Posted on 08/14/2006 2:19:34 PM PDT by CondiRice08
Republican Party Platform of 1856 This Convention of Delegates, assembled in pursuance of a call addressed to the people of the United States, without regard to past political differences or divisions, who are opposed to the repeal of the Missouri Compromise; to the policy of the present Administration; to the extension of Slavery into Free Territory; in favor of the admission of Kansas as a Free State; of restoring the action of the Federal Government to the principles of Washington and Jefferson; and for the purpose of presenting candidates for the offices of President and Vice- President, do
Resolved: That the maintenance of the principles promulgated in the Declaration of Independence, and embodied in the Federal Constitution are essential to the preservation of our Republican institutions, and that the Federal Constitution, the rights of the States, and the union of the States, must and shall be preserved.
Resolved: That, with our Republican fathers, we hold it to be a self-evident truth, that all men are endowed with the inalienable right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, and that the primary object and ulterior design of our Federal Government were to secure these rights to all persons under its exclusive jurisdiction; that, as our Republican fathers, when they had abolished Slavery in all our National Territory, ordained that no person shall be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law, it becomes our duty to maintain this provision of the Constitution against all attempts to violate it for the purpose of establishing Slavery in the Territories of the United States by positive legislation, prohibiting its existence or extension therein. That we deny the authority of Congress, of a Territorial Legislation, of any individual, or association of individuals, to give legal existence to Slavery in any Territory of the United States, while the present Constitution shall be maintained.
Resolved: That the Constitution confers upon Congress sovereign powers over the Territories of the United States for their government; and that in the exercise of this power, it is both the right and the imperative duty of Congress to prohibit in the Territories those twin relics of barbarism--Polygamy, and Slavery.
Resolved: That while the Constitution of the United States was ordained and established by the people, in order to "form a more perfect union, establish justice, ensure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty," and contain ample provision for the protection of the life, liberty, and property of every citizen, the dearest Constitutional rights of the people of Kansas have been fraudulently and violently taken from them.
Their territory has been invaded by an armed force;
Spurious and pretended legislative, judicial, and executive officers have been set over them, by whose usurped authority, sustained by the military power of the government, tyrannical and unconstitutional laws have been enacted and enforced;
The right of the people to keep and bear arms has been infringed.
Test oaths of an extraordinary and entangling nature have been imposed as a condition of exercising the right of suffrage and holding office.
The right of an accused person to a speedy and public trial by an impartial jury has been denied;
The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, has been violated;
They have been deprived of life, liberty, and property without due process of law;
That the freedom of speech and of the press has been abridged;
The right to choose their representatives has been made of no effect;
Murders, robberies, and arsons have been instigated and encouraged, and the offenders have been allowed to go unpunished;
That all these things have been done with the knowledge, sanction, and procurement of the present National Administration; and that for this high crime against the Constitution, the Union, and humanity, we arraign that Administration, the President, his advisers, agents, supporters, apologists, and accessories, either before or after the fact, before the country and before the world; and that it is our fixed purpose to bring the actual perpetrators of these atrocious outrages and their accomplices to a sure and condign punishment thereafter.
Resolved, That Kansas should be immediately admitted as a state of this Union, with her present Free Constitution, as at once the most effectual way of securing to her citizens the enjoyment of the rights and privileges to which they are entitled, and of ending the civil strife now raging in her territory.
Resolved, That the highwayman's plea, that "might makes right," embodied in the Ostend Circular, was in every respect unworthy of American diplomacy, and would bring shame and dishonor upon any Government or people that gave it their sanction.
Resolved, That a railroad to the Pacific Ocean by the most central and practicable route is imperatively demanded by the interests of the whole country, and that the Federal Government ought to render immediate and efficient aid in its construction, and as an auxiliary thereto, to the immediate construction of an emigrant road on the line of the railroad.
Resolved, That appropriations by Congress for the improvement of rivers and harbors, of a national character, required for the accommodation and security of our existing commerce, are authorized by the Constitution, and justified by the obligation of the Government to protect the lives and property of its citizens.
Resolved, That we invite the affiliation and cooperation of the men of all parties, however differing from us in other respects, in support of the principles herein declared; and believing that the spirit of our institutions as well as the Constitution of our country, guarantees liberty of conscience and equality of rights among citizens, we oppose all legislation impairing their security.
Please don't take offense, but I'm always dubious of first day posters. Enjoy yourself though.
Actually the issues haven't changed at all, just the terminology used to describe them. Abortion, like slavery, relegates human beings to being mere property disposed of at will by their owners. Gay marriage is a demand for recognition of the transient relationships of homosexuals which bear a striking resemblance to polygamy (without any actual long-term commitment).
Interesting.
And they ran one of my heroes, General John C. Fremont as their candidate.
Since day one, those nasty Republicans have been trying to force their personal moral views on everyone else.
I like this post. Nice job for a first.
Excellent point and one that as a history buff, I am always reminding people. This has all happened before. I just pray that we do not suffer the national carnage that we did the last time we became so polarized.
There really are very little that is "new."
I've always found this interesting because history has shown us that with our country this is very true, might does NOT make right, however, Right does make Might.
Of course, in the Left's mind, any 'might' is not right.
