A Brief History of the Republican Party
The Republican Party evolved during the 1850's when the issue
of slavery forced divisions within the existing Whig and Democratic-Republican
parties. Faced with political turmoil, a new party - dedicated
to states rights and a restricted role of government in economic
and social life - began making history.
Alan Earl Bovay, one of the founders of the Republican Party,
believed a new party should be formed to represent the interests
of the North and the abolitionists. He decided to call that
party "Republican" because it was a simple, yet
significant word synonymous with equality. Thomas Jefferson
had earlier chosen "Republican" to refer to his
party, which gave the name respect borne of historical significance.
Evidence indicates there were several groups across the country
that met to discuss the formation of a new party. Thus, the
location of the first meeting has been disputed. It is known
that Whig Party defectors met privately in February, 1854,
in Crawfordsville, Iowa, to call for the creation of a new
political party. Some evidence indicates an earlier meeting
was held in Exeter, New Hampshire. The first public meeting
was held in March of 1854 at a small church in Ripon, Wisconsin,
when Alan Bovay rallied anti-slavery forces and adopted resolutions
opposing the Kansas-Nebraska Act.
A second meeting was held
in a one-story schoolhouse in Ripon on March 20, 1854. Fifty-four
citizens, including three women, dissolved their local committees
and chose five men to serve as the committee of the new party:
Alan Bovay, Jebediah Bowen, Amos Loper, Abram Thomas and Jacob
Woodruff. Said Mr. Bovay: "We went into the little meeting
Whigs, Free Soilers, and Democrats. We came out Republicans
and ...were the first Republicans in the Union."
In July of the same year, when the meeting hall was too small,
the "Anti-Nebraska Convention" met in a grove of
oak trees in Jackson, Michigan, to write a national platform
and concentrate its efforts to counter the Democrats plan
to extend slavery to new territories joining the Union. The
new party adopted a platform, nominated candidates for state
offices, and produced two anti-slavery resolutions, one of
which stated, "Resolved...in view of the necessity of
battling against the schemes of an aristocracy, the most revolting
and oppressive with which the Earth was ever cursed or man
debased, we will cooperate and be known as Republicans."
In 1856, "Free Soil, Free Labor, Free Speech, Freemont"
was the slogan of the Republican Party. At its first national
convention in Philadelphia, the party nominated John C. Freemont
for president (Abraham Lincoln was proposed for vice-president,
but Senator William L. Dayton won the nomination). Although
the party lost the election to the Democrats, it captured
a third of the total vote, boosting its optimism for the 1860
election.
President Lincoln
The Republican Party had existed for only six years when
Lincoln displaced the Democrats and gave the Republicans their
first presidential victory. Immediately following his election,
Lincoln was confronted with the secession of seven Southern
states followed by the outbreak of civil war. Barely one month
after the inauguration, the first shots were fired on Fort
Sumter, launching the bloodiest war in our nation's history.
Preserving the Union was Lincoln's greatest challenge - and
no doubt one of his greatest achievements -but by no means
his only accomplishment. In 1865, Lincoln submitted to the
states the Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution which,
coupled with his Emancipation Proclamation, dealt the death
blow to slavery. During his presidency, the Department of
Agriculture, the Bureau of Internal Revenue, and a national
banking system were established. Lincoln also signed the Homestead
Act, opening the American frontier to settlement through public
land grants, and the Land Grant College Act, donating land
to the states for agricultural and technical colleges. On
April 14, 1865, President Lincoln was shot by John Wilkes
Booth at Ford's Theater. He died several hours later across
the street at the Peterson House.
Under the rules of the Constitution, Vice President Andrew
Johnson assumed the presidency. He proposed the Fifteenth
Amendment, which guaranteed voting rights regardless of race,
creed, or previous condition of servitude. Additionally, it
was during Johnson's presidency that U.S. continental expansion
was completed when his Secretary of State, William H. Seward,
bought Alaska from Russia for $7.2 million.
In 1868, Civil War hero Ulysses S. Grant was nominated for
president by the Republican Party, who won easily and was
re-elected in 1872. The Grant Administration continued the
Republican commitment to sound monetary policies, and established
the Department of Justice and the Weather Bureau. President
Grant did not run for re-election in 1876 because Republicans,
embracing a tradition established by George Washington, had
gone on record opposing a third term for any president.
