Our message;

Republicans come from every demographic of American society and each person brings to the party their own life experiences which makes the party that much more diverse as it grows.

That is something the Republican Party never gets credit for and is even portrayed often times as just the opposite. In the state of North Carolina, more women are registered Republican than men and many of the county executive committees are made up of or are headed by women.

One of our two Senators is Representative Elizabeth Dole, who was also the first female Secretary of Transportation under Ronald Reagan. Dr. Condoleezza Rice, is the first African-American female Secretary of State in American history and proudly speaks of her commitment to the Republican Party saying, "I joined for different reasons. I found a party that sees me as just an individual, not as part of a group. I found a party that puts family first. I found a party that has love of liberty at its core. And I found a party that believes that peace begins with strength."

That statement best exemplifies what it is that connects all of us who are registered Republicans and those who will soon become one. Even though we all may come from different backgrounds... every one of us believes in the power, justification, and pursuit of liberty.

That call to liberty exploded in America during the Reagan years and has steadily increased across the country in what we see as a modern day American Revolution. Though Richmond County is but a minor part of the American electorate, it is none-the-less a microcosm of the revolution where even Republicans can finally openly admit to being Republican without being ostracized or fear reproach.

Today, there are more than 5000 registered Republicans in Richmond County and that number is a dramatic increase over the last several years. We're confident it's on the verge of another major increase, and look forward to doing what we can to help promote that progress and solidify its effect on our society.

We are also committed to reaching across the political divide and encouraging as many of our county residents as we can to consider changing their party affiliation. Many of these conflicted souls haven't yet mustered the courage to change parties before now for different reasons, even though they know the Republican Party is the party that best represents the core values we all share.

But time is eroding their reluctance and with the help of an active, visible, vocal county party they will be that much more willing to shed that cautiousness.

Being an inclusive party, we pledge to make that transition as smooth as possible for them and we will openly accept those individuals as willing participants in our political agenda. That's what liberty is all about. And that's what being a Republican is all about!

We also invite every Republican in the county to help us make this goal that much more achievable by participating in this experience with us whenever it is possible physically, emotionally, and financially.

The Richmond County Republican Party is moving into the future. The visions of that future for our families and our children's families will be shaped politically by what we accomplish today.

Be a part of it and help us make it a reality!

Republicans passed the 13th Amendment, abolishing slavery 

On this day in 1864, the Chairman of the Republican National Committee, Senator Edwin Morgan, opened the national convention.  At the suggestion of President Abraham Lincoln (R-IL), he did so with a brief statement:

“The party of which you, gentlemen, are the delegated and honored representatives, will fall far short of accomplishing its great mission, unless among its other resolves it shall declare for such an amendment of the Constitution as will positively prohibit African slavery in the United States.”

Inspired by Chairman Morgan's leadership, delegates made abolishing slavery part of the platform.  And so, Republicans entered the 1864 presidential campaign determined to defeat the Democrats' pro-slavery policies once and for all.  The 13th Amendment was passed by congressional Republicans seven months later and ratified within the year.

Michael Zak is a popular speaker to Republican organizations around the country, showing office-holders, candidates and activists how they would benefit tremendously from appreciating the heritage of our Grand Old Party.  Back to Basics for the Republican Party is his acclaimed history of the GOP from the Republican point of view.  Each day, his Grand Old Partisan blog celebrates more than fifteen decades of Republican heroes and heroics.  See www.republicanbasics.com for more information.

Historical Recounting of the 'Boston Tea Parties'

Colonial America, December 16, 1773

In 1770, American protests led to Parliament's repeal of the Townshend duties — except for the duty on tea retained by the British as a matter of principle. The colonists demonstrated their displeasure with the remaining tax by drinking smuggled tea. The effectiveness of American resistance was shown in the precipitous decline in tea sales in the colonies — a drop of 70 percent over three years.

In 1773 Parliament passed the Tea Act, which gave the English East India Company a chance to avert bankruptcy by granting a monopoly on the importation of tea into the colonies. The new regulations allowed the company to sell tea to the colonists at a low price, lower than the price of smuggled tea, even including the required duty. The British reasoned that the Americans would willingly pay the tax if they were able to pay a low price for the tea.

On November 28 the Dartmouth arrived in Boston harbor with a cargo of Darjeeling tea. Samuel Adams and other radicals were determined that the cargo would not be landed in the city. His mobs roamed the streets in the evenings, threatening violence if challenged by the authorities. Governor Thomas Hutchinson was equally belligerent and vowed not to capitulate in the face of public opposition as had happened in other colonies.

Two other ships, the Beaver and the Eleanor, arrived with more consignments from the East India Company. Hutchinson remained firm and stated that the cargoes would be brought ashore and taxed in compliance with the law.

The Tea Act required that the requisite tax be collected within 20 days of a ship’s arrival, making December 16 the deadline. Sam Adams kept public fervor high by holding public meetings in the Old South Meeting House; crowds as large as 5,000 clogged the surrounding streets.

At one of these gatherings, a resolution was adopted that asked the consignees to return the tea. Those tea agents, some of them relatives of the governor, refused to do so. On December 16, the owner of the Dartmouth agreed to sail his ship back to England. This opportunity to ease tensions was abruptly ended, however, when British officials denied permission for the ship to clear the port and began preparations to seize the vessel for nonpayment of the tax.

That evening the ship owner reported his inability to depart from Boston to the throng at Old South. With that news Adams gave a signal to the group and loud Indian war whoops broke out. A group of some 50 men, unconvincingly disguised as Mohawk Indians, moved the short distance to Griffin’s Wharf where the three ships were moored.

The vessels were boarded, the cargo carefully taken from the holds and placed on the decks. There, 342 chests were split open and thrown into the harbor. A cheering crowd on the dock shouted its approval for the brewing of this “saltwater tea.”

The “Tea Party” was quickly restaged in other port cities in America and tended to polarize the sides in the widening dispute. Patriots and Loyalists became more ardent about their views.

Parliament and King chafed at the destruction of private property and the deliberate flouting of royal authority. They would soon turn to sterner actions.