Introduction
The Republican Party’s history is marked with much intrigue and drama. Starting with its first presidential nominee known as John Fremont to the latest by the name of John McCain, the Republican story is worth some discussion. In the beginning, the Republican strongest point started mainly from New England and the Midwest.
However, it was not until the Second World War that the party’s popularity began to rise in some places. In general, the Republican Party is the more conventional of the two foremost parties, with its major hold coming from the upper-middle class and the business, monetary and agricultural sectors. The party has achieved political position mainly due to its support of laissez-faire, free business, financial dependability, and opposing the welfare state. The party widely advocates that less government involvement is better governance and that the state should only interfere where the person is unable to assist himself/herself. (Flower, 540)
A brief history of the Republican Party
The early Republican Party began from three issues; the primary issue was the changing role that came after the Second Great Awakening. The Second Great Awakening in this case was a religious reinforcement group that overcame the American nation from the nineteenth century. So many of the Second Great Awakening principals did away with the mainstream Calvinist that stressed the issues of destiny and human immorality for a more positive concept that the universe can be a better place if people are given a chance to pursue their inspirations. This ideology that allowed people to have social progress made a great impact on some fundamental transformations, and these were mostly endorsed by members of the Whig Party as well as third-party groups. In many ways, this religious concept strengthened the need for these parties to reform women’s rights, public education as well as and antislavery endeavor. Although Republicans did not support the rights of women or the direct elimination of slavery, they were the ones that had close ideologies to the Whigs and other third parties. In this way, they were able to put forward their need to stop the expansion of slavery in other regions, especially in the Western regions. (Wyeth, 110)
The second boost for the Republicans was the economic policies that were supported by Henry Clay and the other members of the Whig Party. Clay and his partners advocated that the government could help the American economy grow by endorsing protective tariffs especially on the young growing businesses including clothing and iron. In this way, the Tariffs would help sponsor internal developments on transport and infrastructure including roads, canals, ports and the most fundamental was the railroads of the 1850s. They also advocated for a Bank that would offer even currency with the banknotes and this would promote the advancement of the Union. The third issue that affected the Republican Party was Nativism. From the 1790s, the United States had experienced a situation where many Americans wanted to view national identity in terms of ethnic background instead of loyalty to the state. Beginners like John Jay believed that Protestants were good Americans. During the remarkable arrival of Irish and Germans who were mostly Catholics in the 1840s and 1850s, most Protestant Americans were afraid that the American society would be damaged by ignorant people who were loyal to the Vatican. The Republicans however felt that all people’s rights should be protected and thus strengthened their base. (Anbinder, 294)
In the year 1848, the Whig Party aspirant, Zachary Taylor, emerged victorious in the presidential polls. The Republican Party had not been formed in this year. Several events happened between 1848 and 1854 that helped in establishing the Republican Party within a short period. Two reasons we’re in a great deal responsible for the establishment of the Republican Party. One of these reasons was the issue of slavery while the other was the rise and collapse of the American Party, which was misguidedly referred to as the Know-Nothing Party. Just as the Republican Party, the American Party was created rapidly and elected many officials. The American Party possessed many members of any political party in the United States House of Representatives in the year 1854. (Meyers)
The Whig Party, which had been second to the Democrats ever since the the1820’s was mainly in opposition to the Democratic Party. Its main leaders back then were Andrew Jackson and Martin Van Buren. The Whig Party was not founded on any specific ideologies or beliefs. Initially, when it was created, it was a loose alliance of people who wanted to enter the office for any given reason. On the Northern side, it was composed of the abolitionists and those who were against extension of slavery, and those who were supporting the protective tariffs that were the customs duties. On the other side, those in the South were in support of expanding slavery and lower tariffs. This went on well up to 1850 when fighting over the expansion of slavery to the new Western states arose and this meant that people had to choose whom to support. This is the time when the Southern Whigs left the party and merged with the Democrats who were in favor of slavery. The Northern Whigs joined the American party in the process of going to become Republicans. (Flower, 540)
