Here in Iowa, Governor James W. Grimes – who was first elected as a Whig candidate (1854) and then became a Republican – was actively involved in the anti-slavery movement long before the new party was “officially” formed in 1856. You see, most people, today, don’t realize this, but the new Republican Party that was birthed nationally in response to the pro-slavery bigotry found in both the Democratic and Whig Parties – had its beginnings right here in Iowa!

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