Unconditional Union Party

The Unconditional Union Party was a political faction that emerged during the American Civil War, primarily in the border states and Union-occupied areas of the Confederacy. Formed in 1861, the party’s main focus was on the preservation of the Union at all costs, without any conditions or concessions to the Confederacy. The party aligned closely with Radical Republicans, advocating for the immediate abolition of slavery, the enlistment of Black soldiers, and the aggressive prosecution of the war to crush the Confederacy.

The Unconditional Unionists frequently clashed with President Lincoln and more conservative Unionists over issues such as emancipation, military strategy, and the future of Reconstruction. Despite these internal conflicts, the party generally supported Lincoln’s re-election in 1864 on the National Union ticket.

After the Civil War, the Unconditional Union Party gradually merged into the Republican Party as Reconstruction policies, including Black suffrage, became central issues. In some states, particularly Missouri, the party’s members continued to use the “Radical Union” label until the early 1870s.