Yesterday was the 171st anniversary of the founding of the Republican Party in the United States.

“And why?” you may ask, “is that ironic?” Well, not because of the timing, but because of the party’s background:

“In Ripon, Wisconsin, former members of the Whig Party meet [sic] to establish a new party to oppose the spread of slavery into the western territories. The Whig Party, which was formed in 1834 to oppose the ‘tyranny’ of President Andrew Jackson, had shown itself incapable of coping with the national crisis over slavery.” [“This Day In History,” History.com, March 20, 2025.]

In that year of 1854 — six years before the election of Abraham Lincoln to the presidency — the Whig Party was already known as the anti-slavery party. In today’s terms, they were believers in the democratic — not to mention Constitutional — principles of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. And they did something about it: they took legal steps to effect changes.

What do you suppose those first Republicans would think of their party now?

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
3/21/25