Question

What political groups joined to form the Republican Party? What was their combined goal?

Answer 1

When the Republican Party was founded, its constituents shared Lincoln's vision of eradicating slavery because they believed that every individual is free regardless of ethnicity or background. They also believed in individual liberty.

Answer 2

The Republican Party emerged in 1854 to combat the Kansas–Nebraska Act and the expansion of slavery into American territories. The early Republican Party consisted of northern Protestants, factory workers, professionals, businessmen, prosperous farmers, and after 1866, former black slaves.