[the OlLine Rebel]

Don't think the Republican party was all high and mighty over this. They did alot of bad things then, manipulating and enacting more rules, increasing gov. power greatly, probably more than had ever happened before. It wasn't until the turn of the century at least that things started switching and the Dems became the socialists.

[TexanToTheCore]

Don't think the Republican party was all high and mighty over this. They did alot of bad things then, manipulating and enacting more rules, increasing gov. power greatly, probably more than had ever happened before. It wasn't until the turn of the century at least that things started switching and the Dems became the socialists.

Beg to differ. The Republican party was formed in 1854 in Ripon Wisconsin specifically to eliminate slavery. The poitical parties of the day refused to deal with this issue and we wished to do so. 11 years later, in 1865, we destroyed slavery.

[Clemenza]

The Democrats were for Free Trade and the extension of slavery into the territories. The Republicans were for protectionism and the open settling of the territories (Free Soil, Free Men).

I still think that Thaddeus Stevens and William Seward were far greater men than any of the third-rate incompetants who ran the confederacy. The only man with any brains or sense was Judah Benjamin IMHO. Even he knew to flee to England when the war was ending.