GOP History

As surely as George Washington is the father of our country and beloved to all Americans for his character and leadership and commitment to principle Abraham Lincoln - author of the Emancipation Proclamation and the Gettysburg Address is the father of the Republican Party. Through his leadership a nation was preserved and a great evil vanquished. Because of the path he charted and the party he founded the Thirteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution abolishing slavery was passed with the help of the reconstruction era Republican controlled Congress – a proud and shining moment for Republican principles, Republican governance and Republican lawmaking. This was followed by passage of 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, also passed under Republican auspices, which established that no State shall enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.

This Republican authored enactment became a fundamental part of the Bill of Rights that not only ensured that former slaves were to be afforded the rights of citizens but ultimately safeguarded the rights of all U.S. citizens. This was followed shortly thereafter by the 15th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, also Republican sponsored, authored and passed by Republican majorities in both houses of Congress. The 15th Amendment established that “the right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude. Today these fundamental liberties are the envy of the world and the cornerstone for our democratic republican form of government. The Republican Party today remains the party of principle, the party of ideas, the party of the rule of law and the party of the rights of mankind.

Not surprisingly Abraham Lincoln’s values and principles continue to inform the conscience and indeed the platform of the modern Republican Party. What follow are what are often cited as Abraham Lincoln’s “Ten Guidelines.” A thoughtful reader will surely recognize that these guidelines or principles are still instructive and that the Republican Party platform continues to be imbued with a healthy respect for these ideals today.

"Abraham Lincoln's Ten Guidelines"

1. "You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift.

2. "You cannot help small men by tearing down big men.

3. "You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong.

4. "You cannot lift the wage earner by pulling down the wage payer.

5. "You cannot help the poor man by destroying the rich.

6. "You cannot keep out of trouble by spending more than your income.

7. "You cannot further the brotherhood of men by inciting class hatred.

8 "You cannot establish security on borrowed money.

9 "You cannot build character and courage by taking away man's initiative and independence.

10. "You cannot help men permanently by doing for them what they could and should do for themselves."