I don't endorse Basil, just posting for discussion, really. But I think he's got a stance that can be argued ... certainly doing away with slavery - the founding goal of the Republican Party - was a progressive effort and the Democrats - on that issue - held a more conservative position. Of course, overall, Jackson's Democrats were populists.
“But I think he’s got a stance that can be argued ... certainly doing away with slavery - the founding goal of the Republican Party - was a progressive effort and the Democrats - on that issue - held a more conservative position.”
I would love to flame this but you make a point. The Civil War essentially ended Federalism and the Republican party is to thank for that. In the years after the civil war, the Republican party was the one of big government and federal intervention, essentially crushing states rights.
If you really want to whittle it down, the effects of slavery is destroying the country. The Republic could not survive with slavery and it could not survive Reconstruction as a true Republic. For the record, it is my opinion Reconstruction ended in the ‘70’s after the civil rights movement.
Where did we as a nation go wrong? We imported slaves. It will be our ruination.
radical republicans were sure the libs of their day...no doubt about that