Blacks Who Built the GOP By: Guest Authors By: Ken Raymond (Ken
Raymond is a member of the Frederick Douglass Foundation.) Many
former slaves left a political legacy thatâ€™s been ignored or
completely forgotten by their descendants–even during Black
History Month. As they struggled against the violence and racism
of the mid-1800â€™s, itâ€™s likely they thought the inheritance
they left would continue to improve the lives of their
descendants. Their legacy is the Republican Party. For decades,
Black people have given over 90 percent of their votes to the
Democrat Party. The Democrats can always count on strong support
from the Black Community. But that certainly wasnâ€™t the case
during the mid-1800â€™s. During that time, the Republican Party
led the fight against strong Democrat opposition to pass the
13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments to the Constitution. The
amendments abolished slavery, granted blacks citizenship and the
right to vote. It was clear to all Black people who their
friends were in the political