The RNC has focused on the party's future. Here's the history of the Republican Party.

The 2024 Republican National Convention is underway and will wrap up its four-day schedule late Thursday evening.

So far, this year's event has featured several monumental moments, most prominently: President Donald Trump securing his presidential nomination and his announcement of JD Vance as his vice presidential running mate.

As the GOP focuses on the party's future, take a peek into the history of the Republican Party.

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Who started the Republican Party?

The Republican Party formed in the mid-1850s as an anti-slavery movement in response to the Kansas-Nebraska Act, which allowed for the potential expansion of slavery into western territories, according to the GOP website.

The key figures involved in its founding included:

• Alvan E. Bovay: A key organizer and early advocate for a new political party to oppose the spread of slavery.

• Horace Greeley: An influential newspaper editor who helped popularize the Republican Party through his writings.

• Amos Tuck: A politician who played a significant role in organizing the first meetings that led to the creation of the party.

The Republican Party's first formal meeting was held on July 6, 1854, in Jackson, Michigan. It consisted mostly of northern citizens, including factory workers, business professionals, farmers and, after the Civil War, former slaves.

The South, at the time, was majority Democrat.

Did the Republicans and Democrats switch parties?

There's a widespread claim that Republicans and Democrats switched parties. While it's not accurate to say they literally swapped parties, substantial changes in party ideologies and affiliations have occurred, especially during the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s, according to an outline on the U.S. Embassy and Consulate in the Kingdom of Denmark website.

The Democratic Party, which was historically dominant in the South and known for its support of segregation and Jim Crow laws began to embrace reform after President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Voting Rights Act of 1965.

As Democrats began to increasingly support civil rights, many Southern conservatives felt they began to align more with the Republican Party.

Why is the Republican symbol an elephant?

While the famous cartoonist Thomas Nast, known as "The Father of the American Cartoon," is credited with popularizing the Republican elephant, the symbol actually appeared much earlier. According to a video explainer from Voice of America, the elephant first appeared in the pro-Lincoln newspaper Father Abraham.

In this early depiction, a cartoon elephant held a banner celebrating Union military victories. This was a play on the expression "seeing the elephant," which Civil War soldiers used to mean "engaging in combat."

What does GOP stand for?

The Republican Party is synonymous with Grand Old Party, or GOP.

Politicians and newspapers began to refer to the Republican Party as the "Grand Old Party" and "Gallant Old Party" for its role in preserving the Union during the Civil War.

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This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Who founded the Republican Party? The GOP's history is complex