ABOUT US:
The
Methuen Republican Town Committee is comprised of your friends and
neighbors elected to serve by fellow Republicans in Methuen. The
Committee works to promote and support Republican ideals, beliefs,
philosophies and candidates. We are a diverse organization and maintain
that the Republican Party is an instrument for the political
realization of the concept of individual liberty on which our
constitutional government is founded. The Methuen Republican Town
Committee works in conjunction with the Massachusetts State Republican
Party and the National Republican Party. We are not the stereotypes
that others say we are. We are law abiding, hardworking and honest. We
stand for the principle that we are the Party open to all. We are also
the Party of opportunity for all: opportunity for every one of every
race, religion, color, national origin, age and sex. We believe in full
participation with equal opportunity for men and women, for minorities
and heritage groups, and for all Americans regardless of age or social
or economic status. The Republican Party is the Party of the open door.
Ours is the Party of equality of opportunity for all and favoritism for
none. We encourage the broadest possible participation of all voters in
Republican Party activities at all levels and seek to assure that the
Republican Party is open, accessible to all, and answerable ultimately
to the people in the true American tradition. If you are not afraid to
look at things objectively, we welcome you.
HISTORY
THE PEOPLE’S PARTY
It
all started with people who opposed slavery. They were common, everyday
people who bristled at the notion that men had any right to oppress
their fellow man. In the early 1850’s, these anti-slavery activists
found commonality with rugged individuals looking to settle in western
lands, free of government charges. “Free soil, free labor, free speech,
free men,” went the slogan. And it was thus in joint opposition to
human enslavement and government tyranny that an enterprising people
gave birth to the Republican Party. In 1856, the Republicans became a
national party by nominating John C. Fremont for President. Four years
later, with the election of Abraham Lincoln in 1860, the Republicans
firmly established themselves as a major political party. The name
“Republican” was chosen because it alluded to equality and reminded
individuals of Thomas Jefferson’s Democratic-Republican Party.
ALL OF US EQUAL
In
1861, the Civil War erupted, lasting four grueling years. During the
war, against the advice of his cabinet, President Lincoln signed the
Emancipation Proclamation that freed the slaves. The Republicans of the
day worked to pass the Thirteenth Amendment, which outlawed slavery;
the Fourteenth Amendment, which guaranteed equal protection under the
laws; and the Fifteenth, which helped secure voting rights for
African-Americans. All of these accomplishments extended and cemented
the fundamental freedoms our nation continues to enjoy today. The
Republican Party also played a leading role in securing women the right
to vote. In 1896, the Republican Party was the first major political
party to support women’s suffrage. When the 19th Amendment finally was
added to the Constitution, 26 of 36 state legislatures that had voted
to ratify it were under Republican control. The first woman elected to
Congress was a Republican, Jeanette Rankin from Montana in 1917. So it
was by hardworking Republican hands that color and gender barriers were
first demolished in America.
FREE FROM OPPRESSION
Republicans
believe individuals, not government, can make the best decisions; all
people are entitled to equal rights; and decisions are best made close
to home. These basic principles are as true today as they were when the
Party was founded. For all of the extraordinary leaders the Party has
produced throughout its rich history, Republicans understand that
everyday people in all 50 states and territories remain the heart and
soul of our Party.
Presidents
during most of the late nineteenth century and the early part of the
twentieth century were Republicans. The White House was in Republican
hands under Presidents Dwight D. Eisenhower, Richard Nixon, Gerald
Ford, Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush. Under
Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush, the United States won
the Cold War, releasing millions from Communist oppression, in true
anti-big government Republican spirit.
ELEPHANTS, NOT DONKEYS
The
symbol of the Republican Party is the elephant. During the mid-term
elections in 1874, Democrats tried to scare voters into thinking
President Ulysses S. Grant would seek to run for an unprecedented third
term. Thomas Nast, a cartoonist for Harper’s Weekly, depicted a
Democratic donkey trying to scare a Republican elephant – and both
symbols stuck. For a long time, Republicans have been known as the
“G.O.P.” with party faithful believing it meant the “Grand Old Party.”
But apparently the original meaning (in 1875) was “gallant old party.”
When automobiles were invented it also came to mean, “get out and
push.” That’s still a pretty good slogan for Republicans who depend
every campaign year on the hard work of hundreds of thousands of
everyday volunteers to get out and vote and push people to support the
causes of the Republican Party.
FREEDOM FIGHTERS
Abolition.
Free speech. Women’s suffrage. These were all causes the Republican
Party adopted early on. So, too, were reducing the size of government,
streamlining bureaucracy, and returning power to individual states.
With a core belief in the primacy of individuals, the Republican Party,
since its inception, has been at the forefront of the fight for
individuals’ rights in opposition to a large, intrusive government. |
