Who Killed Slavery?

By Michael Zak (Editorial) - April 17, 2006 -Washington Times

Now more than ever, Republicans should take great pride in our Party's heritage of civil rights achievement.

They should remember the words of Joseph Rainey, the South Carolina Republican and former slave who was the first African-American to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives: "We love freedom more, vastly more, than slavery; consequently, we hope to keep clear of the Democrats!" And, it was Mary Terrell, an African-American Republican who co-founded the NAACP, who declared: "Every right that has been bestowed upon blacks was initiated by the Republican Party."

Today, the District of Columbia celebrates "Emancipation Day" -- commemorating when . . . the Republican Party abolished slavery in the District.

More and more conservative African-Americans are discovering that the Republican party is not just the historical party of anti-slavery, it is the current party that favors treating individuals with dignity.