Democrats started a civil war in in 1861. They did so on the basic premise that cheap labor was good for America. The only thing that stopped in 1865 was the shooting.
‘They did so on the basic premise that cheap labor was good for America.’
no no no...if you’ve been reading FR you’d rightly know that the CW started over the north being meanies about tariffs...
Actually, it might be more realistic to suggest that the then-new Republican Party started a civil war in 1861, on the basic premise that a State, once acceeding to union, could never depart (although the Constitution nowhere prohibited State seccession).
The Democratic Party of that era was the 'constitutional party,' and generally promoted a literal or strict interpretation of the compact. The Republican Party of that time leaned towards actions based on feelings of moral outrage, rather than constitutional law. The party names have remained the same, but their philosophies have changed. IIRC, Ronald Reagan observed: "I didn't leave the Democratic Party. The party left me." Today's political parties are not even the same as those our grandparents voted for...