end of the Civil War. It was under the President’s order that if 10% of the population in a state took an oath of loyalty to the federal government, the state would be allowed to declare a new state government recognized by the United States.
The Radical Republicans (congressmen) in office were angered by Lincoln’s mild-mannered approach to what they viewed as almost treason—given his forgiving and light attitude towards the rebellious states that were (at the time) waging war against the Union. The Congressional bill that aimed to address this was titled “Wade-Davis”, named after two members of Congress.
Ultimately, this bill said that if a majority of white citizens of a state had openly rebelled against the federal government, it would be required to swear loyalty to the Union to be readmitted. Congress went on to approve the Wade-Davis Bill, and President Lincoln (in mid-1864) refused to sign the bill, thus letting the bill die at his desk.
The response to all of this was a group of Congressional Republicans responding by attacking Lincoln and his administration. The Radical Republicans even urged other Republicans to run against Lincoln in that same year’s presidential election. By doing this, these Radical Congressmen became extremists to some degree and purposely alienated many other traditional Republicans.[3]
It is crucial, if not critical, to be aware of the political and cultural interests in your own side, as well as those in the opposition. Opportunity is ripe for those people with evil intentions looking to destroy your good works. However, this will only become a guarantee if you are politically and socially unaware.
You can read a selection of Daniel’s past articles on: California in the US Civil War (here), Spanish Colonial Influence on Native Americans in Northern California (here), Christian ideology in history (here), the collapse of the Spanish Armada in 1588 (here), early Christianity in Britain (here), the First Anglo-Dutch War (here), and the 1918 Spanish Influenza outbreak (here).
Finally, Daniel Smith writes at complexamerica.org.
Sources
[1] "'Never Trump' Republicans Team with Progressives to Convert the President's Religious Base." POLITICO. Last modified August 4, 2020. https://www.politico.com/news/2020/08/04/lincoln-project-gop-religious-base-joe-biden-391427
[2] "Anti-Trump Republican Group Teams Up with Progressives to Draw Faith Votes Away from President Trump." ChristianHeadlines.com. Last modified August 6, 2020. https://www.christianheadlines.com/contributors/milton-quintanilla/anti-trump-republican-group-teams-up-with-progressives-to-draw-faith-voters-away-from-president-trump.html
[3] Myers, Peter C. 2016. “Statesmanship and Reconstruction: Moderate versus Radical Republicans on Restoring the Union after the Civil War.” American Political Thought 5 (1): 160–62
