Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865) was the first of many Republicans elected to be President of the United States. Abraham Lincoln created an ideal image for what the Republican Party stood for during its emergence. Abraham Lincoln only served one term before being assassinated, but during that term he improved the economy, strengthened our national government through his preservation of the Union, and last but not least abolished slavery after one the bloodiest wars America has ever seen. Although the policy positions have changed in the Republican Party over time, Abraham Lincoln was the first to promote the Republican Party and start an era of Presidential control that lasted up until the 1930’s.
Abraham Lincoln
EVOLUTION OF U.S. POLITICAL PARTIES 