It is however important to note that the core of the Republican Party seems to have developed from the Free Soil Party. This arose from the Free soil movement, which was created to fight against the expansion of slavery. The mistake of the Whig Party of not having a political stand and opposing the expansion of slavery created a space for the Free Soil Party to fill. The Free Soil Party also drew the support of Northern Democrats who were opposed to the expansion of slavery. Their fundamental foundation was free homelands for the people from government lands. The party believed in having freedom of speech, freedom to own the land, and personal freedom. Even though as a party they did not campaign for eradication of slavery in the Southern states, their party was nearest to the abolitionist ideologies. In 1948, their presidential aspirant was Martin Van Buren. Since he did not win in that particular election they decided to join the Republican Party to make themselves stronger. (Cooper, 413)
The American Party was established for the sole purpose of countering the influence that immigrants and Catholics had exerted in the land. Their workforce mostly originated from the Whig Party even though many Democrats united with them. They formed as a secret movement to the extent that they came to be known as “Know-Nothings”. The founders did not recognize themselves as American Party up until after the victory in local and congressional polls of 1854. Their presidential aspirant in 1856 was Millard Filmore who gathered 8,974,534 votes and came in the third position. The issue of slavery mostly split the party members and in 1858, many American Party followers from the north joined the Republican Party and those in the south joined the Democrats. Even though they were not a separate party, the abolitionists were an essential tool in the formation of the Republican Party. The concept of eliminating slavery was outdated since in Britain it had been confirmed that the Somerset Decision of 1771, which played a great role in the American Revolution, had eradicated slavery. The eradication of slavery in every British colony perceived that America had morally degraded. The concept of expanding slavery in western states and new territories made many people in America conscious of the abolitionist’s stand. (Foner, 341)
The other main reason why the Republican Party came together was the outrage on the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act. Huge public gatherings took place in Northern regions, and many of them used the word “Republican”. The Republican Party was established in 1854, in Ripon, Wisconsin by anti-slavery protestors and leaders. The Republican Party within a short time outshined the Whig Party as the major opposition to the Democratic Party. The party held its initial meeting in Michigan where important party rules were set. This meeting reintroduced the party’s earlier principle of having a country with free people; free ownership of land and work that was not forced. “Free labor” reflected the Republican idea of movable middle classes that would leave the labor force and start their small businesses. “Free land” was the Republican endeavor to make possible the idea of free enterprise by handing out government-owned land to the people. They believed that such radical changes would ultimately assist in ensuring that slavery was abolished. Apart from opposing slavery, the Republican Party put into place a movement to advocate for modernization in the United States. This called for advancement in the education, banking sector, railroads, trade and industry, urbanization as well as guaranteeing free farmlands to the farmers. The party insisted that free-enterprise labor was greater than slavery and the basis of civic values and American values were very essential to them. (Foner, 342)
The party campaigned with their principles a trend that endeared the party to many low-income citizens and thus their popularity increased very fast. In the elections that were held in 1864, Republicans broke tradition by voting with Democrats who were opposed to war to elect Abraham Lincoln as the National Union Party Ticket torchbearer. They resolved to name themselves Republicans since they were alleged to be political successors of Thomas Jefferson’s Democratic-Republican Party. The name was officially approved by a state conference that took place in Jackson, Michigan, on July 6, 1854. The Republican Party was doing well from the start. The disintegration of the Democratic Party on the subject of slavery went on and in 1858; the Republicans took the power of the House of Representatives for the very first time. (Foner, 343)
The Republican Party was a party with strong beliefs and ideologies. The party had a stand on various issues and pledged to reform the laws of the country in a significant approach. In the congressional elections of 1858, the polls were largely based on the Dred Scott decision. The American Party and the Whig Party were constantly going down in terms of popularity. On the other hand, the Democrats even though they were a national party were largely associated with slavery. The Republicans went ahead to reinforce their ideologies and obligations in Free State politics. In 1856, the Whig Party had been defeated in the presidential bid because their votes were split. In 1860, the Democrat’s vote was split because the citizens were concerned with the concept of slavery. The Republicans were mostly opposing slavery even if a great number of them were prepared to consent for it to go on in the southern slave states if its extensions were closed and the slaves were let free when they went to free state land. The Democrats had allied themselves in two factions. Stephen Douglas was leading the northern side and he advocated that every state had the right to decide if to permit slavery or not. This did not seem pleasing to the fundamental slave masters and they chose John Breckinridge on the basis that he would expand slavery. The remainder of the Whig and American parties united into a new party, the Constitutional Union Party. They chose John Bell and stressed the need to sustain the union, but did not take any side for or against slavery. (Lucius, 447)
