GOP’s minority support wanes
What many Americans may not realize are the direct contributions that the Republican Party has had in the struggle for equality. The Republican Party was founded in 1854 with one major goal in mind: End slavery now. With the election of President Lincoln in 1860, the Republican Party was able to achieve that with the Emancipation Proclamation and later the 13th amendment.
Next, Republicans pushed for the 14th amendment, which would guarantee African-Americans equal access to government facilities, commonly phrased as equal protection under the law. Larry Elder, author and columnist on Human Events Online, points out that every single Republican in the Congress voted for it, every single Democrat in Congress voted against it. The 15th amendment, which guarantees African-American men the right to vote was also passed unanimously by Republicans, and unanimously voted against by Democrats.
Many decades passed with some great African-American Republican leaders coming and going, like Frederick Douglass, a speech-writer for President Lincoln, author, and a Vice-Presidential candidate for the Equal Rights Party. Another important leader in the early 1900s was Ida B. Wells who formed the NAACP. According to Black History Daily, it wasn’t until 1935 that America had their first African-American Congressman that was a Democrat. Prior to that, there had been 22 African-American Republican congressmen. It is no surprise that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. too was a registered Republican according to Frances Rice of Free Republic.
Many Republican Presidents since Lincoln, have also taken a strong stand in support of civil rights. In 1957, following the Brown v. Board of Education decision, Democratic Arkansas governor Orval Faubus ordered the Arkansas state guard to stop African-American children from entering the all-white Little Rock school they were assigned to attend. Republican President Dwight Eisenhower then sent the 101st Airborne Division to protect the African-American students and to show the nation that racial integration must start now.
Democratic President Lyndon Johnson wanted to pass the Civil Rights Act of 1964. In order to do this he relied on the Republicans in the House and Senate for support because of a large number of southern Democrats opposing the landmark civil rights achievement. Republicans responded with more than 80% in both houses voting in favor of the Act.
The Republican Party has made some progress in civil rights in the past few decades. In 1991, Republican President George H.W. Bush appointed Clarence Thomas to the Supreme Court.
Thomas is currently the only African-American on the court and one of just two to have served in U.S. history.
More recently President George W. Bush chose two African-Americans as both of his Secretaries of State, Colin Powell and Condoleezza Rice. Prior to the Obama inauguration, they were the highest ranking African-Americans in any Presidential administration.
Republicans have done a lot for African-Americans historically in their struggle for equality. Unfortunately, the party of Lincoln has been absolutely abysmal in recent decades. Aside from selecting a few qualified, and like-minded African-Americans for political office the Republican Party has stood back and watched as African-Americans have flocked to the Democratic Party.
In 1964, hundreds of college students from the North and West supporting civil rights went to Philadelphia, Mississippi to register African-Americans to vote and hopefully start a movement. Three of these civil rights workers were murdered by white supremacists. These murders made national headlines.
Sixteen years later, Ronald Reagan gave his first speech as the official Republican nominee for President in Philadelphia, Mississippi where he spoke of his support for states’ rights. This was a clear slight at African-Americans who have come to recognize the term “states’ rights” as reminiscent of the Confederacy and the days of slavery.
President George W. Bush wasn’t any better as he was offered an annual invitation to speak to the NAACP just as most U.S. Presidents do. It wasn’t until the sixth year of his administration that he could find the time to meet with the civil rights organization.
Republicans have a grand history of supporting civil rights for African-Americans. But sadly this is ending. Republicans no longer try to relate to African-Americans or seemingly reach them with their message. Republicans accept it as a given that in any election over 90% of African-Americans will vote against them. And they wonder why.
Maybe it has to do with the fact that in 2008 out of ten Republican Presidential Primary candidates, all ten were white males. And then they brag about diversity by selecting Sarah Palin as their Vice-President.
No national party can survive long-term by winning just one demographic, no matter how large. As America becomes more diverse each day, the Republican Party needs to find a way to appeal to African-Americans as well as other minorities if they wish to remain a credible national party.
Posted by Colonnade Archives
on Jan 30 2009. Filed under Opinion.
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