Rutherford B. Hayes, successful three-term governor of Ohio
and Civil War General, won the presidency by a one-electoral-vote
margin in 1876 against Samuel J. Tilden in the most bitterly
disputed election in American history. Cooperation between
the White House and the Democrat-controlled House of Representatives
was nearly impossible after the election. Nevertheless, Hayes
managed to keep his campaign promises - withdrawing federal
troops from the South, taking measures to reverse inequalities
suffered by women, and adopting the merit system within the
civil service.
In 1880, the party won the last of six successive presidential
elections with the election of another Civil War hero, James
A. Garfield. A few months after his inauguration, Garfield
was assassinated and Vice President Chester A. Arthur succeeded
him. Among Arthur's accomplishments were the rebirth of the
Navy and the Pendleton Act. The Pendleton Act set up a bipartisan
Civil Service Commission, established written examinations
for certain government positions, and protected employees
from being fired for political reasons.
In 1884, the Republicans lost the White House for the first
time in 24 years. However, the party had become a permanent
force in American politics. The Republican Party had preserved
the sanctity of the Union, and had led the nation through
Reconstruction.
In 1888, Republican candidate Benjamin Harrison was elected
to the presidency, heralding a new era for the common man,
industry, and a strong America with a growing international
reputation for military power. Rapid industrialization prompted
the Harrison Administration to check excessive profiteering
with the Sherman Anti-Trust Act, but adverse reaction to policies
of high protective tariffs - the main campaign issue of 1892
- led the country to elect Democrat Grover Cleveland to another
term.
A New Century
Promising a national rebuilding effort and sound money policies,
the party regained the presidency with William McKinley in
1896. Republican leadership continued through four successive
presidential terms (1896-1901); Theodore Roosevelt (1901-1908);
and William Taft (1908-1912).
Under these Republican Administrations, America adopted the
gold standard, won the Spanish-American War, introduced the
open-door policy with China, purchased and resumed construction
of the Panama Canal, and established the United States as
a world military power. Americans welcomed Teddy Roosevelt's
strong stand on protecting wildlife and public lands, accepted
his creation of the Department of Labor, and applauded his
legal action against corporate trusts. America's foreign policy
was accurately portrayed by his motto: "Speak softly
and carry a big stick."
Discord struck the Republican Party in the 1912 elections
as Teddy Roosevelt led his supporters on the "Bull Moose"
ticket against President Taft. Playing to the advantage of
a split Republican vote, the Democrats won the election with
Woodrow Wilson, who promised to keep the U.S. out of World
War I. Shortly after his re-election in 1916 the U.S. entered
the war. By mid-1918, the Republican Party won control of
Congress and Wilson's popularity began to wane as World War
I dragged on.
Women's Rights
Perhaps the most significant accomplishments of the Republican-controlled
Congress was the adoption of the Nineteenth Amendment to the
Constitution granting women the right to vote. Responsive
to the role of women in both party politics and government,
Republicans were the first to recognize women in their platform:
"The Republican Party is mindful of its obligations to
the loyal women of America for their noble devotion to the
cause of freedom. Their admission to wider fields of usefulness
is viewed with satisfaction, and the honest demand of any
class of citizens for additional rights should be treated
with respectful consideration." (1872)
During the Roaring Twenties, three successive Republican
Presidents kept a lid on government spending and taxes: Warren
G. Harding (1920-1924); Calvin Coolidge (1924-1928); and Herbert
Hoover (1928-1932). While Republicans controlled the White
House and Congress, the U.S. economy expanded as free enterprise
stimulated business and industry. The Republicans' sound money
policies brought growing prosperity and steadily cut the federal
debt.
In 1929, the Wall Street crash signaled disaster for the
Republicans as President Hoover emerged as the scapegoat for
the Great Depression. Hoover's anti-Depression solutions went
unheeded as people turned to the Democrats for a "New
Deal."
Under Franklin Roosevelt's "New Deal" the federal
government gained power and size while deficit spending rose
as a result of increased government involvement in the economy.
The next 20 years were a time of rebuilding for the Republican
Party. The effort included establishing a greater role for
women. In 1937, Miss Marion E. Martin was named first assistant
chairman of the Republican National Committee, launching a
tradition that the RNC chairman and co-chairman be of opposite
sex.
In the post-Depression era, five presidential terms were
shared by only two presidents. The Democrats ignored the two-term
tradition upheld by the Republican Party and handed the presidency
to Roosevelt for an unprecedented four terms. Following Roosevelt's
death, Vice President Harry S. Truman became president. It
was not until 1946, with the 80th Congress, that the Republicans
won a majority in both the Senate and the House. Notably,
it was this Congress that produced the first balanced federal
budget in 17 years.