The second Republican general conference in 1860 came with the outcome of the nomination of Abraham Lincoln for the presidency. The Republican foundation declared not to expand slavery and advocated for endorsement of free-farmhouse legislation, timely institution of a day-by-day overland mail examination, transcontinental railway line, and they were in favor of the fair tax. Lincoln was competing against three main candidates. Lincoln accumulated nearly half a million votes more than Douglas from the Democratic Party had. Lincoln had so much success in putting his party together to advocate for the Union. He mostly had issues with the Radical Republicans who advocated for strict measures. In the beginning, many Democrats were War Democrats but in 1862 when Lincoln put forward the measure to do away with slavery as a war goal, the Democrats turned to support peace. In many states, the Republicans were in favor of the war goal to abolish slavery apart from Kentucky. (Lucius, 447)
The party in the Congress approved for the advancement of modernization, which advocated for national banking structures, increased tariffs, temporary income tax, excise taxes as well as paper money provided without patronage. The party also advocated for homeland laws, higher education strategies, large national debt, and agriculture for the farmers. With time, the Republicans condemned the Democrats advocating for peace and teamed up with War Democrats to ensure they had the majority in 1862. In 1864, they teamed with many War Democrats, and in this way; they were able to reelect Lincoln as president of the United States. In the course of the war, upper-middle-class men in main towns created Union Leagues to campaign for aid to finance the war endeavor. The conquering of the South in the Civil War had the Democratic Party, which was directly linked with the Confederacy in a disaster. The Republicans in turn were in dominance. (Lucius, 449)
The Republican’s foundations had their ideologies based on ethnic and religious groupings, which set the guidelines for its members, which were in turn passed on into politics. The church also offered some social set of connections that politicians made use of to help gather voters. Some churches stressed the obligation of a Christian to shun sin from the community. In this way, sin meant many things including, alcoholism, polygamy as well as slavery and thus these issues came to be the objectives of the Republicans. The party had the support of most rich men in England and New York. The pietistic worshippers, Presbyterians, the Methodists as well as Scandinavian Lutherans supported the Republicans for their moral principles. Liturgical churches such as the Roman Catholic, Episcopal, German Lutheran among others did not agree with the moralist ideas of the Republican Party thus most of their followers were Democrats. (Flower, 541)
Key Players
The Republican Party has several characters who contributed to its creation in the early years. In 1852, Alvan E. Bovay advocated for the creation of a new party that was opposed to slavery. It was during this period that he went to New York and consulted with Horace Greeley who was an editor of a leading newspaper. Bovay conferred to him the issue of starting a new party called the Republican Party and Greeley felt that it was a good idea. In 1854, Bovay who was a member of the Whig party agreed and had a meeting with other members at the Congregational church where they agreed that if the Kansas-Nebraska Act was approved they would dissolve their party and form a new party. On March 20th, 1854, Bovay and sixteen others came together in another meeting after Congress had passed the contentious Kansas-Nebraska Act where the new party was formally founded. At the end of the meeting, they were united with the resolution that that was the best way to fight against slavery thus leading to the creation of the Republican Party. Bovay was personally the one behind the name Republican Party with the reason that it was straightforward and signified equality. In addition to this, Thomas Jefferson had previously called his party Republican and thus this would give their party a reputable name created of historical importance. The members also chose Alan Bovay, Jebediah Bowen, Amos Loper, Abram Thomas, and Jacob Woodruff as the committee of the new Republican Party. (Wilson, 298)
The other person involved in the foundation of the Republican Party is John C. Fremont. Fremont was a senator from California and was in office from 1850 to 1851. During the early years when the Republican Party was formed, Fremont became the first presidential candidate in 1856. Fremont also became the first presidential aspirant from the main party to run based on fighting against slavery. In the 1840s, the penny press of that time gave Fremont the title The Pathfinder. Even to this day, this term is used to remember him and at times he is referred to as The Great Pathfinder. Nathaniel P. Banks was a Democrat but defected from the party when his party was divided on the issue of slavery. He was opposed to the spread of slavery and thus he joined the American Party and later the Republican Party who were also opposed to slavery. In 1856, he was elected speaker and this was among the first remarkable victories of the Republican Party. In the time he was the speaker, he appointed many people who were against slavery in the Congress thus, he was known for fairness and good judgment in his decisions. In the elections of 1856, he was at the forefront in ensuring that John C. Fremont was nominated for the presidency with a Republican ticket. (Jackson & Spence)
