The Republican Party

History and Philosophy of: The Republican Party

The Republican Party was founded in the mid 18th century when slavery was still a fresh issue in the United States. During this time, the northern and southern states also disagreed with how slavery should be handled. While the Northerners opposed slavery and found it evil and unconstitutional, the Southerners defended slavery and furthered their argument through reasons of history and economics. So, while the Northerners formed the Republican party in 1854, which included a mix of anti- slavery activists, modernizers, and ex-Whigs, the Southerners formed the Democratic Party which became directly opposed by the Republicans. The Northern Republicans main cause was the opposition of the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854, which opened new lands for settlement and allowed white men in those territories to determine the appointment of slavery. The northern Republican belief system was reflected in 1856 through the trademark "free labor, free land, free men" created by Salmon P. Chase. "Free labor" referred to no slave labor, "free land" meaning no slave plantations, and "free men" referred to the entire ideology of anti-slavery.

The first official party convention for the Republicans was held on July 6, 1854, in Jackson, Michigan. By 1858, the Republicans commanded almost all Northern states. The Republican Party first came to power in 1860 with the decision of Lincoln to the Presidency and Republicans in control of Congress and once more, the Northern states. With Lincoln in Presidency, the end of slavery and provisions of equal rights were eventually passed across the United States.