Republican Party History
The Republican Party was born of the anti-slavery movement. Opponents of the Kansas–Nebraska Act emerged in 1854 as the first Republicans. With the nomination of John C. Fremont for president in 1856, these Republicans organized as an official national party. Four years later, Abraham Lincoln was elected and the Republicans firmly established themselves as a major political party. The name “Republican” was chosen because it alluded to equality and brought to mind Thomas Jefferson’s Democratic-Republican Party.
In 1861, the Civil War erupted, lasting four grueling years. During the war, Lincoln — against the advice of his cabinet — signed the Emancipation Proclamation that freed the slaves. The Republicans of the day worked to pass the 13th Amendment, which outlawed slavery; the 14th Amendment, which guaranteed equal protection under the law; and the 15th Amendment, which helped secure voting rights for African Americans. In 1896, the Republican Party was the first major political party to support women’s suffrage. When the 19th Amendment was finally added to the Constitution, 26 of the 36 state legislatures that had to ratify it were under Republican control. The first woman elected to Congress was a Republican — Jeanette Rankin of Montana, in 1917.
Republican Representatives
- Barnstable County Registrar of Probate: Anastasia Welsh Perrino
- Barnstable County Clerk of Courts: Scott Nickerson
- Barnstable County Register of Deeds: John F. Meade
- Cape & Islands State Committee Members: Will and Judy Crocker
- State Representative, 3rd Barnstable District: David Vieira (Falmouth)
- State Representative, 5th Barnstable District: Steven Xiarhos (West Barnstable)
Cape Cod Republican Town Committees
Harwich is one of many active Republican Town Committees across Cape Cod. Several are now part of the growing Cape Cod & Islands RTC network: Yarmouth, Falmouth, Mashpee, and Sandwich.