Grand Old Party (also called the GOP or “Republican Party”)
is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States,
the other being the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery activists in
1854, it dominated politics nationally for most of the period from 1860 to
1932. There have been 18 Republican presidents, the first being Abraham
Lincoln, serving from 1861-1865, and the most recent being George W. Bush,
serving from 2001-2009.Currently the party's platform is generally based upon
American conservatism, in contrast to the Democratic Party, who endorse more
liberal policies.
American conservatism of the Republican Party is not wholly
based upon rejection of the political ideology of liberalism, as many principles
of American conservatism are based upon classical liberalism. Rather, the
Republican Party's conservatism is largely based upon its support of classical
principles against the modern liberalism of the Democratic Party that is
considered American liberalism in contemporary American political discourse. In
the 113th Congress, elected in 2012, the Republican Party holds a majority of
seats in the House of Representatives and a minority of seats in the Senate.
The party currently holds the majority of governorships as well as the majority
of state legislatures.
