The Republican Party came into being from a group of people opposed to the Kansas-Nebraska Bill of 1854. Under this bill, slavery was permitted in the new territories of Kansas and Nebraska, if the people voted for it. A series of anti-slavery meetings were held throughout the north. At a meeting in Ripon, Wisconsin a resolution was passed that declared a new political party would be organized if the bill passed. At a second meeting a committee was appointed to form a party. The Name Republican was adopted at a meeting in Jackson, Michigan, July 6, 1854. The Whig Party elected Franklin Pierce as president in 1848 but, became split over the slavery issue and failed to nominate a candidate in 1856.

With northern support, John C. Fremont became the presidential nominee in 1856 and carried 11 northern states. However, Democrat James Buchanan carried 19 states, including every state in the south. Republicans needing to broaden their appeal, endorsed the construction of a trans-continental railroad and improvement to harbors. They also agreed to permit slavery where it already existed. Abraham Lincoln was the nominee in 1860. Through a series of debates with Stephen Douglas, Lincoln received national attention as he explained his moderate views on slavery. The Democrats were divided on the slavery issue and had two candidates, Stephen Douglas and Vice President Breckenridge. With the Democrats divided, Lincoln won with just 45 percent of the vote.

After the Civil War there was a period of great industrial expansion and Republicans with their high tariffs and low tax policies retained the presidency until 1913 with two exceptions. Grover Cleveland (D) won in 1884, ran again in ‘88 but lost the electoral vote to Benjamin Harrison (R). Both ran again in 1992, but this time Cleveland won. In 1896 William Jennings Bryan ran as a Democrat-Populist proposing money based on silver. He lost to McKinley who wanted currency backed by gold. McKinley won. Bryan ran against McKinley again in 1900 but lost a second time.

McKinley was assassinated six months into his second term and Vice President Theodore Roosevelt became president. T.R., a popular Spanish American War hero, was known as a monopoly buster. interested in conservation; he created the first national park, Yellowstone. A popular president, he was elected in 2004. Having served less than two full terms he was urged to run again in 1908 but he declined. He hand picked William Howard Taft who became his successor, but was disappointed with his performance. So, Roosevelt formed the Progressive Party, also known as the Bull Moose Party and ran for president in 1912. This created a three way race and divided the GOP. So Democrat Woodrow Wilson became president with just 45 percent of the vote. Wilson won again in 1916 by a narrow margin with the slogan “He kept us out of War.”

Republicans served through the roaring 20’s. Warren Harding was elected in 1920, but his administration was plagued with scandals and he died in office. V.P. Calvin Coolidge followed, then Herbert Hoover was elected in 1928.

But in October 1929 the stock market took a tumble and economic conditions became worse for several succeeding years. By 1933, 25 percent were unemployed. The party in power always gets the credit or the blame and the public blamed the Republicans. Franklin D. Roosevelt was elected president in 1932 again in 1936 and in ‘40 and in ‘44. He led the country through the depression with his “New Deal” using programs to redistribute the wealth. He introduced Social Security and the minimum wage. He also changed the income tax rates so that people with lower incomes now had to pay income tax. This resulted in the “Pay as you go” plan with the tax being deducted from workers’ pay checks. FDR dies in 1945 shortly after the end of World War II. He was succeeded by Vice President Harry S. Truman.

Truman offered his “Fair Deal” and proposed a national health plan which was rejected as too costly to pay for. He loudly complained about the Republican “Do nothing” Congress. And he beat crime-fighting New York Governor Thomas E. Dewey in 1948 by over two million voted. Harry is remembered more favorable today than he was thought of at the time. The nation experienced double digit inflation. The loaf of bread that cost a dime before the war now went to a quarter and the $900 Chevrolet before the war was priced over $1,800. Truman did not run in 1952.

The war-celebrity with the boyish grin, Five Star General Dwight D. Eisenhower was elected in 1952 beating Adlai E. Stevenson. He was the first Republican president in 20 years. His war record and the public’s dissatisfaction with the way the Korean War was being managed were key factors. Ike ended with war with a peace agreement in 1953. He also created the Department of Health, Education and Welfare. In 1954. Republicans lost control of the House of Representatives and would not regain control for another 50 years. Segregated schools were outlawed by the Supreme Court that same year. And in 1956 there was a budget surplus. Federal revenues finally exceeded expenses. Eisenhower pushed for and got the Interstate Highway Bill that year as well as beating Stevenson again. The public paid little attention to reports about Viet Cong attacks on the South Vietnamese.

