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Republican History

The Beginning

On February 28, 1854, abolitionist Major Alvan E. Bovay called a meeting in Ripon, Wisconsin, northwest of Milwaukee, to discuss the direction of the country and indeed the restricting and elimination of the reprehensible institution of slavery. Slavery had long been an institution that never sat well with the principals of our Republic and should have been abolished at our inception. Armed with the rhetoric of abolition the meeting served as the conception of the Republican Party-taking the name from its connection to Thomas Jefferson‟s Democratic-Republican Party. The name was formally adopted when the Republican Party met for the first time on July 6, 1854, in Jackson, Michigan. There were so many in attendance that no facility in Jackson could support the function and spillover into the streets occurred as a result. Thus began the history of the Republican Party.

The Civil War

In 1860, the second Republican National Convention resulted in the nomination of Abraham Lincoln for President for which Lincoln was elected the 16th President and the first Republican President. The Republican Party was now in control of the national government and many of the southern states, seeing the writing on the wall, seceded to protect their institution of slavery. Following the Presidential Inauguration, Newly elected President Lincoln went to Congress and asked for military funding for 75,000 troops to bring those states back into the United States and as a deterrence of further secessions. Of course, this failed and the United States underwent the bloodiest war in its history.

The Reconstruction Era

The defeat of the Confederacy left the southern states in shambles. Likewise, the Democratic Party-closely allied with the Confederacy were equally in shambles. This lead to the ascendancy of the Republican Party and all that it stood for. Following the war, the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments to the US Constitution were passed to outlaw slavery and provide civil rights to the newly freed slaves. The 13th amendment officially prohibited slavery. The 14th officially protected rights and the 15th amendment protected voting rights. This was the very reason for the formation of the Republican Party and within fifteen years of its inception, the goals were realized. But their work was far from over.

After Reconstruction

President Hayes‟ administration was generally thought of as efficient. Not only did he end the federal troop‟s occupation of the south thus bringing the end of reconstruction, he also reformed civil service, and espoused sound monetary policies. Although efficient and effective, President Hayes did not seek a second term. Instead, James Garfield became President and following his assassination, Chester Arthur became President. President Arthur passed the Pendleton Act, creating a civil service based on the merit system. He did not receive the Party‟s nomination after his term in office. James Blaine of Maine became the nominee and following one of the dirtiest campaigns in history Grover Cleveland, a Democrat, became President.

The Progressive Era

Rapid industrialization the United States during the late 1800s led to many problems that where being dealt with on the local and state levels. By 1896, William McKinley was elected President and began a national movement toward reforms. In 1899, Vice-President Garret Hobart died and Theodore Roosevelt was chosen to replace him on the 1900 ticket. McKinley won the election and following his assassination in 1901, Roosevelt became President.

President Theodore Roosevelt was at the helm and with a Republican controlled Congress, the United States saw many economic, political, and social reforms. Roosevelt was overwhelmingly re-elected in 1904 and although he was pro-business, ushered in an era of regulatory legislation toward public safety and anti-trust. He also took the lead on conservation. In 1908, he chose not to run and backed William Taft, who would become the next president.

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