Was the republican party consistent in its policies from the 1850s-1877?
Those years span the entire Civil War and the beginning of Reconstruction. Do you think any person or group's policies were consistent during times like those?
Read widely.
http://www.google.com/search?rlz=1C1GGGE_enUS379US379&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8&q=republican+party+1850-1877