9781422275672

A poster from Taylor and Fillmore’s campaign.

that was organized around a single issue would have only limited appeal, drawing votes only from those who felt most strongly about that particular issue. A new political party was needed, one that would provide a unified platform to address themany issues that were dividing the nation, a party that would represent a change from the past but whose positions would be solid enough to appeal to a large number of Americans. A New Force The Republican Party first rose to power on the local and state levels rather than the national stage. It is thought to have been founded in Ripon, Wisconsin, on the night of March 20, 1854. A group of Whigs, Free Soilers, and Democrats met at a schoolhouse to create a party that accurately reflected their views on government. They chose the name “Republican” to show their ties to Thomas Jefferson’s Democratic-Republican

Learn more about the Free Soil Party.

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The republican party