Rise of the Republicans
The late 1800s were a tumultuous time for Americans: the rise of immigration, manifest destiny, and the ever persistent debate about slavery. However, whereas previously politicians had preferred to sweep the issue under the rug, the intensifying tensions between north and south began to polarize politics and led to the split of political parties and the rise of new ones. One such party was the Republican Party, a party with doctrine solely rooted in antislavery ideals and promotion of northern beliefs.
In 1854, at an anti-slavery state convention, politicians congregated to discuss the future of the issue of slavery and began selecting candidates for what would become their party. The name Republican was inspired by a founding father- Thomas Jefferson. Although Jefferson’s party, the Democratic Republicans had split earlier and was survived by the populist, Jacksonian Democratic Party, the Republicans believed in Jefferson’s ideals of inalienable rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness (“Platform”), only differing with Jefferson on whom could receive such rights.
In the Republican Party Platform of 1860, the party pledges its’ steadfast support for unity under the Constitution and anti slavery causes, but also argues for statehood for Kansas and other economic developments (Republican Party Platforms). Echoing Northern ideals through and through, this document was released prior to the tumultuous 1860 election of Abraham Lincoln. Abraham Lincoln, a strong abolitionist, despite not carrying many votes from the South, was able to clinch the presidency through the electoral college system. His win catalyzed events of retribution against the north from the south- starting with secession from South Carolina and following with the beginning of the Civil War.
The Republican Party struggled during the Civil War. The prolonged war and split of the Union proved to allow for many dissatisfied voters, and Lincoln’s reelection in 1864 was very narrow. However, in the years following the Civil War and during Reconstruction, two political parties emerged as significant and became the dominant parties that we still have today: the Democratic Party and the Republican Party, later renamed the Grand Old Party (GOP).
Today, the Republican Party is nearly unrecognizable for the values it used to stand for due to socioeconomic changes in the United States. No longer are the lines drawn firmly along the issue of the slavery, and the Republican Party is no longer limited to just the party of the north. Beginning in the 1900s, the Republican Party became associated with capitalism, low taxes, and conservatism. While the battles between Democrats and Republicans are as fierce as ever, there is no doubt that the Republican Party has set off many changes in American history.
Bibliography
The Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica. “Republican Party.” Encyclopædia Britannica,
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 5 May 2017,
“Platform.” GOP, Republican National Committee, www.gop.com/history/.
Republican Party Platforms: "Republican Party Platform of 1860," May 17, 1860. Online by
Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project.
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