History: The GOP's first National Call for Convention, 1856

January 17, 2017 - Grand Old Partisan commemorates the first Republican call for a national convention. By 1856, opponents of the Democrats' pro-slavery agenda had established Republican parties in several states. There was, however, yet no national organization. --Our nation's capital did have the Republican Association of Washington. At the request of five state chairmen, on January 17, 1856 this small but enthusiastic committee printed and distributed to newspapers this call for convention. Four more state chairmen soon added their names.

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Theodore Roosevelt and Booker T. Washington

GRAND OLD PARTISAN, 10/16/2009 by Michael Zak - "On this day in 1901, President Theodore Roosevelt (R-NY) hosted Booker T. Washington (R-VA), the famed civil rights activist, for dinner at the White House. They discussed ways of reviving the Grand Old Party in the southern states. ∴ Democrats were outraged. Outraged! Several Democrat-controlled state legislatures passed resolutions censuring the president for this gesture of respect for an African-American. Some Democrats went so far as to demand that President Roosevelt throw away whatever dishes and cutlery Washington had used."

About Michael Zak:

Michael Zak is a popular speaker to Republican organizations around the country, showing office-holders, candidates and activists how they would benefit tremendously from appreciating the heritage of our Grand Old Party. Back to Basics for the Republican Party is his acclaimed history of the GOP from the Republican point of view. Each day, his Grand Old Partisan blog celebrates more than fifteen decades of Republican heroes and heroics. See www.RepublicanBasics.com for more information. Read More......

Celebrating the GOP's first state convention

Grand Old Partisan, July 6, 2007 by Michael Zak

JACKSON, MICHIGAN - In 1854, the Democrats in control of Congress were moving toward passage of their Kansas-Nebraska Act, allowing slavery to expand into the western territories. The Democrat President at the time, Franklin Pierce, said he would sign the bill into law. The Democratic Party had chosen to promote slavery.

Amid the intense reaction, a grassroots movement sprang up to oppose the extension of slavery. These town meetings and demonstrations coalesced into the Republican Party.

On July 6, 1854, the Republican Party held its first state convention. It took place in Jackson, Michigan. So many people attended - over 10,000 - that the meeting had to be held outdoors, Under the Oaks.

Just four months later, one of the founders of the Michigan Republican Party, anti-slavery activist Kinsley Bingham, was elected our nation's first Republican state governor. And, another of the original Michigan Republicans, Zachariah Chandler, became one of the first Republicans in the U.S. Senate. Senator Chandler, a former mayor of Detroit and a leader of the Underground Railroad, went on to serve as Chairman of the Republican National Committee.

See Grand Old Partisan for more useful information about the heritage of the Grand Old Party. Each day, the Grand Old Partisan blog celebrates 153 years of Republican heroes and heroics.

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