FDR, FDR.
(The Democrats have always represented the cultural left, and the Republicans the cultural right).
What do you mean by cultural? Because supporting an end to slavery doesn't sound that conservative of the time, & remember Mr. Evangelical Bryan.
And, for God's sake, pretty much the rest of this thread is just a Democratic hack thread. "Racism"! Hah!
Mckinely was very religious or atleast moralist himself. It was the time period.
Beet and Worms have it pretty well put.
Looking at the opposite side of the coin for a minute. Until 1896, strong central gov't was Conservative. Part of this was a post French Revolution reaction, and part of it was that the elites, that dominated that Federalists/Whigs/Republicans (GOP), preferred a stronger government because of the spectacle of Shays, Whiskey Rebellions, Civil War etc. And since gov't was so tiny, it didn't pose a problem or hinderance. It is only after the government starts to get bigger, that these interests start to clamor for a smaller government. That is why you see business seeking and benefiting from less gov't in the 1920's, a response to the perceived excesses of the progressive era. The same applies to the Wilkies and other business people who experienced New Deal gov't and found themselves desiring a smaller, less intrusive state.
To answer the question, you had this guy named Alexander Hamilton who sought to created a modern industrial economy, based off manufacturing and dominated by business elites. As a response, you had a reaction seeking to preserve the ideals of the Revolution and serve the interests of the common man, led by Thomas Jefferson with help from his buddies James
2. That is how it happened in the 1790's.