Because the Republicans have been driven by those crazy religious types and Neanderthal conservatives who take the words "life, liberty and pursuit of happiness" seriously. ;~))
Forward thinking for those days. I knew about slavery and polygamy (Mormons). I did NOT know the issue of a transcontinental railroad was a national issue a decade before it's construction.
The part about navigable waterways and harbors caught my notice. Was this the first concern of out Dept. of Commerce?
The "Bleeding Kansas" stuff as well. Am I correct in assuming the violence there started well before the actual war?
Depends what they post.
I have this argument with Leftists very often. They always claim that the Republican party is different today than it was in the day of Lincoln. I then tell them the platform of 1856, 1900? (I think thats the date I dont want to look it up because Im posting) and 1980. The Platform of 1900 and 1980 are exactly the same almost to the letter. 1900 begins something like "After the economic failure of 8 years od democrat leadership" gthe 1980 begins something like "after the economic failures and recession of the Carter admionistration." They both continue on to express the same sentiment about a strong national defense (both lament the fact that the democrats have downsized the standing armies).
Once I have finally shown them that the Republican party is the same I begin with the Democrats. The problem is that the Democrats have tried to cover their tracks. Have you ever looked at the official Democrat history on the DNC webpage. It starts with the founding Fathers but the entire second half of the 19th century is purged from 1850-1900 there are no entries it's as if the party ceased to exist.
But the platforms exist and you can note that after the Civil War all Democrat platforms are similar calling for the federal government to reduce the Military, control and increase taxation for the rich specifically industrialists (not legacy wealth holders), Empowerment of judges over elected officials, and one other that starts to creep up in Democrat platforms is the call that ballot boxes be free of all federal protections. (Basically the federal government since the civil war had sent soldiers to gaurd all ballot boxes against tampering, democrats succeeded in stopping this and soon after regained national power).
Since day one, those nasty Republicans have been trying to force their personal moral views on everyone else.
Did you ever wonder why the opposition was to the extension of slavery and not slavery itself? It was because slaves were counted (I forget the ratio spelled out in the constitution, was it as 3/5ths of a person?)in determining population count for the House of Representatives (also remember senators were NOT elected) and the north was getting tired of being outvoted by the south so they wanted to prohibit slavery in new states.
Not 1900 it was 1896 compared to 1980
1980
At home, our economy careens, whiplashed from one extreme to another. Earlier this year, inflation skyrocketed to its highest levels in more than a century; weeks later, the economy plummeted, suffering its steepest slide on record. Prices escalate at more than 10 percent a year. More than eight million people seek employment. Manufacturing plants lie idle across the country. The hopes and aspirations of our people are being smothered.
By far the most galling aspect of it all is that the chief architects of our decline—Democratic politicians—are without program or ideas to reverse it. Divided, leaderless, unseeing, uncomprehending, they plod on with listless offerings of pale imitations of the same policies they have pursued so long, knowing full well their futility. The Carter Administration is the unhappy and inevitable consequence of decades of increasingly outmoded Democratic domination of our national life. Over the past four years it has repeatedly demonstrated that it has no basic goals other than the perpetuation of its own rule and no guiding principle other than the fleeting insights provided by the latest opinion poll. Policies announced one day are disavowed or ignored the next, sowing confusion among Americans at home and havoc among our friends abroad.
1896
For the first time since the civil war the American people have witnessed the calamitous consequence of full and unrestricted Democratic control of the government. It has been a record of unparalleled incapacity, dishonor and disaster. In administrative management it has ruthlessly sacrificed indispensable revenue, entailed an unceasing deficit, eked out ordinary current expenses with borrowed money, piled up the public debt by $262,000,000 in time of peace, forced an adverse balance of trade, kept a perpetual menace hanging over the redemption fund, pawned American credit to alien syndicates and reversed all the measures and results of successful Republican rule. In the broad effect of its policy it has precipitated panic, blighted industry and trade with prolonged depression, closed factories, reduced work and wages, halted enterprise and crippled American production, while stimulating foreign production for the American market. Every consideration of public safety and individual interest demands that the government shall be wrested from the hands of those who have shown themselves incapable of conducting it without disaster at home and dishonor abroad and shall be restored to the party which for thirty years administered it with unequaled success and prosperity. And in this connection, we heartily endorse the wisdom, patriotism and success of the administration of Benjamin Harrison. We renew and emphasize our allegiance to the policy of protection, as the bulwark of American industrial independence, and the foundation of American development and prosperity. This true American policy taxes foreign products and encourages home industry.
Interesting; thanks for your post.
The violence began in the Topeka/Lawrence area about 1854. The New England Emmigrant Aid Company recruited several thousand yankees to move to Topeka and Lawrence on the condition that they would vote against slavery, and the state hasnt been the same since.
I believe that in 1980 the Republican party returned to it's roots even so much as parroting their platform from almost 100 years before. A belief that a return to core values would preserve our nation and it did. We as Republicans should look to the Republican party of 1896 and 1980 as our guide. Build a bridge to a past whose outcome is solid and certain not a creaking bridge to a future of PC multicultural garbage that does nothing but weaken our Republic.
Informative BUMP
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