The Republican Party
The Story of the Grand Old Party
In the beginning, there were no Republicans.
Up until 1854, there was no Republican Party. The Republican party was created in an effort to combat the extension of slavery into the newly gained territories of the U.S. They recruited former Whigs and former Free Soil Democrats in the Northern states to make their majority.
Shifting Power
The Republican Party had expansionist goals under William McKinley and Theodore Roosevelt, but lost power during the Great Depression, when Franklin D. Roosevelt began leading the country out of recession. The Republicans gained power again when the Southern Democrats opposed the Civil Rights movement, with Ronald Reagan becoming their 'flag-person'. Recently, however, the Republican party has only won two of the last six elections.
The Opposition
The Donkey in the Room
The Democratic Party has a few key differences to the Republican Party. These include the Republican Party's general goal of upholding traditions and traditional values and the Democratic Party's tendency to lean toward liberalistic ideas. For example, the Republican party is mostly against abortion, gay marriage, etc..., while the Democratic party is mostly pro-choice in all areas. Both parties, however, tend to be against gun control (for the most part). Where the Democratic party leans more towards government control of trade, industry, commerce, etc..., the Republican party believes in a more laissez-faire (hands-off) system of economy. Where the Democratic party is in favor of government funded medical care for all, the Republican party believes that people should work to get out of their slumps.