GRAND ISLAND REPUBLICAN COMMITTEE
HISTORY OF THE PARTY

The Republican Party was born in the early 1850s by anti-slavery activists and individuals who believed that government should grant western lands to settlers free of charge.  The first informal meeting of the party took place in Ripon, Wisconsin, a small town northeast of Milwaukee.  The first official Republican meeting took place on July 6th, 1854, in Jackson, Michigan.  The name "Republican" was chosen because it alluded to equality and reminded individuals of Thomas Jefferson"s Democratic-Republican Party.  At the Jackson Convention, the new party adopted a platform and nominated candidates for office in Michigan.

In 1856, the Republicans became a national party when John C. Fremont was nominated for President under the slogan: "Free oil, free labor, free speech, free men, Fremont."  Even through they were considered a "third party" because the Democrats and Whigs represented the two-party system at the time, Fremont received 33% of the vote.  Four years later Abraham Lincoln became the first Republican to win the White House.

The Civil War erupted in 1861 and lasted four grueling years.  During the war, against the advice of his cabinet, Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation that freed the slaves.  The Republicans of their day worked to pass the Thirteenth Amendment which outlawed slavery; the Fourteenth, which guaranteed equal protection under the laws; and the Fifteenth, which helped secure voting rights for African-Americans.


The Republican Party also played a leading role in securing for women the right to vote.  In 1896, Republicans were the first major party to favor women's suffrage.  When the Nineteenth Amendment finally was added to the Constitution, 26 of 36 state legislatures that had voted to ratify were under Republican control.  In 1917, the first woman was elected to Congress, and she was a Republican,  Jeanette Rankin from Montana.


Presidents during most of the late 19th century and the early part of the 20th century were Republicans.  While the Democrats and Franklin Roosevelt tended to dominate American politics in the 1930s and 40s, for 28 of the 40 years from 1952 through 1992, the White House  was in Republican hands-under Presidents Eisenhower, Nixon, Ford, Reagan and Bush.  Under the last two-Reagan and Bush-the United States became the world's only superpower, winning the Cold War from the old Soviet Union and releasing millions from Communist oppression.


TODAY'S REPUBLICAN PARTY

The Republican Party of today promotes efficient, fiscally responsible government, and seeks to reduce the size of the Federal Government both in scope, and in expenditure.

OUR NATIONAL GOALS

-Eliminate excessive and failing entitlements.
-Set limits on malpractice lawsuits.
-Make healthcare affordable for Americans who desire it, but not    legislate that they have coverage.
-Reduce pork, the national debt, and taxes.
-Defend our national interests at home and abroad through skillfull diplomacy, and action without hesitation when necessary.
-Support the equality of mankind, and the rights defined by our founding fathers.