By debbielynnallen78, 5 May, 2025
Do you know when the Republican Party was founded? What the goals were? The values it fought for? I thought it would great to go through the Republican Party from its beginnings to where it is today. I feel the biggest driver of our political beliefs lie in the values we carry with us every day. Every vote counts and knowing the platform and what it stands for is just as important as the candidates who represents the party. History and Civics are important in todays voting climate. Our committee stands on the belief that America and her Constitution are worth fighting for. This is what we stand for.
The Birth of the Party
The Republican Party referred to as the GOP (Grand Old Party) was born on July 6,1854. It started with a group of people who were against the Kansas-Nebraska Act. This act was introduced by Democratic Senator Stephen Douglas of Illinois. This act allowed the settlers of the Kansas and Nebraska territories to decide for themselves if they wanted to own slaves. This did not set well with those who opposed slavery. They formed an opposition party with a meeting referred to as the "Jackson Convention."
In 1856 the newly formed Party ran its first Candidate. John C. Fremont ran against Democrat James Buchanan for President and lost. This campaign although it didn't win the Presidency, it made its presence known on the National stage. Their opposition to slavery was now in the Country's spotlight.
The emergence of the Republican Party in part inched the US closer to the Cival War (1861-1865). This was a big moment for the party as it wanted to rebuild the South and to secure the rights of newly freed slaves.
Republican Leadership during the war:
Abraham Lincoln-President
Frederick Douglas- Prominent African American abolitionist
Thaddeus Stevens-Republican leader who played a key role in reconstruction policies and racial equality.
The new Republican Party rehaped the political lanscape back then. People were not satisfied with the Democrat and Whig parties. Today, this Party is strong. It was born in early America to free the enslaved and to reshape the Country as we know it.
 

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