[Clemenza]

The Democrats were for Free Trade and the extension of slavery into the territories. The Republicans were for protectionism and the open settling of the territories (Free Soil, Free Men).

I still think that Thaddeus Stevens and William Seward were far greater men than any of the third-rate incompetants who ran the confederacy. The only man with any brains or sense was Judah Benjamin IMHO. Even he knew to flee to England when the war was ending.

[wardaddy]

Thad and Seward were the bleeding heart emotive vindicative Dems of their time. They helped start all the crap and then wanted to reap their windfall...they failed. I'm glad their aims were not met. You would have a quite a different perspective were you from down here. that the CSA lacked good leadership politically is fairly well acknowledged....and Benjamen is mostly noteworthy for being a Sephardic Jew and for absconding successfully btw....the Radical Republicans were finally squashed by the panic of 1873, the Grant Administrations excesses and the loss of popular will amongst enfranchised whites to continue on that punitive track...all with good reason.

The path the Radicals took was never what Lincoln or even Sherman wanted. It was getback for a war they contributed at least half for starting...and none of the radicals saw any action that I know of sans Sumner getting his ass kicked by Brooks.