Problem
From the earliest days of the Michigan Territory through the ratification of its second constitution in 1850, Michigan was first the stronghold of the Democratic-Republican Party of Thomas Jefferson, then its successor, the Democratic Party of Andrew Jackson to the point that the first Michigander, Lewis Cass, ran for president as its candidate in 1844. Yet Michigan became the birthplace of the Republican Party by 1854, just a few years later.
Task
• What accounts for this rapid shift in Michigan's political landscape? Give three reasons for this phenomenon.
• Where was the Republican Party founded in 1854 and what phrase is often used to describe the event?
• Given Michigan's central role in the founding of the Republican Party can we say that it played more than a passing role in the Civil War to come? How?