Grand Old Party: A History of the Republicans

by Lewis L. Gould

From Abraham Lincoln and the Civil War through the disputed election of George W. Bush and beyond, the Republican Party has been at the dramatic center of American politics for 150 years. In this exciting new book, the Þrst comprehensive history of the Republicans in 40 years, Lewis L. Gould traces the evolution of the Grand Old Party from its emergence as an antislavery coalition in the 1850s to its current role as the champion of political and social conservatism. Gould brings to life the major Þgures of Republican history--Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Richard Nixon, Ronald Rea-gan, and George W. Bush--and uncovers a wealth of fascinating anecdotes about Republicans, from “the Plumed Knight,” James G. Blaine, in the 1880s, to Barry Goldwater in the 1960s, to Newt Gingrich in the 1990s. Gould also uncovers the historical forces and issues that have made the Republicans what they the crusade against slavery, the rise of big business, the Cold War, and opposition to the power of the federal government.

Written with balance and keen insight, Grand Old Party is required reading for anyone interested in American politics. Republicans, Democrats, and independents alike will Þnd their understanding of national politics deepened and enriched. Based on Gould’s research in the papers of leading Republi-cans and his wide reading in the party’s history, Grand Old Party is a book that will outlast the noisy tumult of today’s partisan debates and endure as a deÞnitive treatment of how the Republicans have shaped the way Americans live together in a democracy. For the next presidential election and for other electoral contests to come, this book (a perfect companion to Party of the People by Jules Witcover, a history of the Democratic Party published simultaneously by Random House) will be an invaluable guide to the unfolding saga of American politics.

Genres: Politics, History, American History, Nonfiction, American

624 pages, Hardcover

First published November 4, 2003

About the author

Lewis Ludlow Gould is Eugene C. Barker Professor Emeritus in American History at the University of Texas in Austin. Gould earned an A.B. from Brown University in 1961, and an M.A. (1962) and Ph.D. (1966) from Yale University.

Reviews

[Billie Pritchett · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm really happy I read Grand Old Party by Lewis L. Gould. The book is a good survey of the history of the Republican Party in the White House. If you're looking for a book that is more general, about party machinations, that isn't this book. Gould's book is mainly about the ideological undercurrents of the GOP at any given time and how these undercurrents were vis-à-vis the Republican presidential candidates or their Democratic opposition candidates.

The Republican Party has changed a lot since its inception in the 1850s. The party began on the issue of rights for enslaved Africans in the United States, then a decade or so later the main issue became tariffs to protect the United States from foreign trade. The tariff issue persisted until the early 20th century when Republican president Theodore Roosevelt fought for conservation, advocated retirement benefits, and pushed for legislation to upset corporate power over private individuals. Teddy Roosevelt alienated the conservative Republicans, though, and much of the core of the party moved further right. Still, the party couldn't shake the liberal and moderate leadership. When Dwight Eisenhower was elected president, he vowed to uphold many parts of the New Deal which were put in place by Democratic president Franklin Roosevelt.

The failed presidential bid of Republican Arizona Senator Barry Goldwater in the 1960s is what brought us the Republican party as we have known it up to the beginning of the new millennium. The party solidified around much of his platform for limited government and states' rights. The only deviation from the Goldwater platform which was developing concurrent with his views and which also developed during the 1960s was strict prohibition of certain moral issues for Republicans including the issues of abortion, homosexuality, pornography, and women and minority rights.

The last Republican president covered in Gould's book is George W. Bush and there is little speculation about what happens with the GOP into the 21st century. That being said, it may be the case that the party is already experiencing or has experienced a shift further right. It looks that way.

[Adam G · Rating 4 out of 5]

While the prose occasionally comes down with a case of the slows, this book is well worth the time it takes to read it. Not only does it accomplish its purpose of outlining the history of the Republican Party, it does the difficult task of doing so with an even hand. While the author does discuss the Nixon/Reagan Southern Strategy, what he leaves out is Nixon's commitment to White Southern voters being founded more in law and order than opposition to desegregation (Nixon's administration desegregated more schools than Johnson or Kennedy). While this is a fault, it's not especially glaring.

If you're looking for a book detailing how the Republican Party shifted and, in some sense, why, this is certainly a great starting point.

[Adam Carman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Should be required reading for all Republicans. It is a good corrective to the notion that Ronald Reagan invented the GOP in the 1980s.

[Jeffrey Margolis · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Republican Party of today bears little resemblance to the party of Abraham Lincoln. Lewis Gould's definitive work traces the history of the GOP from Lincoln to George W. Bush ( 43).
Gould wrote :" After its inception as a radical, reformist political movement, it ( GOP) has become the conservative party of the nation..." The author wrote that many of the recent changes came with the presidential run of Barry Goldwater of Arizona in 1964.
In its infancy, the party of Lincoln abolished slavery and allowed the first Black Americans to run for Congress. The paradigm shift over the years saw the Republican Party become the bastion of white racial attitudes in the United States. Some of the biggest shifts have come in the southern states. If the reader has been following the current trends within the Republican Party, this book will lay out the framework for that change and begin to offer an explanation of how the GOP got to this point.