In 1960, for the first time in history, a Roman Catholic was a candidate for president. It was also the first time Americans saw televised debates between the candidates. Some say perspiration showing on Vice President to lose and the Democrat John Kennedy was more handsome. Some complained that Democrats stuffed the ballot boxes in Cook County, Illinois. While Kennedy got 118,548 more votes, the electoral vote was 303 to 219. Kennedy won a face off with the Soviets in their attempt to put missiles in Cuba but his attempt to overthrow the Castro government with the attack at the Bay of Pigs was a disaster. By scrapping the high wartime tax rates, he started a boom that lasted until the 1973 energy crisis. Kennedy was assassinated in 1963 and V.P. Lyndon Johnson became president.

LBJ gave us the “Great Society,” a major effort to redistribute the wealth…welfare for the poor, housing for the poor, aid to dependent children, distribution of free food. The idea was take money from taxpayers and give it to people who would give him their vote. LBJ signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964 which prohibited discrimination because of color, race, national origin, religion or sex. Under Johnson the nation became deeply involved in the Vietnam War. This added social unrest, with countless anti-war demonstrations and some men going to Canada to avoid the draft. The economy could not support both a war and the new social programs. Growing budget deficits caused the government to increase borrowing. And, in turn that led to increased inflation.

The 1960’s also brought social conflict with riots in the black communities of many cities. The Women’s movement gained strength. The National Organization for Women was formed. There were two assassinations, black leader Martin Luther King and JFK’s brother Robert Kennedy. Turbulent times, but with new welfare programs and sympathy over the death of John Kennedy, the Republican candidate, Barry Goldwater didn’t have a chance to win in 1964.. And the news media opposed many of his ideas.

LBJ worked to contain the war but not to pursue victory. Consequently, the Vietnam War dragged on with no end in sight. In 1968 Johnson announced that he would not seek re-election. Alabama Governor George Wallace formed a third party that attracted many southern Democrats because of his opposition to civil rights legislation. This divided Democrats and destroyed any chance of Hubert Humphrey, the Democrat candidate to win. George Wallace received nearly ten million votes. Richard Nixon won easily with 44 percent of the vote.

In 1972 Richard Nixon defeated Democrat George McGovern by over 17 million votes, but the Watergate scandal broke the next year. In a separate scandal V.P. Agnew resigned in disgrace. He was replaced in 1974 by the House Minority Leader Gerald Ford. Later that year, Ford became president when Nixon resigned under the threat of impeachment. Then Ford pardoned Nixon to bring an end to the controversy. The public showed their displeasure with the pardon by electing another Democrat in 1976, Georgia Governor James Earl Carter.

Jimmy Carter worked hard for a Middle East peace agreement but his term was characterized by long lines at gas stations in 1979 and by both double digit inflation and double digit interest rates. In 1980 Ronald Reagan asked, “Are you better off now than four years ago?” The public responded by electing him by a wide margin. It was such a wide margin that nearly six million votes for John Anderson didn’t alter the outcome. Anderson had been a moderate Republican with liberal ideas who ran as an independent.

Reagan cut taxes and started an extended economic boom that brought more revenue than high tax rates had. He re-built the military and the Soviets were weakened trying to match the U.S. This contributed to the downfall of Communism. But, the military build-up plus increases in appropriations for social programs by the Democrat Congress increased the national debt drastically. Reagan is blamed for this. But, answer this question: Should he have vetoed the bills funding the Democrat programs? In 1995 when President Bill Clinton refused to sign bills funding federal programs (because he wanted more money appropriated), it shut down parts of the government.

V.P. George Bush beat Democrat Michael Dukakis in 1988 end essentially continued the Reagan years. When Iraq’s Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait and threatened to disrupt the world oil supplies, Bush put together a coalition of nations to win one of the world’s shortest wars. But, after promising not to raise taxes, he succumbed to fear of the national debt and signed a Democrat bill to increase taxes. He lost to Democrat Bill Clinton in 1992, but it wasn’t just the taxes.

Ross Perot, formed another party, the Reform Party. The vote was divided three ways. Perot took 19 percent of the vote allowing Clinton to be elected with 43 percent (meaning 57 percent wanted somebody else) Again in 1996 Perot ran for president and received 9 percent of the vote. Republican Bob Dole was the loser. Clinton was re-elected. It’s an old story. Divide the voters and the victor will become president with less than 50 percent of the vote as Americans have seen in 1860, 1912, 1968, 1992 and 1996.