Gop what is

Ever wonder how Republicans and Democrats became known as elephants and donkeys? And why are Republicans depicted as elephants and Democrats as donkeys? You'll have to go back in history for the answers. The acronym dates back to the s, about the same time the party picked up its elephant logo. The name "Republican" dates back to and the supporters of Thomas Jefferson.

The party was originally known as the Democratic-Republican Party before divisions in the s led to the formation of the stand-alone Republican Party in the s. The original Republican Party was made up mostly of abolitionists opposed to slavery in the South.

They both developed from the same political group, the Democratic—Republicans Party led by Thomas Jefferson in the s and early s. Who knew that these two opposing parties were once on the same side of the political spectrum?

Where did this nickname come from and what in the world does it mean? The Democratic Party took its name in In the s, the Republican Party united former Whigs and Democrats, pro-business economic modernizers, and northern abolitionists under one umbrella. Please enter valid email address to continue. Chrome Safari Continue. Be the first to know. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Eventually, the Democratic Party took its name in and the Republican Party took its name in , uniting former Whigs those who favored higher tariffs, distributing land revenues to states, and passing economic relief legislation , like-minded Democrats and abolitionists.

This fusion of ideologies in the newly formed Republican Party was, ironically, primarily driven by a Democratic-supported effort. Namely, the Kansas-Nebraska Act of , a piece of legislation that allowed slavery to expand into western territories.

After it passed, a period of violent anti- and pro- slavery confrontations arose known as Bleeding Kansas — an antecedent to the Civil War. The debate over slavery intensified over the next several years as a young Abraham Lincoln was beginning to get his political footing. Lincoln vehemently opposed the Kansas-Nebraska Act and would steadily bring his anti-slavery rhetoric into his political speeches in ensuing years. By , Lincoln won the Republican Party's presidential nomination and soon the presidency.

Then in , seven states declared secession, with four more states joining the Confederacy several months later. You know the rest. The Civil War ended in when Confederate generals surrendered.