Posted by
REDSTATE RAMBLER on Friday, February 13, 2009 3:13:16 PM
“America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and
lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves,”~ Abraham Lincoln
How haunting is that quote from Americas greatest president?
One needs to look back to the first ever Republican party platform and see that not much has changed in the 150 or so years since the very
first printing of the core beliefs of the Grand Old Party. If we look at the story behind that platform, we can also see that not much has changed in the democratic party either. The democrats were still the party of oppression, power and lessening of personal freedoms.
The first platform in 1956 was a testament to where our country was at in its history. It dealt with the growth of the country and as was the case in most of the political issues in those days, dealt with the issue of slavery in the westward expansion. These "Resolutions" are still being practiced as the core of our principles:
- Reaffirmation in the founding principles of our Constitution, in regards to state rights and the preservation of the union;
- That "...all men are endowed with the inalienable right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness..." extents to all races, and it criticized the Franklin Pierce administration and the US Congress for violating the rights of the "Anti-Slavery" immigrants, who were migrating to the Kansas Territory, and were being oppressed by the "Pro Slavery" population;
- Reaffirms the United States jurisdiction over these new territories but sharply criticized the democrats for allowing "..barbarism- polygamy and slavery" within them;
- Charges that the constitutional rights of the people of the Kansas territory were suppressed, in that:
- Rights "... have been fraudulently and violently taken from them" by the democrats in Washington;
- American armed forces invaded the territory to...
- Allow unjust and unconstitutional tyrannical government leaders;
- Take away the residents 2nd amendment rights;
- Ensuring criteria for holding office can only be held by people sent from Washington;
- Denying the right to a speedy and fair trial;
- Violations of the rights to personal search and seizures;
- Deprived of due process of the law;
- Deprived of freedom of speech;
- Suppression of the right to elect their own representatives;
- Lawlessness and anarchy;
- All of the above constitutes "high crimes" against the Constitution, committed by the democrats.
- Called for the Kansas territory to become an official state, with all the rights and privileges of all other states;
- Rebuked the James Buchanan "Ostend Circular", that called for the purchase or outright invasion of Cuba, which would have led to a war with Spain;
- Called for the federal government to immediately span the east coast and the west coast with a rail line, to further help the nations economy;
- Called for the upgrade and improvements of our nations shipping channels and harbors, enhancing our ability for commercial imports and exports;
- Extends an invitation to anyone who believes in the Republican platform, to join the party.
4 years later, Lincoln was elected the 16th American president, becoming this country's first Republican president. Lincoln is considered by most people as the greatest president in our history. In a poll taken in 2002, Lincoln was voted as such by a majority of Americans. Oddly enough, black Americans considered Bill Clinton as the greatest American president.
A lot has been given to the Black American population by the Republicans throughout history. In the pre-Civil War days, "Doughfaces" (northern democrats who endeared themselves to pro-slavery southern democrats) were the deciding factors in the democratic constitutional oppression that was going on in the Kansas territories.
Our party needs to do what it did back in 1856. We need to point out the flaws of the democrats. We need to speak about about their continued "slavery" that they practice by enducing people of all races to remain slaves of the federal government. One needs to look at how the democrats continue to remain in power and realize that they are winning the public relations war. They have blacks in America convinced that THEY are looking out for their best interests, when I have just shown, throughout history, it has been the democrats who fought to keep them enslaved. First to the southern plantation owner and now, to the federal government.
It is time that the Republicans reclaim our history with the African American population. With the National Director of the GOP being black, I am calling on him to make this a focal point of his term. Mr. Steele needs to point out to his fellow African Americans that it was the Republican party that forced the issue of Slavery to be settled, while the democrats, both northern and southern, were fighting against us.
Just like they are today.