To the Opponents of Slavery Extension
Lewis Clephane
Washington D.C., 1856
 
A rare broadside from the early days of the burgeoning Republican Party. 6 x 9.5 in. Lightly creased and toned, minor edgewear, else an attractive Very Good copy of a significant historical artifact.
 
The broadside is an advertisement for copies of anti-slavery expansion Congressional speeches during the 1854-56 session and other documents anticipated to be useful in marshaling support for the new party during the 1856 presidential campaign.
 
Abolitionist and party co-founder, Lewis Clephane’s name is affixed to the end of the document in his role as the Secretary of the Publishing Association of Washington, i.e. the Republican Association of Washington. The Association was a small club formed in June 1855 for the express purpose of opposing slavery’s expansion to the territories. While other groups throughout the country used the Republican name some years earlier, it was this Washington club that galvanized a national convention to conclude the political party’s journey to permanent prominence.
 
Ref: 
 
Golden Jubilee of the Republican Party, Addison Burk
Lewis Clephane: A Pioneer Washington Republican, Walter C. Clephane