And I guess finally, I've been looking for days for a book that covers the events surrounding the formation of the Republican party. There are countless books about the lead up to the Civil War but seems to be no book that covers specifically the details of the Republican party formation: who, where and how it fermented (from its beginnings in a small town in MI), what interests it aligned, how did the Southern Whigs/Southern sympathizers get tossed, how did the platform countered the predecessors' platforms, and what the actions of the Free Soil and Whig parties did in response to the new player.

I know that's a ton of questions, I'd be extraordinarily grateful to anyone who could provide me with an answer to any part of this and a book they believe will elaborate on the questions further! Thanks!