The Freedom and People's Rights Movement once declined because of the government's oppression, which led Liberal Party (Meiji Period) to dissolve and the Constitutional Progressive Party to halt its activities, but in 1887, when so called the petition movement of three major events happened, Shojiro GOTO, a leader of former Liberal Party, advocated the reunion of factions of the Freedom and People's Rights Movement to prepare for upcoming of the first House of Representatives election and he called for the establishment of parliamentary government within the Imperial Diet to deal with difficult problems such as treaty revision, a land tax, and financial affairs; in March of the same year, he got principal members of former Liberal Party and the Constitutional Progressive Party to participate, which triggered the movement to unite for a common purpose.
自由民権運動は政府の弾圧によって衰微し、自由党_(明治)は解党、立憲改進党も休止状態にあったが、1887年にいわゆる三大事件建白運動が発生すると、かつての自由党の領袖である後藤象二郎は自由民権運動各派が再結集して来るべき第1回衆議院議員総選挙に臨み、帝国議会に議会政治の打ち立てて条約改正や地租・財政問題という難題にあたるべきだと唱え、3月に旧自由党・立憲改進党の主だった人々に呼びかけたのがきっかけである。