Kingsley Bingham was a democrat in the 1830s and in the 1850s when the issue of slavery became controversial he defected to the Republican Party. He was also shortly a member of the Free Soil Party before becoming a Republican together with others who were opposed to the extension of slavery. In 1854, he was elected through the Republican ticket as Governor of Michigan. Kingsley was mostly a well-known Agriculturalist and was widely referred to as Farmer-Governor of Michigan. In 1856, he was at the forefront of campaigning for the election of the Republican candidate John C. Fremont. In 1858, he was elected to the United States Senate with a Republican ticket and was in office during the 36th and 37th Congress. He also participated vigorously in 1860, to the election of the first Republican President Abraham Lincoln. (Anbinder, 296)
Joseph Medill was among the founders of the Republican Party. In February 1854, the members who were opposed to slavery held a meeting in Ripon, Wisconsin, the place many historians credit to the foundation of the Republican Party. Medill gathered members from the Free Soil Party and the liberal Democrats in the office of the Cleveland Leader in March 1854. Salmon P. Chase from the Whig Party also attended the meeting. During the meeting, Medill suggested they name the new party Republican and most of those attending were in agreement. They resolved that they would push for no slave states, bring to end slavery in the country, bring down any kind of pro-slave laws, and most of all they resolved to ensure that freedom was given to all people. Medill though he was initially a Whig he did not like the name “Whig” since he felt it was unattractive to most members and to outsiders who would have been willing to join the party. He felt that the name “Democrat” was much better since it portrayed what the party position was and thus even before the foundation of the Republican Party Medill pushed for the name “Whig” to be changed to “Republican”. This was because “Republican” responded to the name “Democrat” which was a major party. Medill also urged Horace Greeley to join the new party. (Anbinder, 297)
Medill was known to be a strong follower of what he believed in and at no particular time did he diverge from the ideals of the party. He alleged that the Republican Party was composed of many bright and well-informed politicians who he felt would play a fundamental role in the political scene. Most of his principles and his stand were based on the fact that he had a lot to do with the foundation of the Republican Party. Medill also came to be an acquaintance of Abraham Lincoln in 1855 while they were campaigning for the abolition of slavery in the United States. He also had a lot to do with suggesting that Lincoln be nominated as the presidential candidate in 1859, and after his nomination, he campaigned for him to win the election in 1860. (Anbinder, 298)
The other main person in the founding of the Republican Party is Salmon P. Chase. Chase was the 23rd Governor of Ohio, and he was in office during the time Abraham Lincoln was the President. Chase was opposed to slavery even before the formation of the Republican Party and he is the one who came up with the motto for the Free Soil Party, “Free soil, free labor, and free men”. Most of his time was spent fighting the so-called Slave Power that was very dominant in the South which was opposed to freedom. In the year 1835, Chase was campaigning actively for the abolishing of slavery and was even fighting for fugitive slaves. In 1836, Chase joined the anti-slavery movement that had been formed to oppose the extension of slavery. In time he came to be recognized as being against the slave masters from the south and many people called him attorney general of fugitive slaves. He argued that the Federal government had no power to establish slavery in any region and that if a slave went away from a region where slavery was permitted; he stopped being a slave since he went on being a person and abandoned the law that had him become a slave. (Niven, 96)
Chase in 1840 was a member of the Whig Party, but in 1841 he left the party. He then became the leader of the Liberty Party without any opposition for seven years. He formed the basis and foundations of the party thus developing the national Liberty Platform of 1843 and the Liberty address of 1845. In 1848, Chase helped in bringing together the Liberty Party with the Barnburners and Van Buren Democrats for them to take the issue of abolishing slavery more seriously. In 1854, he condemned vigorously the Kansas-Nebraska Act that was approved by Congress. It was during this time that he united the Liberal Democrats, the Whig Party, and his own Free Soil Party to form the Republican Party. During his service as Governor, he supported the issues raised about women’s rights. In 1860, he was among those who campaigned for the election of Abraham Lincoln to the presidency of the United States. Chase was a very famous Republican and he did a lot in terms of opposing Republicans probably than any other Republican. (Niven, 96)
