The platform was based, in part, on the promise of ending slavery. The politics of 1860 were explosive and the election of the first Republican president pushed the divide between the North and South leading to the Civil War. Since then, the Republicans have done more for civil rights than the Democrats, believe it or not. Do some research, especially on Eisenhower and Nixon.
The Republicans were willing to allow slavery to exist in the southern states if its expansion was stopped
The republican party was established by those who were opposed to slavery.
Republicans
Republicans
Republicans
The Northern and Southern Democrats differed over the party's platform on slavery in 1860 since the southerners wanted the party to defend slavery in the platform and Northerners wanted the platform to support popular sovereignty as a way of deciding whether a territory became a free state or a slave state.
Just an agreement to abolish slavery
The south was losing the battle over slavery in the election of 1860. The Republican Party platform promised not to interfere with slavery in the states, but opposed the further extension of slavery into the U.S. territories. Southern states wanted popular sovereignty giving the power to determine the legality of slavery to the inhabitants of the territory seeking statehood, rather than to Congress.
The Republicans would not allow any extension of slavery. This would mean that all new states would be free soil, and the North would dominate Congress even more than it had.
The Republicans were willing to allow slavery to exist in the southern states if its expansion was stopped
THe Southern Democrats were pro-slavery; the Northern Democrats were for popular soveignty in territories and allowing it where it existed. The Constitutional Union Party was against slavery in new territories, but keeping it where it already existed. The Republicans were anti-slavery, but were not abolutionists and did not favor ending slavery slavery in the states that already had it.
The railroad republicans were the Republican platform who specifically pledged not to extend slavery and called for enactment of free-homestead legislation, prompt establishment of a daily mail service, a transcontinental railroad and support of the protective tariff.
The Republican Party supported a stronger federal government, the abolition of slavery, and high tariffs. The south was mostly Democratic, which supported states rights, slavery, and low tariffs. The south did not want to loose their slaves because they were used mostly for agriculture. Agriculture was the southern states' main industry. Finally, The Republicans' protective tariff policy had a negative affect on the southern economy.
Protective tariffs were featured in the 1860 Republican Party platform. Other items included were free homesteads, and support for building a transcontinental railroad.
For the 1864 US presidential elections, the Republicans campaigned as the National Union Party. The platform called for a constitutional amendment outlawing slavery. No longer was the policy objective to be only the reunification of the US. The platform also outlined the terms of the South's surrender which excluded any compromises to Southern ideas. The surrender would be unconditional. This would also include a swearing of allegiance to the US Constitution.
The Radical Republicans opposed slavery and pushed for uncompensated abolition of slavery. They wanted to prevent anyone who had supported the Confederacy from voting in Southern elections and from holding public office.
The Republicans. They nominated Lincoln because he was moderate on the slavery question - not an Abolitionist, but unwilling to allow any extension of the Southern slave-empire.