Collections : [Wesleyan University -Special Collections and Archives]

The Young Men's Republican Club was Wesleyan's first Republican political organization. It was founded on June 21, 1856, with the goal of aiding in the election of John C. Fremont to the presidency of the United States. A significant number of Wesleyan students were vocal supporters of the Republican Party in the early years, and much of their rhetoric centered on their opposition to slavery in Kansas.