The birth of the Grand Old Party : the Republicans' first generation / edited by Robert F. Engs and Randall M. Miller ; afterword by James M. McPherson.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

Engs, Robert Francis.

Miller, Randall M.

Library Company of Philadelphia.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Republican Party (U.S. : 1854- )--History--19th century.

Republican Party (U.S. : 1854- ).

Republican Party (U.S. : 1854-)--History--19th century.

History.

Local Subjects:

Republican Party (U.S. : 1854-)--History--19th century.

Physical Description:

x, 202 pages : illustrations, map ; 23 cm

Place of Publication:

Philadelphia : University of Pennsylvania Press, [2002]

Summary:

The period from 1850 to 1876 was the most transformative era in American history. During the course of this tumultuous quarter century Americans fought a bloody civil war, tried to settle the issue of state versus central government power, recognized the dominance of the new industrial economy over the older agricultural one, and ended slavery, long the shame of the nation. At the same time, a major political realignment occurred with the collapse of the "second American party system" and the emergence of a new party, the Republicans. But the defeat of slavery -- the chief catalyst for the birth of the Republican party -- was at best a limited success. The Constitution had been rewritten to abolish slavery and guarantee equal protection under the law, but social equality for African Americans and expanding freedom for others remained elusive throughout the nation. For these triumphs and enduring tragedy, the Republican party, which became in time and memory the party of Abraham Lincoln, bore primary responsibility.

This collection of six original essays by some of America's most distinguished historians of the Civil War era examines the origins and evolution of the Republican party over the course of its first generation. The essays consider the party in terms of its identity, interests, ideology, images, and individuals, always with an eye to the ways the Republican party influenced mid-nineteenth-century concerns over national character, political power, race, and civil rights. The authors collectively extend their inquiries from the 1850s through the 1870s to understand the processes whereby the second American party system broke down, a new party and politics emerged, the Civil War came, and a new political and social order developed. They especially consider how ideas about freedom in the 1850s coalesced during war and Reconstruction to produce both an expanded call for political and civil rights for the ex-slaves and a concern over expanded federal involvement in the protection of those rights. By observing the transformation of a sectional party born in the 1850s into the "Grand Old Party" by the 1870s, the authors demonstrate that no modern political party, even the one that claims descent from Lincoln, has surpassed the accomplishments of the first generation of Republicans.

Contents:

Chapter 1 The Ideology of the Republican Party / Eric Foner 8

Chapter 2 Making and Mobilizing the Republican Party, 1854-1860 / Michael F. Holt 29

Chapter 3 War Is the Health of the Party: Republicans in the American Civil War / Phillip Shaw Paludan 60

The Genesis and Growth of the Republican Party: A Brief History 81

Chapter 4 Politics Purified: Religion and the Growth of Antislavery Idealism in Republican Ideology During the Civil War / Mark E. Neely, Jr. 103

Chapter 5 Defining Postwar Republicanism: Congressional Republicans and the Boundaries of Citizenship / Jean H. Baker 128

Chapter 6 The Reforging of a Republican Majority / Brooks D. Simpson 148.

Notes:

"Published in cooperation with the Library Company of Philadelphia."

Includes bibliographical references (pages [171]-192) and index.

Local Notes:

Given to the Penn Libraries by Margy Ellin Meyerson in memory of her husband, President Emeritus Martin Meyerson.

ISBN:

0812236742

0812218205

OCLC:

49553738