The Republican House Divided: Civil War Memory, Civil Rights, and the Transformation of the GOP

How the Republican Party transformed from the Party of Lincoln to the Party of Lee

The Republican House Divided is the first comprehensive study of the relationships between the Republican Party and Civil War memory in the twentieth century. Tim Galsworthy reveals how rival Republicans deployed Civil War memory to support, oppose, and ultimately shape the GOP's transformation, during the civil rights era, into a racially conservative party. Drawing on extensive archival research, Galsworthy underlines how references to the past were vitally important to Republican Party politicians as they negotiated their party's positions toward African American civil rights and attempted to appeal to erstwhile white Southern Democrats. Paying attention to a range of actors—including national party leaders, southern conservatives, prominent progressives, and defiant Black Republicans—he traces the actions of Republican politicians and operatives from across the party's ideological and geographical spectrums as they struggled to control and direct party messaging, strategy, and policy. The Republican House Divided is a timely work, offering insight into how the "Party of Lincoln" started on the road to becoming the GOP of today.

1147232579
The Republican House Divided: Civil War Memory, Civil Rights, and the Transformation of the GOP

How the Republican Party transformed from the Party of Lincoln to the Party of Lee

The Republican House Divided is the first comprehensive study of the relationships between the Republican Party and Civil War memory in the twentieth century. Tim Galsworthy reveals how rival Republicans deployed Civil War memory to support, oppose, and ultimately shape the GOP's transformation, during the civil rights era, into a racially conservative party. Drawing on extensive archival research, Galsworthy underlines how references to the past were vitally important to Republican Party politicians as they negotiated their party's positions toward African American civil rights and attempted to appeal to erstwhile white Southern Democrats. Paying attention to a range of actors—including national party leaders, southern conservatives, prominent progressives, and defiant Black Republicans—he traces the actions of Republican politicians and operatives from across the party's ideological and geographical spectrums as they struggled to control and direct party messaging, strategy, and policy. The Republican House Divided is a timely work, offering insight into how the "Party of Lincoln" started on the road to becoming the GOP of today.

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The Republican House Divided: Civil War Memory, Civil Rights, and the Transformation of the GOP

The Republican House Divided: Civil War Memory, Civil Rights, and the Transformation of the GOP

by Tim Galsworthy
The Republican House Divided: Civil War Memory, Civil Rights, and the Transformation of the GOP

The Republican House Divided: Civil War Memory, Civil Rights, and the Transformation of the GOP

by Tim Galsworthy

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Overview

How the Republican Party transformed from the Party of Lincoln to the Party of Lee

The Republican House Divided is the first comprehensive study of the relationships between the Republican Party and Civil War memory in the twentieth century. Tim Galsworthy reveals how rival Republicans deployed Civil War memory to support, oppose, and ultimately shape the GOP's transformation, during the civil rights era, into a racially conservative party. Drawing on extensive archival research, Galsworthy underlines how references to the past were vitally important to Republican Party politicians as they negotiated their party's positions toward African American civil rights and attempted to appeal to erstwhile white Southern Democrats. Paying attention to a range of actors—including national party leaders, southern conservatives, prominent progressives, and defiant Black Republicans—he traces the actions of Republican politicians and operatives from across the party's ideological and geographical spectrums as they struggled to control and direct party messaging, strategy, and policy. The Republican House Divided is a timely work, offering insight into how the "Party of Lincoln" started on the road to becoming the GOP of today.


Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781643366524
Publisher: University of South Carolina Press
Publication date: 11/20/2025
Series: Reconstruction Reconsidered
Sold by: Barnes & Noble
Format: eBook
Pages: 292

About the Author

Tim Galsworthy is a lecturer in history and military history at Lincoln Bishop University in Lincoln, United Kingdom.

What People are Saying About This

Ty Seidule

Everyone who wants to understand the Republican Party of today, or how Civil War memory is used politically, will need to read this book.

Michelle Nickerson

Galsworthy successfully captures the complicated and competing narratives revitalizing the Civil War within the party itself against the backdrop of the 100-year celebrations of the Appomattox surrender.

Mark McLay

While there have been many books written on the 1960s-era Republican party, none have considered fully the role of Civil War memory in Southern Republican ascendance.

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