2 verb A word or group of words that modifies another word describes or classifies something, or restricts the meaning of the word. It is a rule of English that adjectives generally precede the noun they modify: we say `a good cry', not `a cry good'.
The Republican Party was formed by Free Soilers who did not want slavery to spread into the western territories. They were not friendly toward blacks, they just did not want to compete for jobs or lower the wages available.
By 1824, however, the party was split four ways and lacked a cohesive center. Members eventually gravitated towards the new Democratic Party forming under Andrew Jackson or to the National Republican Party, the precursor to the Whig Party.