In 1950, the Republican Party made strong gains in Congress,
while the Truman Administration was held responsible for failing
to arbitrate a crippling steel strike, escalating inflation,
and the Korean War.
President Eisenhower
In 1952, World War hero Dwight D. Eisenhower was elected
president. Ike's popularity and success as a former Supreme
Commander of the Allied Forces helped him win an overwhelming
majority among both Democrats and Republicans, carrying the
party to its first presidential victory in almost 25 years.
During Eisenhower's two terms, the nation quickly recovered
from the economic strain of the war. His administration took
strong measures to enforce the 1954 Supreme Court decision
declaring "separate but equal" school accommodations
unconstitutional. The Eisenhower Administration also cultivated
foreign relations, established the Department of Health, Education
and Welfare, established the Interstate Highway System, and
began America's space exploration program. Eisenhower's vice
president, Richard Nixon, lost the prior presidential election
to John F. Kennedy by the narrowest margin in history. Four
years later he was elected in one of the greatest landslides
in American political history, carrying every state except
Massachusetts.
President Nixon made significant contributions to American
foreign and domestic policies in the midst of dramatic social
changes. His administratio was credited with establishing
relations with mainland China, overseeing the first manned
flight to the moon, and ending U.S. involvement in Vietnam.
In 1973, Vice President Spiro Agnew resigned while under
investigation for corruption during his term as County Executive
of Baltimore County, Maryland, in the 1960's. Using provisions
of the 25th Amendment, President Nixon appointed House Republican
Leader Gerald R. Ford to the vice presidency. When Nixon resigned
in the wake of the Watergate scandal in 1974, Ford assumed
the presidency, selecting former governor Nelson Rockefeller
as vice president.
Under the Ford Administration, the U.S. regained confidence
in politics and in the integrity of the national government.
At the same time, America's double digit inflation rate was
cut by more than half, taxes were cut significantly, and the
role of municipal and state governments was enhanced by reducing
federal government expansion. However, the country's first
appointed president was denied election to the office by Jimmy
Carter in a narrow loss in 1976.
Both the past and the future of the Republican Party were
represented in Ronald Reagan's election to the presidency
in 1980. In his 1984 re-election, President Reagan received
the largest Republican landslide victory in history. Under
the leadership of President Reagan and his successor, President
Bush, the U.S. experienced the longest economic expansion
period in its history. Reaching milestones economically and
diplomatically, President Reagan, "The Great Communicator,"
earned his place in history among our greatest presidents.
In 1988, Americans elected
George Bush to the presidency, continuing the Republican legacy.
Tempered by many years of service to his country as the youngest
Naval aviator in World War II, Congressman, envoy to China,
ambassador to the U.N., director of the CIA, and vice president
under Ronald Reagan, President Bush showed steadfast leadership
as he presided over both the collapse of communist regimes
around the world and the end of the Cold War. President Bush's
leadership was also proven when he brought together an unprecedented
coalition to maintain the forces of law in the Persian Gulf
Region. In the wake of Operation Desert Storm, President Bush's
popularity with American's soared to record levels. As a result
of President Bush's leadership after the war, a delegation
from Israel sat face to face with Palestinians to discuss
peace for the first time in thousands of years.
Unfortunately, President Bush was blamed for a worldwide
economic slowdown triggered by the collapse of the Soviet
Union and involving the transition of the global economy from
an industrial base to a high technology base. He was unsuccessful
in his bid for re-election in 1992. Democrat Bill Clinton,
who won, received less than half the vote and a third candidate,
Ross Perot, received almost 20 percent of the vote.
After his election in January, 1993, RNC Chairman Haley Barbour
said "Our first goal will be to regain our position as
a party of principles and a party of ideas." The success
of Republican candidates for state and local offices in 1993
indicates the party is reaching its goal. Republicans will
continue to lead, offering fresh ideas and Republican-principled
approaches to national problems.
Clinton's weak leadership and willingness to sway with the
political winds led to one of the most historic mid-term elections
ever. In 1994, Republicans won control of both the Senate
and the House of Representatives for the first time since
1946. They promised and delivered common-sense change focusing
on a balanced budget, welfare reform, health care reform,
and making Congress live under the same laws as the rest of
the country. Though Clinton was re-elected in 1996 over war
hero and longtime Kansas Senator Bob Dole, he again received
less than 50% of the vote and the Congress stayed with the
Republicans. |
