Follow-Ups to Answer from Expert Tom Schott

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Al wrote at 2007-01-25 23:32:15
I would just like to state that this is a trick question.  The Republican party was not established until after the abolishment of slavery.  To correctly identify what would have been considered Republicans at the time you would have to compare views.  Basically the Federalists were Republicans however the party was not determined at the time.  Democratic-Republicans were those whose beliefs were that of the common man which is now the Democratic party.

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Tom Schott wrote at 2007-02-08 01:54:18
This respondent does not know what he is talking about. The Republican party was established in 1854-55, before the abolition of slavery. The Federalists were NOT Republicans. The Democratic-Republicans were Jeffersonians, not identical to the Democratic party which was the party of Andrew Jackson.

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ps6155 wrote at 2008-07-05 16:24:56
1840 During a party convention the Democratic-Republican Party changed its name to the Democratic Party

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mr mike wrote at 2010-10-14 00:52:04
republicans were formed just before the civil war to help get the transcontinental railroad through the north not the south.  follow the money.  lincoln was a attorney for the railroads and the richest man in springfield mo

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Jasper wrote at 2010-12-20 03:42:03
Of course, the republican party we know today is not what Madison was a part of. That being said, for a couple reasons she is right. Based on the technicality in language, it is Democratic Republicans. Democratic being an adjective to describe the, yes, republicans. Not the current republican party, no, but Jefferson's republican party. The current GOP did not exist at that time, but Madison had views that very much resemble republican views in present times. If no parties existed, or if you look at what Madison did and his opinions and not his group or self-proclaimed title, I believe the republicans would claim him. And if you really want to get technical with your wording of the wager, I can find a lot of republican slaves owners that no democrat claims. Rome is just one example. Though this is only a technicality and I will agree that James Madison belongs to the Democratic party, regardless if it's name changed. That being said though technically she's right and deserves at least that acknowledgment. Though I wouldn't pay her either.

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Tiffany Branton wrote at 2011-12-01 22:30:21
There were elected Republicans in South Carolina who owned slaves, and some of them were black.  The page in the following link lists South Carolina reps and senators who were free black slave owners, and the only ones listing a political affiliation are all Republicans.



They may have freed them, but they most certainly DID slaves at one time.  



This book was written by a Larry Koger, a researcher at the Pentagon who used wills, receipts, census records and many other sources of information for this book.  



http://books.google.ca/books?id=tPIphu2kr9wC&pg=PA273&lpg=PA273&dq=1862+census+r



I agree that slavery is wrong and should be abolished worldwide, but let's end the lie right now.  Republicans may not have owned slaves while they were elected or switched parties (it's always easy enough to switch to the "winning team" when it suits our needs), but there is physical proof that Republicans DID own slaves during their lifetime.  It is a black mark in our country's history, and we can all say for certain that no current Republican or Democrat wants to go back to the slavery system, so why this argument is coming up now is beyond my comprehension other than the fact that shock and awe are powerful tools during election campaigns.  



To fight modern day slavery, please look into Bonded Labour Liberation Front, RugMark, and research the life of Iqbal Masih.  

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