88R19886 TBO-D
By: Slaton H.R. No. 678
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, The Republican Party marked the 169th anniversary of
its founding on March 20, 2023; and
WHEREAS, Also known as the Grand Old Party, the national
Republican Party traces its origins to 1854, when abolitionists in
Ripon, Wisconsin, established a political group to fight the
expansion of slavery and oppose the Kansas-Nebraska Act, which gave
the Kansas and Nebraska territories the option to allow slavery in
those areas; the party's first national convention was held in
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on February 22, 1856, and its first
nominating convention was held later that same year; early leaders
of the party included American explorer John C. Fremont, the first
Republican to run for president, and Abraham Lincoln, the first
Republican to be elected president; and
WHEREAS, In response to President Lincoln's victory in 1860,
pro-slavery states seceded from the Union and the nation was
launched into civil war; following the conflict, Republicans played
an instrumental role in passing the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments
to the U.S. Constitution, which abolished slavery, provided equal
protection under the law, and guaranteed voting rights; the party
also guided the women's suffrage movement and strongly supported
the 19th Amendment, and Republican lawmakers later worked with
Democrat President Lyndon B. Johnson to pass the Civil Rights Act of
1964; and
WHEREAS, Today, the Republican Party strives to promote
liberty and economic prosperity while preserving American values
and traditions; since the advent of the modern party system in 1857,
19 Republicans have served as president, and many more have held
seats in Congress; and
WHEREAS, The Republican Party has helped generations of
Americans become more informed and involved in the nation's
political system, and its members may indeed take pride in their
rich history of civic engagement; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 88th Texas
Legislature hereby commemorate the 169th anniversary of the
founding of the Republican Party and extend to all those associated
with the party sincere best wishes for the future.