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| | Re: Political platform, planks |
 | | Francis Bacon, in 1623: 'The wisdom of a lawmaker consisteth not only in a platform of justice, but in the application thereof.' In most early use in the U.S., the word related to the principles of a church, taken from the French word for ground plan of a building. |
 | | As early as 1803, the 'Massachusetts Spy' was writing about 'The Platform of Federalism,' but it was William Lloyd Garrison in his antislavery 'Liberator' who would help popularize the term; in 1844, the first national party platforms were adopted and by 1848 the word was a political standby. |
 | | In current use, a party platform is taken with great seriousness at a convention, since it enables many compromises to be made and gives appointment plums to many factional leaders, but is soon forgotten in the campaign. |
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