…showed first 75 words of 596 total…

…showed last 75 words of 596 total…and the threat of violence from various hate groups keeping freedmen from voting, its attentions began to turn elsewhere. The metamorphosis that the party underwent through the 1860's was a direct result of the popular opinion in the North at the time. As the detestment of slavery grew in the North, so did the Republican legislation grow more severe against it, starting with the party platforms and ending with the ratification of the 14th Amendment.