1860s Republicans were the liberals. The Democrats were the conservative party in the 1860s.
1860’s Republicans were the anti-slavery party. And democrats were the slavery party and later the party of Jim Crow.
I lived in the Jim Crow South - it was a one party oppressive democrat party that ran the white citizen councils, KKK, and filled the ranks of every political office from Governors to dog catchers for the whole region for decades.
Democrats went from ‘blacks can do no right’ to ‘blacks can do no wrong’. Both position toxic to the black community.