The Republican Party
Fighting Slavery since 1854

Party of Free Men

On July 6, 1854, a group of concerned activists met in Jackson, Mississippi to discuss the spread of slavery.  These men were in opposition to the Kansas-Nebraska Act, arguing for “Free Soil, Free Labor, and Free Men.” They held traditional American beliefs of self-reliance and freedom, standing in staunch opposition to aristocracy, slavery, and oppressive government.  Fueled by a passion to preserve the “republic,” a government in which the rights of the individual could not be voted or seized by the majority, these men adopted the name which symbolized this ideal.  Challenging Southern Democrats to abolish slavery and maintain civic virtue, the Republican Party emerged.

  • September 22, 1862--Emancipation Proclamation issued by Republican President Abraham Lincoln, declaring freedom to all Confederate slaves.
  • December 14, 1863-Republican Representative from Ohio, James Mitchell Ashley, proposes the bill to support the 13th Amendment to abolish slavery throughout the United States.  A similar proposal is also presented soon thereafter by Republican Representative from Iowa, James Falconer Wilson.
  • March 1866-The Republican-dominated Congress passes the Civil Rights Act of 1866, to counteract the southern Black Codes, which had been recently enacted by all former slave states after ratification of the 13th Amendment. Included in the Civil Rights Act, were the rights to make contracts, sue, bear witness in court, and own private property.
  • April 9, 1866- So-called “Radical Republicans” override Andrew Jackson’s presidential veto of the Civil Rights Act. The act declares “all persons born in the United States not subject to any foreign power, excluding Indians not taxed," were citizens of the United States.
  • July 2, 1964-The Civil Rights Act of 1964 is passed, outlawing racial segregation in schools, public places, and employment.  Although the bill was given lukewarm support by President Kennedy, the Republican Senator from Illinois, Everett Dirksen, is credited as the “Father of the Civil Rights Act.” The Republican Senate leader played a large part in writing and passing the bill.
 
 
 
 
 

Party of Empowered Women

Republican women paved the way during the U.S. suffragist movement. Many suffragettes, like Susan B Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, were former abolitionists and passionate Republicans.  While these women broke with partisanship to work with the few pro-equality Democrats, Anthony was a longstanding Republican, supporting GOP candidates through 1894.  Later, in 1912, Republican President Theodore Roosevelt revealed his support for the suffrage movement.  Due to his high office, he was the great male feminist of his time and became a champion of women’s rights.  

  • 1870-Suffragettes, Lucy Stone and Mary A Livermore, are already seated as delegates for the Massachusetts Republican State Convention.
  • 1872-The Republican Convention approves a resolution declaring “the honest demand of [women] for additional rights … should be treated with respectful consideration.” 
  • January 1878-As requested by Susan B Anthony, Republican Senator from California, Aaron Augustus Sargent, introduces the 19th Amendment bill.  It was defeated four times by the Democrat-controlled Senate.
  • June 1919-The Equal Suffrage Amendment finally passes in both Houses after the Republicans regain control of Congress earlier that year.

Party of the Common Man

The Republican Party has always favored individualism and self-reliance. The GOP’s first President, Abraham Lincoln exemplified American values.  Rising out of humble beginnings, he led the party from third-party status to become the majority power.  Lincoln championed the Republican platforms of higher education, land grants to agriculturists and gaining citizen status for blacks, all in the midst of the Civil War.  He understood the value of hard, honest work and sought to secure rights and opportunities for all Americans. These ideals were echoed by later Republican presidents whose policies supported both small business and individual workers.

  • 1862- Lincoln signs the Morrill or Land-Grant Colleges Act that began the process of mass public higher education in the United States, extending its benefits to the general public and not just the socially elite.
  • 1890- Republican President Benjamin Harris signs into law The Dependent and Disability Pension Act. The Act provides pensions for all Union Army veterans who had served ninety days and who were unable to perform manual labor, regardless of cause. Pensions for minors, dependent parents, and widows of veterans are also provided by the law.
  • June 2, 1924-Coolidge enacts The Revenue Act of 1924, as part of Republican Secretary of the Treasury, Andrew Mellon’s plan to promote economic growth and government efficiency.  The bill cut federal tax rates and established the U.S. Board of Tax Appeals, enabling people to contest issues with tax collection.
  • February 26, 1926-Mellon’s second Revenue Act, reduces and personal income , and protects private citizens by ending public access to income tax returns.
  • August 13, 1981-Republican President Ronald Reagan signs into law The Economic Recovery Tax Act of 1981.  The bill was passed “to encourage economic growth through reductions in individual income tax rates, the expensing of depreciable property, incentives for small businesses, and incentives for savings.

Whether it was abolishing slavery, getting women the vote, or lowering taxes for hardworking Americans, the Republican Party has been on the right side of the issues since the beginning. 

Find out how Bruin Republicans is taking the Republican Party back to basics by reading our Mission Statement.