Scholars agree that the origins of the party grew
out of the sectional conflicts regarding the expansion of slavery into the
new Western territories. The stimulus for political realignment was provided
by the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854. That law repealed earlier
compromises that had excluded slavery from the territories. The passage
of this act served as the unifying agent for abolitionists and split the
Democrats and the Whig party. "Anti-Nebraska" protest meetings
spread rapidly through the country. Two such meetings were held in Ripon,
Wis., on Feb. 28 and Mar. 20, 1854, and were attended by a group of abolitionist
Free Soilers, Democrats, and Whigs. They decided to call themselves Republicans--because
they professed to be political descendants of Thomas Jefferson's Democratic-
Republican party. The name was formally adopted by a state convention held
in Jackson, Mich., on July 6, 1854.
The new party was a success from the beginning. In the 1854 congressional
elections 44 Republicans were elected as a part of the anti-Nebraskan majority
in the House of Representatives, and several Republicans were elected to
the Senate and to various state houses. In 1856, at the first Republican
national convention, Sen. John C. Fremont was nominated for the presidency
but was defeated by Democrat James Buchanan. During the campaign the northern
wing of the KNOW-NOTHING PARTY split off and endorsed the Republican ticket,
making the Republicans the principal antislavery party.
Two days after the inauguration of James Buchanan, the Supreme Court handed
down the Dred Scott v. Sandford decision, which increased sectional dissension
and was denounced by the Republicans. At this time the nation was also gripped
by economic chaos. Business blamed tariff reductions, and Republican leaders
called for greater tariff protection. The split in the Democratic party
over the issue of slavery continued, and in 1858 the Republicans won control
of the House of Representatives for the first time. One Republican who failed
that year was Abraham LINCOLN, defeated in his bid for a U.S. Senate seat
by Stephen A. Douglas.
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