Establishing A Political Party

Lincoln Becomes a Republican
During September 22-26, Mr. Busse was the visiting instructor teaching the history of politics. We learned that Abraham Lincoln was originally a member of the Whig Party. He was influenced by the admiration of Henry Clay, a statesman and orator who represented Kentucky in both the House of Representatives and Senate. Clay was the founder of the Whig Party.

When this party died out, he became a member of the Republican Party. It was to our surprise that the Democratic and Republican Parties were not our nation's first political organizations. At that point was strongly anti-slavery, which grabbed Lincoln's attention. In our view, he was taking a risk by joining a new party.

In the new party, Lincoln became an outspoken opponent of slavery. He opposed the Kansas-Nebraska Act, was in favor of higher education and economic philosophy similar to the Whigs. In addition to the Republican Party, the Constitutional Union of 1860 was formed from the Whig Party.