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THE FOUNDING OF THE REPUBLICAN PARTY |
The Republican Party was founded in the early 1850’s by anti-slavery activists. The first meeting took place at a small schoolhouse in Ripon, Wisconsin on March 20, 1854.
In 1856, with the slogan “Free soil, free labor, free speech, free men, Fremont!” the young Republican Party nominated their first national ticket – military hero and explorer (he was known as “The Great Pathfinder”) Col. John C. Fremont for President and William Dayton for Vice President. The Republican Party was unsuccessful in that election. Four years later, they would change the world forever.
In 1860, the Republican Party nominated Abraham Lincoln. He was an outspoken opponent of the expansion of slavery. Lincoln’s victory made him the first Republican President.
Lincoln served during one of the most divisive eras in American history. However, through his leadership, he implemented the Emancipation Proclamation, which freed slaves in the Confederate States, and led the nation to victory in the Civil War.
The Republicans of the day worked to pass the 13TH Amendment, which outlawed slavery, the 14TH, which guaranteed equal protection under the laws, and the 15TH, which helped secure voting rights for African-Americans.
Beginning with Lincoln’s victory in 1860 to the election of 1928, the Republican Party went on to win fourteen out of eighteen presidential elections. They have won nine out of the last fourteen presidential elections.
The appeal of the Republican Party is the same principle it was founded upon over 150 years ago – FREEDOM OF THE INDIVIDUAL. In the words of the Republican Creed, “I will never cower before any master, save my God.”
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