General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: I still cant get my head around the fact the Lincoln was a Republican and Democrats [View all]louis c
(8,652 posts)Lincoln was a radical by 1860 standards.
Republicans remained the party of tolerance through the end of the 19th century, although they succumbed to the Democrats, who were the party of "Jim Crow" laws during that time.
Teddy Roosevelt was as progressive as any President until his Cousin Franklin won the White House.
Taft made the Republican Party the Party of Big Business when Teddy R relinquished the Presidency to him in 1908. T. Roosevelt was so disillusioned and upset he tried to wrestle the nomination from his former Vice-President in 1912. Failing at gaining the Republican nomination that year, he started a third party, the Bull Moose Party and challenged the incumbent Republican President Taft in 1912, assuring the Democratic election of Woodrow Wilson.
In 1920, the Republicans became the full blown party of big business and the Democrats were the populist party. The Republicans won 3 successive elections and let big bushiness run the government, ushering in the roaring 20's and Laissez Faire Economics. Then the crash of 1929 and today's 2 parties received their current identity, economically.
The solid South ended when Lyndon Johnson signed civil rights into law, and the Southern Democrats finally went into the Republican column after flirting with the third party started by George Wallace (and an off shoot of the Dixiecrats started by Strom Thurmond in 1948).
That's the evolution to the 2 parties as best as I can see it.