William Henry Seward contributed to the foundation of the Republican Party. He was forthrightly opposed to slavery even while he was in the Whig party. After the passing of the Kansas-Nebraska Act, he was among the many members of the Whig party to defect and form the Republican Party. He was a principal figure in the early years when the Republican Party was being formed. He was nominated in 1860 as a presidential candidate but was beaten by Lincoln who went ahead to win the Presidency though he did not win the service loyally in Lincoln’s administration and played a great role in campaigning for his reelection in 1864. Seward got into politics with the help of Thurlow Weed whom he met in the 1820s. In the 1830s, Seward was campaigning actively against the extension of slavery especially in the south where the slave masters were campaigning to send back the escapee slaves. He was known for defending African American slaves who had run away in court and dealt with mentally unstable persons in prison. In 1849, he became a Senator with a Whig ticket and he opposed the Compromise of 1850. Seward felt that slavery was morally wrong and he became a known enemy of what was then called “Slave power.” In 1854, when Anti-Nebraska Kansas was passed, he became the first Whigs to defect and form the Republican Party. (Seward, 417)
Thurlow Weed was another person who was among the first founders of the Republican Party. He was originally from the Whig Party and was opposed to slavery. He publicly denounced slavery as immoral and was opposed to the expansion of slavery to the Western states. After the passing of Kansas –Nebraska Act, he joined his friend Seward into the Republican Party. He supported the election of Lincoln in the 1860 presidential elections and was with him all through his administration. During the time of the Civil war, Weed was the unofficial representative to France. Hannibal Hamlin was from the Democratic Party until 1854 when he left the party over the controversy on the Kansas Nebraska Act. This was the time he joined other Democrats and Whigs opposed to slavery and formed the Republican Party. He was also against the expansion of slavery and in 1860 he helped campaign for Lincoln for the presidency. (Wilentz, 948)
Abraham Lincoln is also the main founder of the Republican Party. He was outspoken on the issue of slavery and he was against the extension of slavery in the United States. Lincoln was from the Whig Party and was known for his admiration of the policies of Henry Clay. The Whig party supported economic extension in sectors like roads and enhancing commerce in the region. Although he liked Clay, Lincoln was in favor of Zachary Taylor in the election of 1848. In 1854, after the Kansans-Nebraska Act was passed, Lincoln went back to politics opposing the bill. The bill stated that individuals had the right to choose if they wanted slavery in their region instead of national Congress striking a verdict on them. In 1854, the Whig Party was very much divided on the issue of slavery and thus they integrated and formed the Republican Party together with the free Soil party and Liberal Democrats. Lincoln was influential in creating the new Republican Party. He became a very prominent person in the Republican Party and 1856 he was placed second to be the running mate of John C. Fremont. Lincoln argued that Slave Power was intimidating the principles of Republicanism and thus it should be abolished by all means. In this way, many people supported his ideals and thus the Republican Party’s popularity continued to grow. In March 1860, Lincoln received the nomination for the presidency, and later in the year he won and became the first Republican president. (Paludan, 259)
Fundamental Principles and beliefs
The Republicans founding principles included doing away with slavery, freedom of speech, and women’s rights. They also advocated for a smaller government, reforming the system of government and empowering the states. The Republican Party had a founding principle of putting the needs of the poor first thus since its beginning it has always fought for the rights of individuals instead of having a large government. The party has been able to prosper amid challenges and complex situations. Since its foundation, the party has been at the forefront in campaigning for the changing of government principles. During the time the party was founded, it acted as the answer to the political problems of alienated politics, political chaos, and other challenges that included the divided issue of slavery. (Shafer & Anthony, 200)
The Republican Party was founded on several principles and beliefs that are still observed in the party to this day. The party believed in protecting the lives of every individual despite their race, color, or background. In this way, every person had a right to personal dignity, liberty, capabilities and thus every person should be honored. The party advocated for a free society where everybody is allowed to invest in what they prefer. In this way, they advocated for free markets with minimal government involvement in the people’s affairs. The Republicans fought for the rights of the oppressed especially the black slaves and also for women’s rights. Women were able to have a voice during the Republican regime. The Republican Party campaigned vigorously for the end of slavery in the United States and thus many African Americans were free to even hold positions in government. The Republican Party believes in freedom for every person was very fundamental in the early days and this made many people vote for Republicans. The party also advocates for religious freedom and by this, they meant freedom to choose whatever religion one wanted. The state could not decide for a person which religion to follow but instead created an environment of openness for every individual. (Jensen, 101)
