Civics
3
Joshua Reed Giddings wrote the Republican Party’s first national platform, adopted at Philadelphia on June 17, 1856. He served as a Member of Congress from 1838 to 1858. In 1842 he defied the Atherton Gag Rule, which prohibited discussion of slavery on the floor, and was censured by the House and given no opportunity for defense, so he resigned. His overwhelming re-election five weeks later, and renewed defiance, restored constitutional freedom of speech in the American Congress. He was a pioneer, soldier, author, patriot, statesman, and a founder of the National Republican Party.
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Jefferson, Ohio · United States
