When did the platforms of the Democrats and Republicans shift?

Question

In the 1800's it was the Democrats who opposed freedom and equality for all, and the Republicans who championed the "little guy" and equality for all.

Today we see a sharp shift, where it is the Democrats who are seen as the champions of the "little guy" and the disenfranchised, and Republicans who are seen as dividers and overtly racist and intolerant.

I am not asking what you think about these parties, not whether you believe the statement above is accurate. The statement represents what the parties are known for, not what they actually are.

My question is about history. In the 1950-60's it was largely the Democrats fighting for Civil Rights, but they opposed it in the 1800's.

When and why did this shift happen?

I'm looking for understanding of fact, not political opinion, I want to make that clear.

Answer 1

The Democrats started to shift away from racism during FDR's presidency. The first racist Southern Democrats jumped ship and became independents or Republicans starting in the late 1940s. However, the big shift didn't really occur until after the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (remember, George wallace was a Democrat!). The South was Democratic mainly because Lincoln was a Republican, and they never really got over losing the Civil War.

Historically, though, Republicans were never seen as the party of the "Little Guy." The modern Democratic Party traces its roots back to Andrew Jackson, who portrayed himself as the champion of the common man, as opposed to the Republicans who were seen to favor big business.

Interestingly, today both parties portray themselves as the champion of the little guy, and both accuse the other of being elitist! Also, I don't think its fair to call either party racist today. They both support equal rights and oppose discrimination.

Answer 2

Woops- let me re-enter this. This, like most other major events in American history, is a bi-product of the Civil War. The Democrats- Southerners- beleived in State's rights- slavery being one of them- and a more stratified government. This was bourne out of their almost feudal system of slaves and crops being delivered to the more industrial North- where the Republicans held power. (Though the vast majority of Southerners did NOT hold slaves, the ones that did had the money and therefore, the power)
Championing the "little guy" basically meant a limit on gov involvement in business so that entrpeneurs could succeed and grow- very important in the industrial north- not so much in the feudal south. The Dems issues w/ freedom and equality were not so much the moral ones they are now but a reflection of the economic system- namely, they 'needed' slaves for their way of life to continue. As time went on, the Republican beleif in a limit on gov involvement, initially to "help" the little guy (who were never very "little" to begin with), has sometimes been perceived to have had the opposite effect- and the traditionalists who tend to be Republican are often part of the religious right and therefore oppose modern day issues of "equality and freedom" like gay rights. Answer is a little convuluted, but an interesting question!

Answer 3

The shift happened between 1870 and 1970. Factors were trade unions, Prohibition, the New Deal, shifting immigartion patterns, the African-American vote, and the position of the Southern Democrats ("Dixiecrats") at the 1968 Nixon election.

"As the Northern post-war economy boomed with industry, railroads, mines, and fast-growing cities, as well as prosperous agriculture, the Republicans took credit and promoted policies to keep the fast growth going. The Democratic Party was largely controlled by pro-business Bourbon Democrats until 1896. The GOP supported big business generally, hard money (i.e., the gold standard), high tariffs, and generous pensions for Union veterans. By 1890, the Republicans had agreed to the Sherman Antitrust Act and the Interstate Commerce Commission in response to complaints from owners of small businesses and farmers. Civil service reform was a bipartisan program that eliminated most patronage by 1900. Foreign affairs seldom became partisan issues (except for the annexation of Hawaii, which Republicans favored and Democrats opposed). Much more salient were cultural issues. The GOP supported the pietistic Protestants (especially the Methodists, Congregationalists, Presbyterians, and Scandinavian Lutherans) who demanded Prohibition. That angered wet Republicans, especially German Americans, who broke ranks in 1890-1892, handing power to the Democrats."

"From 1860 to 1912, the Republicans took advantage of the association of the Democrats with "Rum, Romanism and Rebellion." Rum stood for the liquor interests and the tavern keepers, in contrast to the GOP, which had a strong dry element. "Romanism" meant Roman Catholicism, especially the Irish, who staffed the Democratic Party in the large cities, and whom the Republicans denounced for political corruption. "Rebellion" stood for the Confederates who tried to break the Union in 1861, and the Copperheads in the North who sympathized with them."

"Demographic trends aided the Democrats, as the German and Irish Catholic immigrants were mostly Democrats, and outnumbered the British and Scandinavian Republicans. During the 1880s, elections were remarkably close. The Democrats usually lost, but won in 1884 and 1892. In the 1894 Congressional elections, the GOP scored the biggest landslide in its history, as Democrats were blamed for the severe economic depression 1893-1897 and the violent coal and railroad strikes of 1894."

"The election of William McKinley in 1896 marked a new era of Republican dominance and is sometimes cited as a realigning election. He relied heavily on finance, railroads, industry and the middle classes for his support and cemented the Republicans as the party of business. His campaign manager, Ohio's Marcus Hanna, developed a detailed plan for getting contributions from the business world, and McKinley outspent his rival William Jennings Bryan by a large margin."

"Republican Party" : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GOP

"Agrarian Democrats demanding free silver overthrew the Bourbon Democrats in 1896 and nominated William Jennings Bryan for the presidency (a nomination repeated by Democrats in 1900 and 1908). Bryan waged a vigorous campaign attacking Eastern moneyed interests, but he lost to Republican William McKinley."

"The Democrats took control of the House in 1910 and elected Woodrow Wilson as president in 1912 and 1916. Wilson led Congress to, in effect, put to rest the issues of tariffs, money, and antitrust that had dominated politics for 40 years with new progressive laws. The Great Depression in 1929 that occurred under Republican President Herbert Hoover and the Republican Congress set the stage for a more liberal government; the Democrats controlled the House of Representatives nearly uninterrupted from 1931 until 1995 and won most presidential elections until 1968. Franklin Delano Roosevelt, elected to presidency in 1932, came forth with government programs called the New Deal. New Deal liberalism meant the promotion of social welfare, labor unions, civil rights, and regulation of business. The opponents, who stressed long-term growth, support for business, and low taxes, started calling themselves "conservatives." "

"Democratic Party : History" : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democratic_Party_%28United_States%29#History