"If slavery isn't wrong, then nothing is wrong."
- Abraham Lincoln
The new Republican Party created in 1856, a progressive and liberal party formed by members of the liberal Whig party, opposed the expansion of slavery, supported immigration, supported equality, supported big government spending to finance education, job growth and a federal daily mail service using a railroad (innovation), and a decent wage for all workers.
This is similar to today's Democrats support of immigration, DACA, ACA, raising the minimum wage, innovation like green energy, equality, diversity, free college education, and helping the needy.
The conservative, status quo 1860s Democratic Party supported slavery, states rights, little federal spending, no government help for the poor or anyone.
They are similar to today's Republicans who are against ACA, against immigration (build that wall), fought raising the minimum wage, hates green energy prefers oil and coal, anti-progress, no diversity, against helping the poor or anyone in need (red states trying to kick people off food stamps), against a decent wage (red state teachers striking for decent wages, anti-union).
The switch happened slowly over a century beginning with the nomination of a populist liberal to the Republican Party, William Jennings Bryan. Republicans began their shift to conservatism with Theodore Roosevelt.
Each time an ignorant Republican acts as if Lincoln was one of them, Lincoln spins in his grave.
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