The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States of America, along with the Democratic Party. It is often referred to as the Grand Old Party or the GOP. Founded in 1854 by anti-slavery expansion activists and modernizers, the Republican Party rose to prominence with the election of Abraham Lincoln, the first Republican president. The party presided over the American Civil War and Reconstruction and was harried by internal factions and scandals towards the end of the 19th century. Today, the Republican Party supports a conservative platform (as far as American politics are concerned), with further foundations in economic liberalism and social conservatism. The term 'Grand Old Party' is a traditional nickname for the Republican Party, and the initialism 'G.O.P.' is a commonly used designation. According to the Oxford English Dictionary the first known reference to the Republican Party as the 'grand old party' came in 1876. The first use of