[Michael Vincent · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting and fair review of the ups and downs, gaffes and gallantries of the Republican Party from Lincoln to Bush 43. It gave you a better understanding of problems and policies that are argued about today including racism, tariffs, taxes and isolationism. Not too much information, but enough to help the reader understand the arguments and issues.

[Damon Glassmoyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great introductory history (up to 2003) of the Republican Party. Even-handed and fair.

[Larry Riordan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have long been meaning to pick up this book because I wanted to see how we (or rather they) got to this point. On cable news, I heard someone say they were a "Teddy Roosevelt/Ronald Reagan" Republican: I could almost hear Chris Matthews scream, "Were you shot?" There is, as I expected, very little to almost nothing in common between the two aside from part affiliation. The book, written by a Dem0crat, is even handed and appreciative although sometimes feels like Gould is bending over backwards to give Republicans the benefit of the doubt. It traces the party from its origin as a broad coalition of anti-slavery ideologies and mentions nativism, Tariffs, imperialism, and association with big business as early platforms parties history, some of which ended or, apparently, went underground for parts of the next century. Then it covers the split into the progressives and conservative Republicans the former being coopted by Wilson. It gives Franklin Roosevelt, John Kennedy, and Lyndon Johnson credit for the civil rights act while chiding (as far as this book is judgmental at all) Eisenhower for his opposition although his opposition to unnecessary defense spending, reasonable temperament and continuation of the New Deal policies come off as very admirable which indeed they were. Some of the strange parts of the first have of the book are the lack of a chapter on Democrats and Pre-Republican parties, but it is already quite long. It interested me too find that the provenance of accusations of disloyalty against Democrats is the Civil War and the tactic is called "Waving the bloody shirt" which Republicans did while campaigning with the garments of dead union soldiers. The sea change comes with Goldwater and his avowed extremism and the party was after his nomination of Goldwater in 1964. It moved definitely rightward with the exception of the very liberal Nixon who, had he not been corrupt, may have moved the party in a centrist or even center left direction. It tries to rehabilitate somewhat successfully Taft and McKinley and Goldwater, and Hoover and Harding ridiculously, and is highly flattering Teddy R, overlooking the less savory aspects of his character and ideology. It is objective, which is to say unflattering, about Reagan: that mysterious Teflon candidate who opposed the civil rights act and its extension, and thought trees caused pollution. It ends with the compassionate conservatism and non-intervention platform of George W. Bush in 2000. I gleaned a lot from the book that Republicans, most importantly that Republicans have largely formed their ideology in opposition to Democrats. From its foundation to end Slavery to its perennial opposition to the New Deal and Great Society to Clinton's moral indiscretions. It is easy to see why over the past eight year it has been so radicalized to the point where a candidate has been nominated that few conservatives can recognize and it may indicate another sea shift within the party. Overall, this seems like important reading for any American and Republicans will enjoy its appreciative and celebratory tone while Democrats will, hopefully, admire it for its fairness.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

I re-read this book during the somewhat early stages of the 2008 Presidential Election Campaign. The first time that I read it was during the 2004 mid-term Congressional Elections. Having studied history for the better part of my life, it amazes me how often past themes and controversies continue to rear their head. This book does an extremely good job of charting a broad course through the history of the Republican Party. Though it is written by an avowed Liberal, the author does a good job of not allowing his personal political bias to come through in his narrative. To me, the thing that stuck out the most in this book, was how the Republicans transformed themselves from the party of big-government activitism into the party of limited government, states' rights activism. If you want to get a good, general history of the Republican Party, I highly recommend this book.

[Timothy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well written and incisive view of the history of the Republican Party. The book is well organized and has a well developed suggested readings section for each chapter. Part of a Random House project this book is coupled with Jules Witcover's history of the Democratic party. This volume is slightly more appealing because it is written by a well-known political historian with a deft ability at writing for the general public.

[Craig · Rating 3 out of 5]

A well-researched book that covers the entire history of the Republican party. Its fascinating to read how the party transformed from the morally pure ideals it had at the start into what it is today.

[Matthew Dambro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent history of the party from Lincoln to Bush II. Well researched and the writing is very well done. A great introductory text on the transition from a radical stance on slavery to a conservative position by the 1960s.

[Valarie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this during the campaign season of 2004. It was a pretty good read, if I remember.

[Ian Hosein · Rating 4 out of 5]

amazing book great historical information especially on key presidents such as lincoln and roosevelt...etc.