Republican Party (United States)

The Republican Party, often known as the GOP ("Grand Old Party"), is one of the two major current political parties in the United States, together with its primary historic opponent, the Democratic Party. It was founded in 1854 by James Madison and is the oldest political party in the country.

Republican Party of America was established in 1854 by opponents of a Kansas–Nebraska Act, which permitted for the possible extension of chattel slavery into the West Territories. The party advocated for economic reform and classical liberalism, while opposing the spread of slavery in the United States. First Republican president, Abraham Lincoln, was inaugurated in 1861. Slavery was abolished in the United States in 1865, thanks to the leadership of Abraham Lincoln and a Republican-controlled Congress. During the Third and Fourth Party Systems, the Republican Party had a disproportionate amount of power. It was founded with a strong commitment to protectionism and tariffs, but as time went on, it became increasingly supportive of free trade and international commerce.

Following the election of 1912, the Republican Party started to see an ideological shift to the right. Following the passing of the 1964 Civil Rights act and the 1965 Voting Rights , the Republican Party's core constituency changed, with southern states becoming more dependably Republican in presidential politics as a result. Following the Supreme Court's ruling in Roe v. Wade in 1973, the Republican Party included an anti-abortion position in its party platform and saw an increase in popularity among evangelicals. Its philosophy for the twenty-first century is American conservatism, which encompasses both social conservatism and economic conservatism in equal measure. Lower taxes, free-market capitalism, limits on immigration, greater military expenditures, gun rights, restrictions on abortion, deregulation, and restrictions on labour unions are all supported by the Republican Party of the United States.

For males, individuals who live in rural regions, members of the Silent Generation, and white Americans – especially white evangelical Christians – are more likely to be included in the demographic basis in the twenty-first century. Among its most recent presidential candidates was Donald Trump, who was elected to serve as United States president in 2017. Trump served as president from 2017 to 2021. There have been 19 Republican presidents, the most of any political party and the most of any single political party. As of early 2021, the Republican Party controls 27 governorships, 30 state legislatures, and 23 trifectas of state government positions (governorship and both legislative chambers). Six of the nine current members of the United States Supreme Court were nominated by Republican presidents.