Liberal Republicans

The Republican Party would often be identified with conservatism in the history of American politics. Yet still, there would be groups who called themselves things like "Progressive Republicans", "Radical Republicans", and even "Liberal Republicans". In what sense did this group define themselves as "liberal"? How did they define themselves compared to their opposition during this time, when the Republican Party, instead of identifying as conservative, split between the radical and the liberal wings?

Fig.1 - Liberal Republican Political Cartoon

Liberal Republicans: Definition

Liberal Republicans were those members of the Republican Party who wished to end the period of Reconstruction, allowing the South to manage its own affairs once again. Interestingly, what made them "liberal" was their desire to deal with corruption and centralization in the federal government, thereby marking a return to earlier Republican ideas.

Liberal Republicans: Political Party

Organized as a formal political party in 1872, the Liberal Republican Party had been a splinter group under the leadership of Senator Carl Schurz since 1870. Its members included Republicans who had begun to drift from the Party's radical wing by opposing Andrew Johnson's impeachment.

Fig. 2 - Benjamin Gratz Brown

Their first success had been with Benjamin Gratz Brown's taking the governorship of Missouri from Republican Joseph McClurg in 1871. The Party hoped to continue its momentum by nominating Horace Greeley for President and Benjamin Gratz Brown as Vice President at their 1872 convention in Cincinnati.

Liberal Republicans: Goals

When the presidential election of 1872 came around, the one primary goal of the Liberal Republican Party was to halt the reelection of Ulysses S. Grant as President of the United States. However, in the beginning, the goals of the Party were more ideological. Issues like stopping corruption and centralization of authority in the executive branch had been the original driving force behind organizing the Party. These broad, issue-based concerns gave way to the practical and specific goals of ending Reconstruction and replacing the Grant presidency.

Democratic Party and the Liberal Republican Party

Although the Democrats and Republicans had long been the primary rival political factions of the United States, the Democrats shared the Liberal Republicans' goal of stopping Grant and Reconstruction. The Democratic Party was primarily strong in the South, as they were the Party of the same White Southerners who had made up the Confederacy.

The inability of former Confederates to vote during Reconstruction and the enfranchisement of Black Americans, who overwhelmingly voted Republican, had led to the weakening of the Democratic Party. Democrats hence endorsed the Liberal Republican ticket as their best chance of ending Reconstruction and its efforts toward racial equality.

Fig. 3 - Greeley and Brown 1872 Campaign Flier

Still, despite their now shared agenda, many Democrats had a hard time coming on board with Republicans, who they had long viewed as antagonists. As well as endorsing Brown's campaign for governor of Missouri, the Democratic Party supported the Greeley and Brown presidential ticket in 1872.

Liberal Republicans: Beliefs

Liberal Republicans believed that the goals of Reconstruction had been achieved, and its continuation was beginning to undermine traditional Republican values. The difference between Radical Republicans and Liberal Republicans can be thought of as centered on the tension between the practical effects of policy versus the ideological implications of that policy.

For example, Radical Republicans wanted to ensure better outcomes for Black Americans immediately through federal actions. However, Liberal Republicans feared that the erosion of states' rights and the centralization of authority in federal hands, particularly the executive, would encourage corruption and a loss of freedom in the long run.

Liberal Republicans: Policies

Communicating a straightforward policy platform proved difficult for Liberal Republicans. Greeley did not support the Party's initial focus on anti-corruption efforts such as civil service reform and lowering tariffs to drive down prices. The primary focus became on Grant personally and Reconstruction generally.

In the 1872 Presidential campaign, the Party argued that it generally sought to ease tensions between the North and South. Still, it mainly focused on personal attacks and corruption accusations against the Republican Party.

End of the Liberal Republican Party

Ultimately, the Liberal Republican Party could not put together a coalition because of three key reasons:

• Union veterans were told the Party wanted to undermine the costly Union Civil War victory
• Black Americans did not trust the Party's ties to the Democratic Party
• Democrats had too much personal animosity towards Greeley

In 1872, Grant won reelection by a significant margin, and Greeley passed away at the end of November that year. After losing the presidency and Greeley's death, the Party folded. Upon the Party's demise, many former members joined the Democratic Party or became Independents, as they were left without a party. By the election of 1876, an almost equal amount of former Liberal Republicans had sided with the Republican or Democratic parties.