The other major issue that was fundamental as a belief of the Republican Party was equality. The party campaigned for equal rights, equality injustice as well as equal prospects for everyone despite their color or background. The party felt that the American people were being treated badly by the existing regime and thus it was time they brought hope for them. African Americans were not allowed to own land in the early days and the poor had no one to fight for their rights. The Republican Party took to their hands in fighting for the rights and necessities of the minority. The Party was able to make this public through their slogan “Free soil, free labor, free men” The Republicans addressed equality for the minority groups whose issues were not addressed by the laws of the time. In this way, many people from the poor and minority groups voted Republicans in most presidential elections. The Republicans did not advocate for a government that was founded based on racism or discrimination of any form. The government was supposed to serve everyone equally regardless of their background. The system of government that Republicans advocate for was free and fair for all in terms of equality and sharing the national cake. (Long, 312)
The Republican Party also advocated for a smaller government that would fulfill the needs of the poor. They did not want a bloated government that was full of corruption and injustices. A small government is much closer to the people and can access closely the needs of the society. In this way, the government would be able to help the poor people in the society achieve a better quality of life rather than a system of government that would have to solve the needs of the large government first. The Republican Party understood the need to safeguard the poor from exploitation by the rich. In this way, they were able to strike a balance in the economic sector and stabilize the economy. The Republicans also ensured that those in government understood that misuse of power would not go unpunished in the principles they set for the party. Stability in the government was hence realized in most cases. (Gould, 13)
The Republican Party also believed in free enterprise and allowing citizens to produce what they chose and trade within and outside the region. In this way, the country was able to prosper economically for the benefit of all citizens. The party advocated for this idea of free markets, which meant the individual had a choice on what to produce and be able to provide security for their possessions. This kind of system advocated that the government should stay away from personal affairs and allow citizens to do their businesses. The role of the government was only to ensure that it supported the people in their undertakings. The Republican Party in their beliefs gave the argument that economic freedom in most cases ensures political freedom. In this way, the government would be able to have a close look at how to support private activity through a small form of government. (Fried, 126)
The Republican Party also in their founding principles advocated for a system where the government guaranteed economic responsibility by making sure that individuals were able to keep most of the resources they accumulated. This was able to enable them to keep most of what they earned to ensure economic stability was achieved at all times. The government however was able to support individuals when they were not able to help themselves and in cases where private organizations were not able to intervene. (Gould, 13)
The other major Republican belief was that the American people should make it their responsibility to protect the founding principles that had made the country strong over the years. According to the republicans, Americans should also be willing and be able to overcome the challenges they may encounter while protecting the principles of the United States. The people of the United States should be willing to protect and safeguard the country’s heritage from the forefathers and ensure that they fight for what they believe in. The Americans should also maintain peace, freedom and protect the rights of all human beings all over the world. In this way, they will be continuing the work that had been started by the founding fathers of the American nation which has kept them together over the years. The Republicans also felt strongly that the Republican Party was the best medium of ensuring that all these beliefs are accomplished. The Republican Party they stated was a party that would ensure that all the beliefs and principles of the American people were met. Thus, they believed that the Republican Party was best suited to create a suitable government that was aware of people’s needs and their potential. (Held, 300)
Conclusion
The history of the Republican Party reveals that the road has not been smooth for them all the way. Since its founding in the mid-1880s, the party has enjoyed tremendous support from many citizens in the United States. They have had many Republican presidents who have contributed to a great deal in the growth of the nation of the United States. This has boosted their supporter’s confidence over the years by allowing them to dominate the political arena for many years. The Republican Party was founded on very strong principles of taking care of the needs of the poor and in particular the issue of slavery. They fought a good fight and it was during a Republican regime that slavery was abolished in the United States. The Party even to this day has strong principles that have helped them be able to dominate the political scene on various occasions. The party remains a significant force in the American political domain.
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