the first congressional meeting of the Republican Party


Grand Old Partisan celebrates more than seventeen decades of Republican heroes and heroics. Today, I spotlight the first time that Members of Congress met as Republicans.

Spring 1854, Democrats and other enemies of freedom were promoting legislation for extending slavery into the Plains states. In early March, the Democrat-controlled Senate passed the Kansas-Nebraska Act to make that happen. May 22nd, the Democrat-controlled House passed it.

The next day, reacting to this horror, thirty Congressmen gathered at a Capitol Hill boarding house. They discussed forming a new party uniting all opponents of slavery. These visionaries understood that a new political organization was needed in order to block the Democrats' plan to extend slavery into the western territories.

Chairing the meeting was Israel Washburn, who suggested "Republican" as the name for this party. He was first Congressmen to declare himself a Republican. Newspapers such as the National Era and the New York Tribune brought their initiative to public attention.

Back to Basics for the Republican Party explains that Thomas Jefferson had called his followers "Republicans".

Back to Basics for the Republican Party is my civil rights history of the GOP. To quote the book: "The more we Republicans know about the history of our party, the more Democrats will worry about the future of theirs. For more information, see www.grandoldpartisan.com. 

Here is a YouTube Video about this article.

Here is a TikTok Video about this article.

Here is an Instagram Video about this article.

Here is my Substack about this article.

Michael Zak is author of Back to Basics for the Republican Party, a history of GOP civil rights achievement.


Each day, his YouTube videos and TikTok videos and Rumble videos and Grand Old Partisan blog celebrate more than seventeen decades of Republican heroes and heroics. And, see Speech Raves for audience feedback from his presentations in thirty-one states.

Clarence Thomas cited Back to Basics for the Republican Party in a Supreme Court decision.

"This is the most amazing book about politics that I have ever read. The Overview should be required reading for anyone with even a minor interest in government. The remainder is an enthralling history lesson that I will never forget. For years, we have all been misled about the true nature of the GOP. This is the real deal! Read it and be proud!"

"Your book is a national treasure. I'm always recommending it."

"Michael Zak wrote the definitive history of the GOP."

"Back to Basics for the Republican Party is the most significant contribution to the Republican Party in the last twenty years apart from Ronald Reagan."

"Back to Basics for the Republican Party is more important to our party now than ever before."

and

"one of the best books I ever read"


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