Political Pressure and the Grand Army of the Republic

"It is that charity which hears the cry of the orphan; that aids and assists the sufferer - the poor-house shall not be the dwelling of a comrade, who, having fought to preserve the Stars and Stripes, beneath its folds shall not be disgraced"

-John A. Logan, speech to Maine G.A.R. June, 1885

Introduction

Historians have defined the Grand Army of the Republic, or "G.A.R." as a potent political force in America from the late 1870s through the late 1890s. But it can also be said with authority that the G.A.R. was the first national political lobby with a huge grass-roots demographic following. The G.A.R. held great power as a voting block for many decades, which gave it during the period of the 1880s and 1890s substantial political power as well.

The G.A.R. was founded at Decatur, Illinois on April 6, 1866. Dr. Benjamin Franklin Stephenson founded the organization on the three cardinal principles of fraternity, charity, and loyalty and these principles guided the G.A.R. throughout its existence. To become a member of the Grand Army a man must have served in any of the military service branches of the U.S. between April 9, 1861 and April 12, 1865.